It’s enough. The country’s top agency on protecting the welfare of the consumers have issued a strong warning against supplements manufacturers that they should follow the law or else they will end up in jail. The US FDA has been task to monitor supplement products being sold in the country and their findings were alarming. A lot of manufacturers intentionally add ingredients which are controlled or pose great health risks to the consumers. The agency already issued warnings and ordered recalls of several products but this time, they are determined to put unscrupulous businessmen into jail if they will continue to sell tainted products.

According to the data released by the FDA, there are nearly 300 supplement products that contain potentially dangerous or illegal ingredients. Most of these were sold as diet supplements, bodybuilding and sexual enhancement products. Since 2007, the agency was able to recall more than 80 bodybuilding supplements, 70 sexual enhancement aids and 40 weight-loss supplements.

The FDA already warned the public about the dangers of taking these tainted supplements because it can lead to severe health problems. There have been reports that users suffered from strokes, kidney and liver problems and even deaths. FDA Principal Deputy Commissioner Joshua Sharfstein advice the public to be more wary of the supplements sold as alternatives to prescription drugs. Consumers should be critical of products marketed as legal supplements, or those sold in the internet or products imported from other countries.

Felony Charges

The FDA said that supplement companies selling “deceptively labeled” products will face criminal charges. Supplements that contain steroids or ingredients found in obesity or erectile-dysfunction drugs are violating existing laws since these ingredients should only be sold under prescription. “We want consumers to be aware that there are products masquerading as dietary supplements that pose significant dangers. These products are generally poorly labeled, so the consumer doesn’t know what he or she is really buying,” said Sharfstein.

The agency urged the supplement producers to implement strict monitoring of their production and distribution process to avoid contamination of products. They are also encouraged to report erring manufacturers through a specially designated email address or to the office of Criminal Investigations of the FDA.

Ivan Wasserman, a representative of the supplement manufacturers told the LA Times that most of the tainted products come from small and internet based companies. “Every time there’s a news report of a tainted supplement, it’s bad for the industry,” he said. However, this was contradicted by a Sidney Wolfe of Public Citizens’ Health Research Group. “Even if not contaminated, in many cases they do not have evidence of safety and effectiveness,” said Wolfe. Supplement manufacturers are not covered by regulations being followed by drug companies.

Supplement Industry Support

This move by the FDA is supported by most industry stakeholders. According to Bloomberg, there are 5 trade organizations supporting this initiative. In a joint statement, they said that products with undeclared drug ingredients or steroids tarnish the reputation of the legitimate supplement industry.

Loren Israelsen of the United Natural Products Alliance said that they have been astonished at the unfortunate growth of this particular class of products, which are intentionally spiked. “These are illegal acts committed by people who work in the shadows. They are very difficult to find. We are committed to joining FDA to find them and to drive them out of the industry,” she said.

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