April 28, 2020
By Sarah McCormick
With all of the speculation surrounding COVID-19 and bringing American companies back to American soil, there are many questions surrounding the safety and efficiency of medications manufactured in China and abroad. Shockingly, research has shown the majority of American lifesaving medications are confirmed to be manufactured in China. This includes most antibiotics, blood pressure medications, cholesterol medications, and even Diabetic insulin.
With the US Government working diligently to bring manufacturing back to the United States and other trusted territories, questions have recently been raised regarding the safety of something most Americans utilize each and every day – multivitamins, vitamin supplements, and herbal supplements.
Consumer Lab states on their website, “There is no requirement for labels on supplements to indicate the country of origin of ingredients. What the FDA does require is that labels provide a phone number or address to contact the manufacturer or distributor, but this is not necessarily where the product is made. If a product is manufactured outside the U.S., the name of that country must be indicated on the label.”
A quick Google search is all it takes to show that most vitamins, vitamin products, and herbal supplements are currently being manufactured in Chinese factories. Even if the products are stated to be manufactured in the USA, their ingredients may, by law, be derived from various locations across the globe, with China being one of the largest proponents of ingredient derivatives, among other locations worldwide.
The problem with this is there are no standards by which these ingredients are derived. Currently, there are no FDA regulations that exist that would mandate the safety and oversight of these products. Since this is a trust-based arrangement between consumer and manufacturer, under the assumption consumers are utilizing products from companies they trust, most would agree that they would believe if a product says ‘Made in the USA’, that that’s exactly what it means.
This poses major health risks for consumers as the ingredients that are being utilized are unregulated, untested, and not deemed to be safe for consumption. Furthermore, the lax standards by which these ingredients are procured could easily mean that there is too much of any given ingredient in each individual pill, which could be deadly depending upon what the ingredient is – such as Iron, or Ferrous Sulfate.
Opting for American made vitamin products is always the best option for safety and to ensure you are purchasing a safe product. Some of the vitamin brands and vitamin products found to be made in the USA are MegaFoods for both Men and Women, Nature Made vitamins and supplements, Swanson Health Products, Amazing Grass for Kids, Bradeson Naturals for Women, Simply Natural for Women, Lil’ Critters Gummy Vitamins for Kids, Country Life Vitamin D3, Garden of Life multivitamins and supplements, and NOW Foods brand.
Staying away from companies that offer herbal supplements to cure and treat any ailment you may suffer from is probably also a safe bet, such as those which market pills, shakes, and patches to cure or treat various conditions and provide energy. Just because something says it’s natural and safe, doesn’t mean it is.
As with anything, researching brands before you make the buy – including reaching out to the manufacturer and doing research for the parent company behind the brand – is always a smart choice before putting your money and health behind something that just might not be good for you.
Always be sure to check with your medical doctor before beginning any new vitamin therapies, especially supplemental products. Many supplements are not safe for various medical conditions, yet these warnings aren’t always stated on the bottle.