Contact: Suzanne Gage
402.471.2656
Suzanne.gage@nebraska.gov
AG PETERSON ANNOUNCES SETTLEMENT WITH VITAMIN SHOPPE
Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson announced an agreement today with the nutritional supplement chain Vitamin Shoppe, Inc. that permanently bans the sale of products that contain BMPEA, a powerful stimulant and amphetamine-like substance. Products containing BMPEA are sometimes sold as weight loss or performance enhancing nutritional supplements.
According to the agreement, Vitamin Shoppe, Inc. will not sell products containing or suspected of containing BMPEA. If a product is at risk of containing BMPEA, Vitamin Shoppe, Inc. must perform testing to prove it does not contain the substance. The Oregon and Vermont Attorneys General have recently announced similar settlements.
The Nebraska Attorney General’s Office became concerned about products containing BMPEA after an independent study was released by Dr. Pieter Cohen on dietary supplements containing acacia rigidula. The study found that a significant percentage of these products had been adulterated with BMPEA. A 2013 study by the FDA found similar results. The FDA recently announced that BMPEA is not a dietary ingredient and issued warning letters against manufacturers that use it as an ingredient.
“Retailers who are selling these products should follow Vitamin Shoppe’s lead and remove from their stores all products containing or at risk of containing BMPEA,” said Attorney General Peterson.
Vitamin Shoppe, Inc. is a New Jersey company that has more than 600 stores located in 44 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. There are two locations in Nebraska; one in Omaha and one in Lincoln.
