WEDNESDAY'S report ("Four top US retailers accused of selling bogus supplements") is cause for concern, as one of the brands, GNC, retails in Singapore.
Although GNC was quoted as saying that it stood by the quality and purity of its store brand supplements, consumers are none the wiser, as our health authorities do not routinely test them for safety, authenticity and effectiveness.
In the wake of the United States findings that four out of five of the top-selling store brands of herbal supplements did not contain any of the herbs stated on their labels, perhaps it is time for our Health Ministry to take a more active role in checking on such products.
Unlike in the US, where there are private labs conducting tests on supplements and making the results available to the public at a low cost, we do not have the benefit of such information to help us differentiate the fakes from the genuine and make the right choice.
So, we are really depending on an honour system on the part of the retailers and manufacturers.
And, as proven by what was discovered by the US authorities in the multibillion-dollar industry, many have unfortunately fallen short in the area of trust.
Sia Cheong Yew
Although GNC was quoted as saying that it stood by the quality and purity of its store brand supplements, consumers are none the wiser, as our health authorities do not routinely test them for safety, authenticity and effectiveness.
In the wake of the United States findings that four out of five of the top-selling store brands of herbal supplements did not contain any of the herbs stated on their labels, perhaps it is time for our Health Ministry to take a more active role in checking on such products.
Unlike in the US, where there are private labs conducting tests on supplements and making the results available to the public at a low cost, we do not have the benefit of such information to help us differentiate the fakes from the genuine and make the right choice.
So, we are really depending on an honour system on the part of the retailers and manufacturers.
And, as proven by what was discovered by the US authorities in the multibillion-dollar industry, many have unfortunately fallen short in the area of trust.
Sia Cheong Yew
