Amazon has been making headlines lately due to surges in counterfeits, copy cat merchants, and lots of reported fake review scams. Amazons immense volumes of business seems a bit out of control.
There are many hearth breaking stories of small business owners losing their livelihood due to counterfeit shops that sell knock offs of their products. Even when these counterfeit shops are reported to Amazon and taken down (which doesn’t always happen), a new one can just as easily resurface.
Another concern is most things you buy online from mass retailers come from a large warehouses and not from the manufacturer itself. This has huge implications for anything with an expiration date or that requires climate-controlled environment for potency, like many supplements.
In a recent Forbes article, Amazon.com: The Place Where American Dreams Are Stolen By Chinese Counterfeiters, journalists found that 25 percent of Amazon’s marketplace are Chinese knockoffs – and that’s just what’s specifically coming from China.
The problem is so out of control it’s making life harder and harder for small businesses and deceiving customers with imitation products. I see this as a pervasive problem that is hurting numerous people. As a practitioner, what comes to mind when I hear all of this is the growing issue of fake supplements.
What About Buying Supplements From Retail Stores?
Now, you might be thinking if you purchase your supplements from a retail store you’ll benefit from the discrimination and protection of that store. Wouldn’t names like Walgreens, Target, and even GNC work to protect their supplement supplies so they maintain a good reputation?
Unfortunately, the issue fake supplements is so pervasive even these stores aren’t immune from the problem. In fact, in some cases they are part of the dilemma. In a 2015 New York State attorney general’s office report, they accused GNC, Walgreens, Target, and Walmart of selling “fraudulent and potentially dangerous” supplements.
Here are a few more disturbing details from that same report:
- GNC supplements contained ingredients that were not listed on their labels. Some of which are very dangerous allergens for certain people, such as peanuts and soybean.
- A ginseng supplement from Walgreens turned out to be only rice and garlic.
- Six supplements from Target tested negative for the main ingredient they claimed – they actually contained beans, rice, peas, and carrots.
So you you can see that when it comes to retail stores, you can’t necessarily trust them either.
Who Should You Buy Supplements From?
So, what’s a consumer like you supposed to do?
Buy from trusted, professional producers (and suppliers) with the smallest supply chain possible.
Whenever you can, purchase straight from the producer or from a professional dispensary such as Wellevate.
And definitely avoid Amazon when possible.
Here are a few of the brands I trust and recommend buying from directly or from one of their trusted suppliers:
Ortho Molecular Products
Thorne Research
Xymogen
Nordic Naturals
Pure Encapsulations
Prothera/Klaire Lab
Metagenics
Integrative Therapeutics
Emerson Ecologics
Natural Partners
Bulletproof
Seeking Health
Here are a few certifications that are great to see on reputable brands – keep in mind these could be claimed by a counterfeit on Amazon but they are still good to see when searching out a quality producer.
- Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) Certified Manufacturing Facility by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
- National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) International Certified for Sport – This is a certification in place to protect professional athletes from accidental positive drug tests.
When it comes to what you’re putting in your body, we know now more than ever before it’s worth it to be vigilant. This is an important step in taking control of our health and living our best, most fulfilling lives.
