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No Evidence of Aloe Vera Found in the Aloe Vera at Wal-Mart, CVS (bloomberg.com)
From a Bloomberg report:The aloe vera gel many Americans buy to soothe damaged skin contains no evidence of aloe vera at all. Samples of store-brand aloe gel purchased at national retailers Wal-Mart, Target and CVS showed no indication of the plant in various lab tests. The products all listed aloe barbadensis leaf juice -- another name for aloe vera -- as either the No. 1 ingredient or No. 2 after water. There's no watchdog assuring that aloe products are what they say they are. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration doesn't approve cosmetics before they're sold and has never levied a fine for selling fake aloe. That means suppliers are on an honor system, even as the total U.S. market for aloe products, including drinks and vitamins, has grown 11 percent in the past year to $146 million, according to Chicago-based market researcher SPINS LLC. "You have to be very careful when you select and use aloe products," said Tod Cooperman, president of White Plains, New York-based ConsumerLab.com, which has done aloe testing. Aloe's three chemical markers -- acemannan, malic acid and glucose -- were absent in the tests for Wal-Mart, Target and CVS products conducted by a lab hired by Bloomberg News. The three samples contained a cheaper element called maltodextrin, a sugar sometimes used to imitate aloe. The gel that's sold at another retailer, Walgreens, contained one marker, malic acid, but not the other two.
If they can't even detect any, that stuff must be super potent!
Unregulated product a sham, news at 11!
If only they would remove government regulations than this would never happen.
love the taste, hate the texture
Our government officials are screaming that regulation is killing our economy. And those of use that don't live in the USA are constantly told that in the future we will need to align our current regulations to that of the USA, regardless of how valuable they are, all in the name of the race to the bottom.
The supervolcano explosion or extinction-sized meteorite strike can't happen soon enough. We've proved beyond a reasonable doubt that we aren't worthy of surviving.
If only we could fall into a woman's arms without falling into her hands
No Aloe in non-regulated product? ... BURN
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Take a look at the guacamole, no avocado in there... Just lots of soybean oil and corn byproducts.
Just how much of the stuff we buy / consume / use isn't what it claims to be.
....let there be ACTUAL consequences, maybe?
Charge Wal-Mart with fraud for selling falsely-labeled products. One count per bottle on the shelves.
That's a big fine, yes? Well, Wal-Mart, if it didn't know about the fraud (and I expect they didn't actually) should be able to go after the producer for the fines they had to pay on their behalf.
Oh, I'm sorry: their producer is some untraceable company in some faraway land (because they were the cheapest, natch) that doesn't feel like it needs to behave according to laws and skips out on paying Wal-Mart back?
Huh. Almost like that's a reason one would want to buy from - I dunno - a DOMESTIC company where one has at least reasonable surety they they're going to behave within the law (or face consequences of same if they don't)?
Let me be clear: I'm a staunch Republican and free marketeer. But I recognize that the government DOES have a role in consumer protection and labeling, and needs to act aggressively to ensure that consumers in a capitalist marketplace can make free choices based on reliable information.
One might also notice that this exposure alone would either incentivize the spread of the rule of law, or bringing back more industry to the US. All without a new government agency, new powers, or a bevy of new laws - but instead government just DOING WHAT IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE DOING in the first place.
-Styopa
No further legislation or regulation needed. To those of you who think the passage of an additional law would somehow make things better I would like to point out that there are already laws on the books to cover this and an added level of bureaucratic non-sense is nothing but wasted tax payer dollars.
No aloe vera? Not surprised.
What would surprise me is if it's also lacking in formaldehyde, lead, and arsenic
False advertising is a crime, it does not need additional regulation.
-The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.
Article implies the FDA has no jurisdiction over this based on that they don't test cosmetics by default, but they do regulate based on it being a "misbranded" cosmetic product.
http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/G...
Absent other regulations, it's up to the federal trade commission, similar state-level bodies, and disgruntled customers filing lawsuits to keep companies from using deceptive advertising.
Where the FTC and state regulators don't act, it's up to consumers to sue or their advocates such as the press or Consumer's Union to shame them into honesty.
So, will we be seeing regulatory action soon, or will the land sharks be filing class-action suits, or will this be just a case of public shaming?
Or, will nothing happen at all?
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
How exactly are we supposed to be careful, as the summary suggests, if we cannot trust the ingredients list on the packaging to be accurate?
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
Interesting, but why is that on Slashdot?
Is it the pussy juice of Walmart customers? The smell alone should make anyone sick.
See, just some zany mix-up at the factory!
Ironic that "aloe vera" means "true aloe" because there are several varieties of the plant.
dammitt!!
FDA doesn't really matter. It's not necessary for them to regulate these products for consumer protection, as there are other laws and agencies that can help.
FTC, Universal Commercial Code and U.S. Code Title 15 already cover Truth in Advertising and Fair Labeling and Packaging.
IANAL but here's one possible example that could allow consumers and attorneys to go after these guys: Title 15 Chapter 39 Section 1452.
(a) Nonconforming labels
It shall be unlawful for any person engaged in the packaging or labeling of any consumer commodity (as defined in this chapter) for distribution in commerce, or for any person (other than a common carrier for hire, a contract carrier for hire, or a freight forwarder for hire) engaged in the distribution in commerce of any packaged or labeled consumer commodity, to distribute or to cause to be distributed in commerce any such commodity if such commodity is contained in a package, or if there is affixed to that commodity a label, which does not conform to the provisions of this chapter and of regulations promulgated under the authority of this chapter.
(b) Exemptions
The prohibition contained in subsection (a) shall not apply to persons engaged in business as wholesale or retail distributors of consumer commodities except to the extent that such persons (1) are engaged in the packaging or labeling of such commodities, or (2) prescribe or specify by any means the manner in which such commodities are packaged or labeled.
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
"You have to be very careful when you select and use aloe products,"...
Or, you could just go buy a damn aloe plant and say screw it to the entire industry and the pathetic controls they've (not) implemented to prevent this kind of consumer abuse in the first place.
Most people are using aloe gel for a specific purpose that the aloe plant itself can easily fulfill.
to prosecute fraudulent product labeling?
Products should contain exactly what their labels contain. Anything else is simply fraud.
By that I mean simply grow your own. :)
Aloe is a hardy plant and is perfectly content for you to leave it alone with just a bit of water now and then. It is also happy to give up a branch/frond/whateveryoucallit whenever you need a bit of the sap to soothe a burn.
~ T
That the invisible hand is picking our pockets? GASP. And companies left to regulate themselves sell premium-priced shit in a tube. . . SHOCK.
I've never had to buy Aloe Vera from any store as it grows like a weed down here and it's free to boot.
I know everyone is brushing this off because its aloe, but 2 years ago I remember walmart and cvs also caught doing even worse with vitamin supplements. They where basically using ground plant refuse (some of the plants poisonous) instead of a more "refined" product. These weren't snake oil brands, but the store brand. I don't think it takes a huge leap to think of what they are replacing in over the counter drugs like nsad's like tylonal on ibprofen....
Most people who have to buy stuff like all the time will tell you there is a difference between the name brand more expensive stuff version the cheaper store stuff (which your going to buy because it cheaper, if you suffer chronic pain and have to buy all the time). It just makes you wonder what your actually taking some times....
There's no evidence that Walmart gel has Aloe Vera, but there's also no evidence that Aloe Vera has any cosmentic value in the first place.
This is from the Wikipedia:
"There is little scientific evidence of the effectiveness or safety of Aloe vera extracts for either cosmetic or medicinal purposes. A research study finding positive evidence[7] is frequently contradicted by other studies."
In other related news, there is no evidence of babies in samples of Baby Oil, nor of motors in Motor Oil!
Criminal litigation or civil lawsuits alone don't solve the problem. There are lots of criminals looking to capitalize on short-term opportunity, then close up shop before Lady Justice brings the pain. We need regulators who can actively sniff out fraudulent activity.
Otherwise, any fly-by-night company looking to make a quick profit will be happy to sell counterfeit Copper Clad Aluminum data cables, which can easily catch and spread fire, or cheap batteries that are also more fire prone, or toys with lead paint, or counterfeit medicines, and so on. It's like the snake oil salesmen of yore...by the time the townsmen realize they were sold an empty promise, the salesman has already packed the wagon and moved onto the next town.
Lawsuits only work on the Walmarts, business who aren't going away anytime soon.
Mod them up so f'n hard. Where are my Mod points when I need 'em.
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and they used a massive, decades (centuries?) long campaign of voter suppression to do it (did you know voting increases your odds of Jury duty? Every poor person I've ever met does).
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Something I wish we could get folks to understand. The best law in the world is useless without enforcement. Here in Arizona we've got labor laws but the dept of labor is unstaffed (not understaffed, it's just not staffed). The right wing long since learned that trick, pity nobody else did...
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If you buy Chinese made goods to deserve what you get
They are covering their butts. Aloe vera whole leaf extract is listed as a carcinogen. If you don't put it in the product, you can't be sued!!
Hyperbole much? No, you are supposed to have faith that a company sells you what you they claim to be selling you. If you find out that they are not, you take the appropriate legal action. Or perhaps you simply don't purchase their products and tell other people about your bad experience, which in the market means that they lose business. Honesty as a consumer is just as important as honesty as a manufacturer.
The FDA does not know how much acetaminophen is in every single pill for every single brand of pain reliever. They collect money to test samples at specific frequencies. You purchase your Tylenol on faith that Tylenol is not going to screw you, not that the FDA is not going to screw you. For all you know, except for inspection day Tylenol could be loading every pill in line with a placebo to save a few bucks. The reason they don't has nothing to do with the FDA, and everything to do with maintaining consumer confidence in their products.
-The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.
And remember that our new president wants less regulation on business, so expect more of this bait and switch in the future.
Hell, you will be lucky if your food contains food. Remember how the chinese were selling cardboard as food? That's us in the future, being "competitive" -- we must close the cardboard as food gap.
I for one, welcome our fake aloe bearing overlords.
If telephones are outlawed, then only outlaws will have telephones.
Citation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
I recently wrote an App for a company that's building AI models of organic and non-organic substances.
The App works over bluetooth with a pocket sized, battery powered, NIR spectrum analyser made by Texas Instruments.
TI DLP® NIRscan Nano
This technology will be the next big thing on smart phones which are crying out for something new to revitalise the market.
Pick a time frame. I'd go for 5->7 years from now that right next to the camera on all smart phones we'll see an NIR scanner.
Imagine being able to scan anything and get a report of it's contents and make up?
Fake, or out of date pharmaceuticals, will be a thing of the past.
Nut allergy? Scan the meal you've just be served before eating it.
Consumer products like Aloe Vera Gel not containing Aloe Vera? Your phone can tell you that it's a fraud.
The list of applications is endless.
Here's a demo video of the App identifying real and fake viagra pills.
Tricorder Trekkies? :)
It might not be listed as "aloe vera", but instead as "alloe verah"!
Reminds me of the "Rolexx" watches, the "Gucchi" handbags, and the "Mikael Korse" fashion. All strictly legal mind you, very respectful of the brands and intellectual property, those manufacturers are!
I have a brown thumb. Plants die around me.
If you limit your tests to 3 markers, and tell everybody about them, the producers will put artificial versions of them in to fake the tests. It's Volkswagen all over again.
Table-ized A.I.
I am pretty sure this should be covered by labelling laws, I live in New Zealand and we have common consumer laws with Australia and I am sure that we have laws that mean you cannot sell anything that is labelled as product x and does not contain x.
So you can go to the super market and buy a tub of ice cream from the freezer and it looks just like ice cream comes in packaging the same as ice cream but no where on the label can you find the word ice cream because the product doesn't contain any cream.
Has something comparable been set up that actually works? It's not only a lot of products to periodically test, but seems ripe for collusion if the industry itself sets it up.
Good labs and lab technicians are not cheap. It's going to need substantial funding.
It's an interesting idea on paper, but I'm skeptical it can fly for this kind of thing.
Table-ized A.I.
Several law firms, including Bloomfield Hills, Michigan-based Barbat, Mansour & Suciu PLLC, have filed lawsuits against the four retailers after separate testing failed to find aloe in the companies’ private-label products. They’re seeking class-action status and restitution for all the customers who they say were misled. Also, some testing using the method used, will not detect aloe. My guess is there will be testing by the supplier.
Buys product at Walmart, pretends shock that it contains Chinese industrial waste instead of organic cactus extract. Stay tuned for more news on CNN.
How do you get the plant to grow containing lidocaine?
John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
Even if the product is unregulated, isn't that a giant class action false advertising suit waiting to be brought?
There is nothing redundant about this post. Censorship is evil!
-The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.
This reminds me of an article I read saying that most people in the U.S. have never actually tasted cinnamon, that the product sold in the U.S. is actually cassia a relative of cinnamon, but not actually cinnamon. Supposedly, once you try the real stuff, you'll never want this fake stuff again.
Another similar issue: I grew up putting what I thought was maple syrup on my waffles and pancakes. It was only after I got married that my wife told me that she's not down for that corn syrup and that we needed to get real maple syrup. Once I tried the real stuff, yeah, it's hard to go back.
How would I demonstrate that the product is falsely labeled? I still don't have a lab.
How would I pay for the experts to testify against Wal-Mart? They might hire a lawyer to disagree.
How would I establish standing? My actual damages are limited to the amount I've personally spent on the fraudulent products. Oh, maybe I get a class action certified! Now I need dozens of lawyers.
Who does Wal-Mart pay the damages to? If the answer is "the class members" you really mean "mostly the lawyers".
Without an agency funded and tasked to do this, it's not worth anyone's time and effort to do it themselves.
Nope, no sig
This only means you haven't mastered toilet paper yet.
Just grow the plant. I've got three of them and just rip off a vine/leaf/tentacle when I need it.
Great for 4th of july burns from DIY fun and roman candle fights, I've yet to find anything better for burns.
if I sell completely fake shit on the street i'll get arrested and jailed for defrauding people.
someone should just execute the CEOs of these companies now that law has no meaning.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
How do you get the plant to grow containing lidocaine?
How do you know lidocaine is actually in the product you're buying?
(Ironically, that's why we're here discussing this.)
Fruit of the Earth is the manufacturer of several of the tested products and I have been using Fruit of the Earth for many years, to treat sunburn and other skin issues. It had always been helpful, however in the last couple of years I have noticed a reduction in effectiveness. I thought maybe my skin was just not responding to it as it had before. I trusted the product and continued to use it. Not anymore. I know Fruit of the Earth used to be good. So I suspect they (or their aloe supplier) have succumbed to the desire for money over product quality. They're following Ferengi Rule of Acquisition #89- "Ask not what your profits can do for you, but what you can do for your profits."
They didn't find the usual markers, but are those the chemicals that actually produce the desired effects? Perhaps the manufacturer came up with a process that extracts only the important bits, and acemannan, malic acid and glucose are not among them.
So, I did what I usually do when I don't know something, and turned to Wikipedia. Down in the chemical properties section, it lists two classes of aloins, and neither of them involve acemannan, malic acid or glucose. Acemannan has all sorts of benefits, but they might not have been relevant to the purpose of that particular product.
So, did the researchers test for aloins, or just those three expected markers? Were those three markers relevant to the labeled use of the product? Were compounds from aloe that are relevant to the labeled use present? Without answers to those three questions, this is all meaningless.
So... consider these two things:
1) Aloe Vera isn't an abundant or fast growing plant compared to something like... grass or dandylions.
2) The amount of "aloe vera" products in mass production is, well, massive.
We shouldn't really be surprised. Now, the lack of any labelling oversight... Why is there ANY category of product where labelling isn't legally required to be honest and accurate? Does the product type really matter? Why DOESN'T government just state that ANYTHING sold for ANY usage must contain full and accurate ingredient labelling? This is the more important concern IMO.
Avatar of the God(s) Random
Because lidocaine is a topical anesthetic, you can feel the effect.
John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
UL
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