**Given the extreme demand for supplements such as zinc, vitamin C, and vitamin D3 during the pandemic, counterfeiting is worse than ever.**
For a few years now, we have told you that supplements sold on Amazon were rife with counterfeiters. High quality brands such as Metagenics and Pure Encapsulations were originally top targets. Now it has spread to mass market supplements such as Procter & Gamble's probiotic Align. The issue must have gotten so bad that Amazon sent a letter out to customers about the fake supplements. Here is the Wired article if you want to the read details.
Consumer Reports just released a study finding some of Amazon's top sellers are tainted with with hidden drugs.
It is not just supplements. Read this CNBC piece on how Amazon is constantly shipping expired food, including baby formula.
Please make sure to purchase supplements from authorized retailers. This means the supplements are direct from the manufacturer and never encounter a third party. We are authorized retailers of all supplements that we dispense.
Counterfeit COVID-19 Products Rampant
A study in JMIR Public Health Surveillance concludes that counterfeit and misleading COVID-19 products and testing kits are rampant, especially on social media. The research team suggested that clinicians need to be armed with this information so that they can educate patients about the risks of shopping for COVID-19-related products promoted on social media. Where have you heard this before ;)
The authors suggest that patients and consumers need to understand that they shouldn't be using any products they find online without vetting these treatments or tests with a clinician or health professional. Moreover, your cookies files, platform algorithms and other tracking software often dictate what shows up on your social media feed and searches based on your preferences, and these are not prioritized based on veracity of information or quality.