How To Shop For Safe Supplements

Amazon THE KING OF SUPPLEMENT BUSINESS? By 2027, the global market for dietary supplements will reach $231 billion 77% of online supplement sales are made on Amazon More than the top 5 specialty vitamin sellers combined Up from $123 billion in 2019 The Problem With Low Quality Supplements Supplements are meant to make us healthier, but in 2018. 20% of liver injuries* are attributed to herbal and dietary supplements incidents involving vitamins, 5,486 dietary or herbal supplements, or homeopathic medications were reported to Poison Control * Reported to the U.S. Drug Induced Liver Injury Network Suspected vitamin overdoses have increased by 35% since 1999 According to one study, nearly 1 in 3 people who take both herbal or dietary supplements and prescription medication(s) are at risk for an adverse drug interaction Many Supplements Are Mislabeled Most commonly mislabeled supplements 82% 69% 52% 49% 44% Bodybuilding Supplements CBD Products Sold Online Herbal and Dietary Supplements Single and Multivitamins Botanical Supplements Mislabeled supplements may.. .include unlisted ingredients - even pharmaceuticals ..lack at least one ..contain far higher doses of their active ingredients active or inactive ingredient 58% of Amazon sales are made by 3rd party sellers – meaning Amazon holds little or no legal responsibility for those products You doing the right thing? M Totally, it's legal The Amazon Loophole Amazon sellers must agree to follow all laws and regulations in the territory where products are sold Yet, many product listings fail to meet these FDA requirements Missing required warnings Lack disclaimers for health claims Omit nutrition and ingredients labels Falsely claim to be "FDA approved" Amazon search algorithms may promote suspicious supplements Amazon's Choice Search results for "coronavirus supplement" or "COVID supplement" badges given to supplements with Mostly fake or misleading reviews Listings that don't include FDA-required labels Serve multiple pages of product listings Auto-complete in Amazon's search bar Contain no warnings about lack of supporting evidence Amazon listings for supplements from one company continued to appear even after the company was sued by the Department of Justice for COVID-19 related fraud 3rd party sellers may offer subpar products, misleading listings, and more Up to 64% of supplements reviews on Amazon are fake* – making it difficult to find a good quality product Resellers often have fewer means of quality control for their products – and lack product-specific expertise Sellers may falsely claim to be located in the US, making it easier avoid consequence for selling fake products Is Amazon Cracking Down On Fraud? In 2019, Amazon announced In 2020, Amazon began a amazon projectZERO pilot program using live verification to confirm a program that scans listing to the identity of new sellers identify counterfeit products Currently only aimed at new sellers in 4 countries Requires brands to opt-in by providing their logos and other data Don't rely on health claims on the product labels and online listing to pick your supplements Learn how to find safe and effective products for yourself How To Find A Trustworthy Supplement Understand The Regulations Look For Signs Of Quality Watch For Red Flags The FDA (Federal Drug Administration) regulates some aspects of supplements Always be cautious when making a supplement purchase – especially if shopping on Amazon Avoid gummy vitamins if you can – Inconsistent formulation Approves color additives and new ingredients for safety and less shelf-stability making them most likely to fail testing Watch out for resellers that don't specialize in supplements or health products Monitors for public health events after supplements are sold Search for a company website to ensure a presence beyond Amazon Prevents supplements from claiming they treat, cure, or prevent disease Check for 3rd party testing - all supplements sellers should Look for verified reviews or check for provide a certificate of analysis (COA) on their website fakes using Fakespot or ReviewMeta Requires disclaimers added to product health claims Beware of vague product guarantees that don't promised a specific outcome The FDA does not Consider brand verified by USP or NSF – only those Check the manufacturer's website Evaluate supplements for general health claims, prevention, or treatment to ensure Amazon is authorized seller Test purity or dose accuracy, except in response to public health events bearing the seal icon, not just the organization acronym, Avoid slow shipping that may allow a seller to be paid before products arrive should be trusted Require labels to list potential drug interactions or contraindications Some supplements may be harmful or interfere with other medications. Talk to your doctor before starting any new supplement Source: To be forewarned is to be forearmed wired.com/story/amazon-fake-supplements Don't fall for fake supplements ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6545864 fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/it-really-fda-approved the-unwinder.com/safety/how-to-spot-fake-supplements-on-amazon health.harvard.edu/blog/whats-in-your-supplements-2019021515946 jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/26615697appld=scweb Presented by grandviewresearch.com/press-release/global-dietary-supplements-market the unwinder newswise.com/articles/the-frequency-of-herbal-and-dietary-supplement-mislabeling rakutenintelligence.com/blog/2016/online-vitamin-sales-growing-faster-rest-e-commerce the-unwinder.com statista.com/statistics/997026/amazon-shopping-categories-largest-share-fake-product-reviews npr.org/2020/07/27/894825441/on-amazon-dubious-antiviral-supplements-proliferate-amid-pandemic wholefoodsmagazine.com/columns/tracking-transparency/core-vetting-keys-for-lapping-amazon-at-retail DEVELOPED BY wsi.com/articles/amazon-has-ceded-control-of-its-site-the-result-thousands-of-banned-unsafe-or-mislabeled-products-11566564990 NOWSOURCING