Avoid Buying Fake Supplements

By Stacey Munro, N.D.

You probably have bought some type of supplement—maybe vitamins, herbs, or probiotics—online because you heard that they are good for you.  But how can you tell if what you’re buying, especially online, is the real thing?  In 2019, Amazon alerted consumers who had purchased Align, a popular probiotic, from a third-party seller that the product was most likely counterfeit and that they needed to stop using it.  Unfortunately, this type of scamming is not limited to dietary supplements.  The difference whether you are buying a fake apple watch or a fake supplement, is that the fake supplement can harm you.

Luckily here in the US, supplements sold directly from manufacturers to retailers or the public must meet strict safety and quality control measures.  After having issues with supplements not containing the ingredients listed on the labels, some companies like CVS have instituted 3^rd party independent testing.  In recent years, regulations have been put in place for 3rd party sellers to protect consumers.  In July 2024, the Consumer Protection Safety Act made distributors like Amazon legally responsible for recalls of hazardous products.  The Amazon Business Solutions Agreement (BSA), which is an agreement between Amazon and third party sellers, states companies are “responsible for defects, non-conformity, and recalls of their products”.  Hopefully stricter regulations will decrease fraudulent supplements and other consumer products online.  Some caution still needs to be taken.

There are several categories of fraudulent supplements found online:

-Counterfeit products

-Expired products

-Stolen products

Counterfeit products appear to be the respected product, but usually sold at a discounted cost.  They copy package labeling, but what is inside is anyone’s guess.

Expired products can occur when supplements that are nearing expiration or have expired are repackaged and sold as new, with new (fake) expiration dates.

Stolen products can be compromised in terms of storage and quality control.  They may also be repackaged and sold as new products with new labeling.

Updated 11/4/2024