Are herbal formulas and supplements safe?
Federal law requires that every food product, including formula supplements, is free of “adulteration” and is not “misbranded.” This legal language translates into a requirement that all foods and supplements have a reasonable expectation of safety when offered for sale and when used as directed. So manufacturers of soups, cereals, and supplements all have an obligation to sell only safely made and properly labeled goods, and can find their products subject to seizure should they fail to do so. In addition, manufacturers of formula products are specifically required to limit their ingredients to either those that were already on the market prior to the 1994 passage of landmark legislation, or those that a company can convincingly show to be safe, by providing information to the Food and Drug Administration. What that means is that any manufacturer who wants to introduce a new formula ingredient must first provide the FDA with information that shows that the herb is “reasonably expected
