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AHPA Addresses Extract Ratios in Labeling
March 31, 2010
2 Min Read
SILVER SPRING, Md.The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) announced its board of trustees recently voted to revise its trade requirement regarding how the word extract may be used in labeling of herbal ingredients to also address the use of extract ratios. The initial policy restricted the use of the word extract to describe dehydrated plant materials that have not been subject to additional processing other than size reduction, such as cutting or milling; the update also prohibits the use of extract ratios (such as 20:1) on herbal ingredients that are not processed by one or another extraction process.
The new policy is:
Extract Labeling:
Use of the word extract in the labeling of herbal ingredients is not used to describe plant materials that have not been extracted with one or more solvents. In addition quantitative extraction ratios (e.g., 4:1) are not used to represent the ratio between the fresh and dried weight of an herb, or on any product that is not, in fact, an extract.
AHPAs bylaws require members adhere to all policies and principles outlined in the associations code of ethics and business conduct. Further, trade requirements from the board of trustees constitute an amendment to the code of ethics. To remain in good standing, AHPA members must comply with the new trade requirement on the labeling of extracts by Sept. 11, 2010.
The Board also voted to adopt the following guidance policy on extract labeling:
Any non-liquid herbal extract that discloses a quantitative extraction ratio stated as a ratio of two numbers (e.g., 4:1) represents the first number as the weight of starting plant material and the second number as the weight of the finished extract produced from the starting plant material. Information on the condition of the starting material should be indicated when it is fresh and may be indicated when it is dried.
While adherence to AHPA guidance is not an obligation of membership, AHPA recommends members and industry follow the associations guidelines in addition to its trade requirements.
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