Why is there a Warning Label on my supplements?

The scary sounding “warning” has nothing to do with the purity of your supplements! A poorly written California law is forcing natural foods companies to add this misleading warning on perfectly healthy foods.

We consider the supplements we carry to be the purest on the planet. They contain no synthetic ingredients (which damage DNA), no toxic excipients, flow agents, glues or gelatin and are manufactured in state of the art FDA monitored facilities that operate under current GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) guidelines.

They are grown and manufactured to standards so far beyond organic standards and any standard the government could envision, we believe that perhaps they should be the only food or supplement without a warning label.

What the California Prop 65 law says:

In 1986, California voters approved an initiative seemingly to address concerns about exposure to toxic chemicals. That initiative became the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, better known by its original name of Proposition 65. Proposition 65 requires the State to publish a list of chemicals known to cause cancer or birth defects or other reproductive harm. This list, which must be updated at least once a year, has grown to include approximately 800 chemicals since it was first published in 1987.

A Proposition 65 warning does not necessarily mean a product is in violation of any product-safety standards or requirements.

How the law is Misleading:

Like any living food grown on clean organic certified soil, superfoods contain naturally occurring minerals in trace quantities. Even elements like lead and cadmium, are naturally occurring in the Earth’s soil and are present in everyday foods like carrots, beets, fruit juice and chocolate.

California’s Proposition 65 is the most stringent purity standard in the world… perhaps too stringent. You will often see a Prop 65 warning on products even when the chemicals are present at levels a thousand times lower than those considered safe by the FDA, EPA, and WHO.

FDA and EPA recommend that adults not consume more than 75 micrograms of Lead per day. Yet Prop 65 requires a label for anything that contains 0.5 micrograms per serving. For example, according to the FDA, 1 cup of carrots typically contains about .14 micrograms of lead. When grown in soil with a moderate lead content (500 ppm), spinach and radishes can have lead levels that exceed 3 micrograms/gram, while beets and carrots can exceed 6 micrograms/gram. Yet you don’t see warning labels on them in the supermarket warning you about cancer causing carrots.

Since dehydrated foods lose as much as 90% of their water when dehydrated, making their levels of lead and other chemicals seemingly higher than in fresh foods. This is why many herbs and superfoods now have to bear the Prop 65 warning. Even when a superfood is clearly within Federal and International safety levels, the slightest chance that there will be a trigger level of any of the other 800 compounds on the list means that printing a Prop 65 warning is the only way to avoid expensive lawsuits.

Prop 65 puts almost all of the burden of proof on manufacturers. For example, instead of requiring a plaintiff to show that the warning is required, the manufacturer is required to show that the warning is NOT required. It is extremely expensive for a company to prove that a substance is below the Prop 65 threshold, so it’s cheaper to print the warning. In order to stay in business, many companies preemptively post the Prop 65 warning even if they believe the chemicals are safe, simply because the risk of NOT posting the warning is too great.

We believe this is yet another example of government trying to discredit the natural health industry while mostly ignoring the abuse in the drug industry and the toxic effects of most medication.

The list of companies and products cited for non-compliance to Prop 65 is long and growing. Below are a few examples of companies in the nutritional supplement industry that have been cited for Prop 65 violations:

4Life Research
Absolute Nutrition
Advanced Nutrient Science
Advance Physicians Formula (NHK Laboratories)
Advocare International
AIM International
AL Global Corporation
Alfa Vitamins Lab
ALL ONE Nutritech
Aloe Vera of America
Amazon Herb Company
American Body Building Products
Arbonne International (Arbonne Essentials)
Arise & Shine Herbal Products
Aspen Group
AST Sport Science
ATF Fitness Products
Atrium Inc.
Ayush Herbs
Baseline Nutritionals
Beauty & Health International
Betty Lou’s
Bio-International
Biotics Research Corporation
Bristol Farms Pure Synergy
Bronson Nutritionals
Ceautamed Worldwide
Cell-Nique Corporation
CGNP Manufacturing
Champion Nutrition
Chi’s Enterprise
Continental Vitamin Company
Creations Garden Natural Products
DEVA Nutrition
DNS Nutrition Products
Dr. Health
Dr. Mercola
Dr. Schulze’s American Botanical Pharmacy
EarthLab (Wise Woman Herbals)
Erom
Forever Living
Forevergreen
FreeLife International
Full Green Circle
Futurebiotics
Garden of Life
General Nutrition Centers
Genesis Pure
Genesis Today
Genisoy Food Company
GHC ND Operations
Ginco International
Global Healing Center
GNC
Golden Flower Chinese Herbs
Golden Neo-Life Diamite International
Good Life International
Great American Products
Greens World
Health Body Services
Health Plus
Healthy Body Services
Healthy Directions
Healthy Healing
Healthy Natural Systems International
Heritage Health Products Company
ICA Health (Dr. Wilson’s Original Formulations)
ICC Industries
iHerb
Inner Health Group
Institute for Vibrant Living
Integrated Sports Science
Integrity Health Group
ISI Brands
It Works Global
Jarrow Formulas
Kan Herb Company
Konsyl Pharmaceuticals
Kraft Foods
Labrada Nutrition
Life Extension (XtendOLife)
Life Force International
Living Intentions
LuckyVitamin Corporation
MacroLife Naturals
Max Muscle Sports Nutrition
MET-Rx Engineered Nutrition
Metagenics
Mountain Rose Herbs
MRI
MRM
Myogenix
Natrol
Natura Health Products
Naturade Operating Corporation
Natural Organics
Nature’s Answer (Greens Today, Tru Cleanse, etc.)
Nature’s Best
Nature’s Bounty
Nature’s Herb Company
Nature’s Plus
Nature’s Sunshine Products
Nature’s Way Products
Naturemed
Navitas Naturals
New England Greens
Nu Skin Enterprises
NuCare International
Nutraceutical Corporation
Nutri-Well International
Nutri-West
NutriBiotic
Nutricologiy
Optimum Nutrition
Organic By Nature
Organic India USA
Ortho Molecular Products
Promax Nutrition Corporation
ProSource
Pure Planet Products
Quick Trim
R-U-VED
Raw Indulgence
ReNew Life Formulas
Rexal Sundown
Robbins Research International
Self Health Resource Center (Dr. Clark Store)
Seychelles Organics
Sonne’s Organic Foods
Sunfood Superfoods
Sunrider International
Sunsweet Growers
Sunwarrior
Supreme Protein
Swanson Health Products
Symmetry Corporation
Tao of Wellness
The Clean Program Corp.
The Synergy Company
Trace Minerals Research
TRC Nutritional Laboratories
TriVita
Ultimate Nutrition
United Herbal Sciences
United States Nutrition
Vega (Sequel Naturals)
Vibrant Health
Visual Sciences
Vital Pharmaceuticals
Vitamin Power
Vitamin Research Products
Vitamin Shoppe
VitaTech International
Vitonomy
Wellness Watchers Global
WellNX Life Sciences
Western Botanicals
Wholistic Botanicals
Windmill Health Products
World Health Products
Yerba Prima

A Few Distributors:

Amazon.com
Drugstore.com
Pureformulas.com
Supplementwarehouse.com
Vitacost.com