@Arizona Hot:Re:
New York Attorney General Targets Supplements at Major Retailers - The New York TimesVery interesting about the fraudulent sale of supplements - in an unregulated (read "ungoverned") sector reliant on a so-called "honour" system for authenticity - in the US.
No surprises there then, except perhaps at the apparent level of gullibility of the average
suckers consumers who must apparently be buying that "snake oil" in the entirely unfounded
belief or expectation that it is all kosher - there is such a thing as
Caveat emptor "let the buyer beware", after all.
The nanny State can only go so far, though it looks like it might have responsibly and albeit belatedly intervened in this case, to protect consumers from snake oil salesmen (the companies selling the products to consumers). Still, if it is invited to sort it out, it could do so at cost to the taxpayer - so at least some benefit might come out of that (employment for more government officials).
From a Consumer Justice perspective, I would recommend that there might be some justice in retrospectively and punitively fining the companies that have been selling the products to consumers, for having (corruptly) perpetuated a fraudulent process that they must have been able to determine was, or had known or suspected to be a fraud, but turned a blind eye to the matter because of the potentially huge profits that were to be made. - e.g., think of Volkswagen diesel "tests".
However, from past experience, I'd be none too sanguine of that coming about - this being "Merika" that we are talking about, after all - due to the actors in this arguably all being likely to be in each others' pockets already anyway.
