FDA warns food manufacturers over herbal ingredients

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned companies that put herbal additives in food and drinks that their products could be illegal because the ingredients might not be generally recognized as safe, the Wall Street Journal reported in its online edition on Thursday. According to the report, the FDA sent a warning letter to three companies whose products contain ginkgo biloba, Siberian ginseng and echinacea - popular ingredients that have made their way into dozens of food items and drinks - saying that the herbs have never been approved for consumption in food. The report said the FDA plans more such letters to other manufacturers over the next week as part of a newly invigorated effort to protect what it calls "the integrity of the conventional food supply."​ The newspaper reported that the three companies to receive the first round of warning letters - Hansen Beverage Company, U.S. Mills and Fresh Samantha, which is owned by Odwalla Inc. - are relatively small compared with some of the giant manufacturers who put herbs in food and drinks. The report also noted that PepsiCo Inc.'s group of SoBe beverages and the Cadbury Schweppes Plc line of Snapple drinks both have products with echinacea in them. Wall Street Journal​ and Reuters​