Botanical Nutrition

Reasons #67 & #68 – Avoiding Internet Counterfeit Supplement Scams

There are many reasons you should shop in your local health food store; not the least of which are supporting your local economy, and seeking out healthier and more sustainable food choices and health options in general. As you may have heard me say many times before, they’re also the best place to get your nutritional supplements.

Did you know that counterfeit supplements being sold online is a major issue? Recent reports have shown that counterfeit versions of authentic and trustworthy supplements are regularly being sold on Amazon to customers who likely don’t know the difference. Now the FDA and Amazon are weighing in on the problem.

In other instances, such as with The Food Movement‘s registered trademark on Black Earth® trace mineral products – Chinese manufacturers are selling imitation products on Amazon. Reports indicate that these products are likely not to contain Zeolite, or any Black Earth® minerals. Cease and desist letters have been issued, but lax policies make enforcement difficult or nearly impossible.

(Black Earth®  is a registered trademark of The Food Movement Company, and companies marketing products imitating this mark are in violation of this intellectual property.)

The solution? (Please see point 1 [or points 67 & 68]). Buy Black Earth® Zeolite in your local health food store which you can easily find here. If you’re looking for a reputable online seller, may I suggest Fruitful Yield, which has 15 brick and mortar health food stores in the Chicagoland area. Additionally, as a division of NOW Foods (who have also been plagued by counterfeit imitation products of theirs being sold on Amazon) and who are an important member of the Natural Products Association, this is an exceptional choice when purchasing online is necessary.

For years the NPA has been offering resources to FDA and Amazon including SSCI (Supplement Safety and Compliance Initiative) while having these resources be largely ignored outside the Natural Products Industry, which doesn’t accept faceless Amazon sellers as stakeholder.s

Even the smallest health food market has many checks and balances, including chain of custody. This means they are buying the products DIRECTLY from trusted suppliers, who are verified, insured and completely transparent in their methods of distribution and doing business.

And as mentioned before – the money is staying with independent businesses in YOUR community. This is increasingly important in a world of faceless, nameless and personalityless corporate outlets that are good at selling products – but terrible at maintaining quality or showing any signs of concern about the impacts of their methods and actions at the local level.