The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued warning letters to three companies who routinely use botanicals in their consumer products. Hansen Beverage Company, US Mills, and Fresh Samantha, all use ginkgo biloba, Siberian ginseng, or Echinacea in their food or beverage products.
The FDA issued the three warning letters to alert the companies that using herbal additives may be illegal, since the ingredients of ginkgo biloba, Siberian ginseng and Echinacea have not yet been determined to be safe. Furthermore, the FDA plans to issue similar letters to other companies who use the same herbal additives. Although they have not yet received warning letters, both Pepsi's SoBe beverages and Cadbury Schweppes's Snapple drinks also contain Echinacea. The FDA says that such warnings protect the "integrity of the conventional food supply."