DNA testing is not a panacea

Published: 4-Feb-2015

Industry expert offers comments on Attorney General's actions against botanical products


Says George Pontiakos, in response to the Attorney General's actions against botanical products: 'DNA testing is not a panacea, it is only one aspect of a layered approach to species identification testing. Partnering with an ethical supplier who has the infrastructure, expertise, investment and commitment to quality is the key to avoiding any misperceptions on the safety, quality and efficacy of a product.'

'Buying quality raw material for use in dietary supplements is not a challenge if that’s what you are looking for. There are reputable suppliers who control the chain of custody for our materials from the source to the receiving dock and have the capital strength to invest in exhaustive species identification testing, quality control and vendor surveillance programmes.'

'But that logically translates to a higher cost for those raw materials. If you are a manufacturer purchasing your material from a broker or for significantly under market price, you are putting yourself at risk for receiving compromised material. The cost for properly sourced and sterilised raw ingredients is nothing compared with the cost of doing damage control for a national brand.'

As president and CEO, Pontiakos oversees all aspects of operations for BI Nutraceuticals’ west and east coast offices, and the Zuellig Group Nutrition and Ingredients, China. Pontiakos has held senior leadership positions at several leading consulting, medical services and technology companies including Monovasia, which he founded, Oluma, Lucent, Agere, Ortel, NetVantage and Timeplex.

He has wide-ranging experience in scaling geographically dispersed, globally competitive companies to maximise their ability to successfully compete in the marketplace. Pontiakos speaks regularly at industry events and contributes articles on topics related to adulteration and contamination.

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