GNC Admits to Selling Expired Product 29003

GNC Admits to Selling Expired Product

PITTSBURGH--An Aug. 27 edition of The Wall Street Journal(WSJ) confirmed that General Nutrition Companies (GNC), a division of RoyalNumico NV, had knowingly put out-dated products on its shelves. In the article,it was suggested that the slow-down in the industry might have instigated thisquestionable move.

This news started as a rumor in mid-August when it hit newswires that the Floridaattorney generals office had begun an investigation into anonymous andconsumer complaints about expired GNC products being sold. Lisa Raleigh, anassistant attorney general in Florida, told WSJ that a wide cross-sectionof GNC products were found to be out of date in GNC stores.

The author of the article, WSJ staff reporter Jesse Eisinger, allegedthat former senior vice president Tom Down told 25 vice presidents and othermidlevel executives to take product that wasnt rancid and put it on thefloor. Down was terminated from the company this past March for reasons thatthe company declined to say; he had been with the company for 13 years. However,other GNC insiders said that Down alone would not have had the power alone todirect this action.

Whatever the truth is, Mike Meyers, GNCs president and chief operatingofficer (COO), stated that neither he, Numico nor Greg Horn, GNCs chiefexecutive officer (CEO), had directed or condoned such actions.

Some GNC insiders estimated the directive took place in early February butthat it was rescinded within a few weeks time due to complaints from storemanagers and executives. GNC told WSJ that it was immediately pullingexpired product from store shelves and added that sell-by dates were not legallyrequired on its products.

David Seckman, executive director of the National Nutritional FoodsAssociation (NNFA), stated that using expiration dates is part of NNFAs GoodManufacturing Practices (GMAs). Weve communicated the importance of thesedates to our members, and if they werent important, we wouldnt haveincluded them in our GMPs, he said.