This is a tale of two types of weight-loss products and how the Food and Drug Administration had different responses to similar problems with them. The separate, but not equivalent treatment raises questions about how the FDA operates.

The FDA has put supplement companies on notice that violators can expect earlier detection and prosecution. The agency has shifted to a policy of less talk and more action. The industry response must be to get better or get out.

The FDA has just announced a massive recall of the popular weight loss supplement, Hydroxycut.
According to the FDA press release dated today, FDA has received 23 reports of serious health problems ranging from jaundice and elevated liver enzymes, an indicator of potential liver injury, to liver damage requiring liver transplant. One death due to liver [...]

The peanut butter/paste Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak has witnessed another functional food victim with the recall of GNC’s Triflex peanut butter chews products.
The recall is detailed on the FDA website here.   As you may have heard, all of the recent salmonella-tainted products have contained peanut paste or peanut butter made at a Peanut Corp. of America [...]