Long Island Company Sold Adulterated Dietary Supplements: DOJ

CENTRAL ISLIP, NY--The United States filed a civil complaint against Port Washington company Confidence USA Inc., the company’s president Helen Chian and manager Jim Chao to stop selling altered dietary supplements that violate federal law, the Department of Justice announced on Thursday.

The company works in nutraceutical research and development and sells formulas aimed at promoting health and wellness. According to the DOJ, the company makes and distributes over 50 dietary supplements under brand names that include Confidence USA, American Best, USA Natural and The Herbal Store.

The complaint, which was filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, seeks a permanent ban on the company marketing dietary supplements without following current good manufacturing practices.

The complaint alleges that inspections by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) repeatedly revealed that the company failed to verify the identity of each dietary ingredient it used to make its supplements, and it also failed to verify that its products met requirements for purity, strength, composition and contamination limits.

"Dietary supplement makers put consumers’ health at risk by distributing products without first verifying that those products actually are what they claim to be," Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division said via press release.

Dietary supplements not prepared, packed and held to regulations are adulterated in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

"Millions of Americans take dietary supplements and trust that these products are safe," United States Attorney Richard P. Donoghue of the Eastern District of New York said.

Per the DOJ's complaint, the FDA wrote Confidence USA a warning letter in 2011 regarding flaws at the company. United States Marshals previously seized certain Confidence USA products in connection with a 2012 complaint alleging that the products were adulterated.

"Ensuring product integrity is a priority for the FDA," Melinda Plaisier, associate commissioner for regulatory affairs at the FDA, said. "Consumers should be able to expect that the dietary supplements they purchase meet quality standards and contain only what they are supposed to, in the correct amounts."