Supplements that fail Canadian testing

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Nutritional snacks, power drinks fail Ottawa's food inspection tests

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By PAUL WALDIE

Saturday, May 15, 2004 - Page A1

 

Canadians gulp down around $1-billion worth of energy drinks, power bars

and weight-loss products every year, but most of the products don't live up

to their nutritional billing and fraud is a major concern, according to

documents obtained by The Globe and Mail.

 

A Globe review of 120 product tests by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency

last year found that only 43 received a " satisfactory " rating. In other

words, only 36 per cent of the drinks, bars and supplements tested by the

CFIA actually contained what was on their label or met regulatory standards.

 

Similar testing in 2002 found a compliance rate of about 40 per cent, while

testing in 2001 resulted in just 6 per cent getting a satisfactory score.

 

Some of the samples that did not make the cut last year included products

by Shoppers Drug Mart Corp., Loblaw Cos. Ltd., Kellogg Canada Inc. and

familiar brand names, including Life, Presidents Choice, Slim-Fast, Clif

Bar, Vector and Red Bull Energy Drink.

 

Among the issues raised by the CFIA in several reports reviewed by The

Globe were the mislabelling of ingredients, false claims and the inclusion

of non-approved additives, including caffeine, which is allowed only in

cola drinks; chitosan, a shellfish extract billed as a " fat blocker; " and

taurine, an amino acid common in energy drinks.

 

In one report, the CFIA issued a nationwide recall of Nitro-Tech bars and

then reviewed the product label.

 

The agency found 14 problems, including several misleading performance

claims and non-approved additives.

 

The tests and the reports were obtained by Ottawa researcher Ken Rubin

under the Access to Information Act.

 

Manufacturers say they are doing their best to comply with federal rules

and that most follow strict quality controls.

 

" There may be anomalies, but we go to great lengths to ensure that all our

products are up to the highest quality standards, " Loblaw spokesman Geoff

Wilson said.

 

Christine Lowry, a vice-president of Kellogg Canada Inc., said the company

is working with the CFIA to sort out labelling issues with its Vector bar.

 

" Kellogg Canada is committed to ensuring that all of our products are fully

compliant with all federal health regulations, " she said in a statement.

 

Terry Begley, chief operating officer of Canada-based Iovate Health

Sciences, the maker of Nitro-Tech bars, said the company's products are now

in compliance and that Iovate requested the label review after the bars

were recalled in 2002.

 

The issues also covered the inclusion of non-approved additives, including

caffeine, which is allowed only in cola drinks; chitosan, a shellfish

extract billed as a " fat blocker; " and taurine, an amino acid common in

energy drinks.

 

Some of the samples that did not make the cut last year included products

by Shoppers Drug Mart Corp., Loblaw Cos. Ltd., Kellogg Canada Inc. and

familiar brand names, including Life, Presidents Choice, Slim-Fast, Clif

Bar, Vector and Red Bull Energy Drink.

 

In one report, the CFIA issued a nationwide recall of Nitro-Tech bars and

then reviewed the product label. The agency found 14 problems, including

several misleading performance claims and non-approved additives. The tests

and the reports were obtained by Ottawa researcher Ken Rubin under the

Access to Information Act.

 

Manufacturers say they are doing their best to comply with federal rules

and that most follow strict quality controls. " There may be anomalies, but

we go to great lengths to ensure that all our products are up to the

highest quality standards, " Loblaw spokesman Geoff Wilson said.

 

Christine Lowry, a vice-president of Kellogg Canada Inc., said the company

is working with the CFIA to sort out labelling issues with its Vector bar.

" Kellogg Canada is committed to ensuring that all of our products are fully

compliant with all federal health regulations, " she said in a statement.

 

Terry Begley, chief operating officer of Canada-based Iovate Health

Sciences, the maker of Nitro-Tech bars, said the company's products are now

in compliance and that Iovate requested the label review after the bars

were recalled in 2002.

 

" Our goal has been to be the most compliant company and we believe we are, "

Mr. Begley said.

 

Terry Desrochers, a CFIA food policy officer, said the tests do not

necessarily reflect the state of the over all industry because the agency

tends to sample only suspicious products. Nonetheless, she acknowledged

there are serious problems with supplements and weight-loss products. " All

you have to do is actually go to the market, " she said. " There is high

non-compliance, there is no doubt about it. "

 

A CFIA report prepared last November was more blunt: " This industry has a

history of high non-compliance with the requirements of the Food and Drug

Act and regulations and the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act.

Violations include the presence of non-permitted vitamins, minerals and

amino acids, levels of nutrients in excess of or below permitted levels,

the presence of non-permitted substances, the absence of declared

ingredients, and major labelling violations, including non-permitted drug

claims. " The report added that " fraud is a major concern. "

 

The CFIA has made cracking down on the industry a top priority this year,

but officials say it's almost impossible to keep up with the number of

products available.

 

More than 460 new drinks, bars and supplements have hit grocery store

shelves in the past two years, according to a recent report by

MarketResearch.com. Sales of those products jumped 11 per cent in the

United States last year and are expected to increase by another 13 per cent

this year, making them among the hottest products of the food industry.

 

Comparable figures are not available in Canada, but the market for

sports-nutrition and weight-loss products is estimated at about $1.4-billion.

 

An example of the challenge facing the CFIA is Red Bull, which has become

the third-biggest sports drink in the United States but is not permitted

for sale in Canada (France and Sweden also ban the drink because it has

been linked to several deaths).

 

Red Bull's success has spawned dozens of knock-offs and a team of CFIA

inspectors is scrambling to see if those drinks meet Canadian regulations.

 

Another issue is the Internet. Products not allowed for sale in Canada are

widely available on-line, including DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) a cousin

of " andro " (androstenedione), a performance-enhancing drug that was made

famous by baseball player Mark McGwire.

 

Consumers like Tom Heffner, 59, say a crackdown is long overdue.

 

" I'm taking supplements that I am assuming are clean and are working, " said

Mr. Heffner, a bodybuilder in Winnipeg. " But how do you know from batch to

batch that what you are buying is the same product? "

 

Health Food?

 

Here is how samples from some energy drinks, power bars and weight loss

products tested by the Canadian Food Inspection Agencey last year stack up:

 

**Unsatisfactory**

(label does not conform with content of regulatory standard)

 

Labrada Lean Body Bar

Life Brand, Shake it off

Zone Perfect Nutrition Bar

President's Choice Equalizer

Nutribar

Slim-Fast

EAS Myoplex Protein Shake

Vector Energy Bar

 

**Investigative**

(CFIA has concerns about the product, more resting required)

 

Power Root Energy Drink

Smart (fx) Pure Genius Alternate Beverage

SoBe A-Rush Energy Drink

PowerBar Harvest

EAS Advent Edge drink

President's Choice Financial

Clif Bar

Nestlé Carnation Instant Breakfast

 

**No Decisio**

(CFIA cannot make a call on the product, more testing required )

 

Snapple Fire

Monster Energy Drink

Hemp C

Trek Nitro

Guru Energy Drink

Hansen's Energy Drink

Mad River

Dark Dog Guarana

 

**Satisfactory**

(Product label is accurate or contents regulatory standard)

 

Weider Creatine

ZonePerfect Bars apple, cinnamon, chocolate

Nitro Tech Whey Protein Supplement

PowerBar French Vanilla

Nu-Life Nutrition

PowerBar Sport Energy Bar Peanut

VHT Energy Drink

President's Choice Equalizer (for iron claim)

 

**Products and Additives banned in Canada**

 

Chitosan

 

Billed as a natural " fat-blocker " chitosan is used in many diet products.

It's an extract from shellfish that is supposed to prevent the digestion of

fat. There are also claims that it is a good antacid, inhibits tooth decay,

helps prevent constipation, helps control blood pressure and boosts HDL, or

good cholesterol, while cutting LDL, bad cholesterol. Health Canada said

the claims have not been verified and that while chitosan appears to

decrease fat absorption, it also interferes with fat digestion. These may

lead to several potential adverse health affects in humans, said a Health

Canada report.

 

Taurine

 

An amino acid that is a popular additive to many energy drinks. The body

produces taurine on its own and it is found in high concentrates in the

heart. Health Canada officials say some drinks contain 10 times the intake

from a normal diet and scientist aren't sure about possible risks from

taking that much. " Precaution should be preferred with respect to a

deliberate intake of Taurine " said a Health Canda report.

 

Red Bull Energy Drink

 

This wildly popular drink, nearly two billion cans were sold world wide las

year, can't be sold in Canada, mainly because it includes several

non-approved ingredients such as caffeine, various vitamin complexes and

amino acids. It also makes claims " improves performance, increases

concentration, improves reaction speed and stimulates the metabolism " which

have not been proved, according to CFIA officials. France and Sweden also

banned the drink because it has been connected to several deaths. However,

those links have not been proved.

 

Caffeine

 

Caffeine can only be added to cola drinks. Many energy drinks are now using

herbs such as guarana, which is native to the Amazon region and naturally

contains high levels of caffeine. Guarana has become a popular substitute

for caffeine. CFIA officials are still trying to figure out what to do with

drinks that test high for caffeine but contain guarana. Last year, the

International Olympic Committee removed caffeine from its list of banned

substances.