New York State authorities Friday issued a statewide recall and ban on the sale of 30 liquid ginseng products in small vials containing as much as 24 percent alcohol that children have been purchasing easily on Long Island, in New York City and throughout the state.
The ban follows the discovery by teachers at Penn Yan Central School in Penn Yan, population 5,200, in the upstate Finger Lakes region, who noticed some of their pupils were getting a buzz on in class, state officials said. School officials called local police, who confiscated vials of liquid ginseng, some of which did not identify alcohol as a principalingredient, officials said.
The vials, advertised as energy boosters, are sold in gas stations, convenience stores and delis in most communities under names that include "Dr. Chan's Strawberry Cream High Potency Ginseng " and "Kung Fu Brand Panax Ginseng Extractum."
"These products are packaged in such a way as to appeal to children as an alcoholic beverage," said State Agriculture and Markets Commissioner Donald Davidsen. He said the contents of the vials were equivalent to many alcoholic beverages since they contain between 5 percent and 24 percent alcohol. "We are asking retailers to remove these products from store shelves and return them to the wholesale distributors," Davidsen said.
The state would not reveal the names and locations of the distributors, but most are believed to be located in Brooklyn, Queens and at least one on Long Island. The state's food inspectors are seizing and impounding entire warehouses full of the products and are working with ginseng distributors to ensure compliance with the recall.
The state is examining dozens of other products to determine whether they have been adulterated with alcohol and is expected to institute further recalls on Monday, a spokesman or the Agriculture and Markets Department said Friday. The products are sold in clear glass vials for about $1 each, and can also be purchassedd in 30-vial packages.
Most of the products have been imported. Anyone finding the products on store shelves is urged to contact the State Agriculture and Markets food safety and inspection division at 1-800-554-4501. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and the New York State Liquor Authority are also looking into the products, officials said.
Most liquid or powdered ginseng products contain no alcohol, state officials said. An executive at one of the larger Long Island vitamin distribution companies said none of his company's liquid ginseng contained any alcohol, but was concerned that retailers would recall the good products with the bad.
The other recalled products included: Chan's Amaretto, Mocha, and Mint Chocolate flavored High Potency Ginseng ; Renshenfengwang Jiang Ginseng and Royal Jelly in a honey base; Panax Ginseng Extractum Yut Yat Brand; Red Panax Ginseng Extract; Red Ginseng Extract; Chinese Red Panax Ginseng Extract; Panax Ginseng Extractum (Foreign Trade Corporation of Shejiang); Root of Health American Ginseng Extractum Oral Liquid, Royal King Red Panax Ginseng ; Zion Organic Roots Drink; Rising Sun Brand Panax Ginseng Extractum; Pine Brand Panax Ginseng Extract; Ex. Ginseng Absolute Natural Lover's Tonic For Men; and Panax Ginseng Extractum.
ome formulas of liquid Siberian Ginseng also were recalled by the state, but no specific brands of this widely used product were identified.
- By Michael Unger. STAFF WRITER
- SOURCE: Newsday1997.07.12
|
Newsdesk