Herbal products warning scorned

Tag : Metal Products

A Selkirk man who distributes natural health products is dismissinghis company's second Health Canada warning in seven months,suggesting the federal regulator is simply in the pocket of largedrug companies.
On July 22, Health Canada issued a warning that 11 herbal productsdistributed by Wild Vineyard, a Selkirk-based company run by TerryBell, may pose a risk to human health.
The warning stated that the products have been found to contain"unacceptable levels of bacterial contamination and/or heavy metalcontamination, such as lead."
Stephanie Shank, a Health Canada spokeswoman, said the bacteriafound in the products include E. coli, which commonly causesillnesses like food poisoning.
Other bacteria found includes E. sakazakaii, which can causemeningitis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, which can cause pneumonia, andsome species of bacillus, which can cause a variety of problems,Shank said.
Health Canada issued a similar warning in December, stating someWild Vineyard products contain heavy metals.
Bell has dismissed both warnings.
"Customers have been phoning me saying 'What a crock of garbage,' "Bell said. "They say it 'may' pose a risk to health. That tells yousomething, but tells you nothing."
Bell suggested big pharmaceutical companies are to blame for thewarnings.
"They're trying to shut down the whole herb industry. The drugcompanies want it out of the way. It's got nothing to do withhealth," he said. "What is the risk? The risk is they're losingmillions of dollars."
UNDERGROUND
Bell said such warnings, Health Canada licensing, and otherbureaucracy will simply drive the natural health product industryunderground.
The latest Health Canada warning states that five people reportedgetting sick after taking Wild Vineyard products, although theagency says some people may have been taking more than one productat the time.
"All five were 'could-be, might-have-been,' type situations," Bellsaid.
Following the December warning, Bell recalled all his products as aprecaution, but now wonders whether a few remain out on the market.
Bell imports raw materials from the U.S. and packages them inSelkirk. A partner plant in Edmonton also produces some products.
Shank said Health Canada does not know the source of the allegedcontamination. She said Wild Vineyard is responsible for leadingits own internal investigation and ensuring the quality of itsmanufacturing.
Anyone looking for more information about the warnings can contactHealth Canada at 1-866-225-0709 or visit www.hc-sc.gc.ca.