Anyone can open a vitamin supplement store whether it is an online or brick and mortar location. No special training or knowledge is required. If you order your vitamin supplements online, you could be purchasing them from a sixteen-year-old in New Jersey.
Why should that concern you? After all, it’s safe as long as it’s sealed, right? Wrong.
What many people don’t realize is that vitamin supplements are not regulated like drugs. They are regulated like food. What that means is that unless and until a problem arises, the only thing we‘re going to know about the product is what the manufacture wants us to know. Although the FTC and the FDA work together on issues such as false claims, they usually don’t get involved until after there’s a problem. In addition, unlike drugs, vitamin supplements don’t have to be tested or offer any proof before marketing.
Some unscrupulous vitamin supplement stores have marketed dietary supplements that were actually placebos and not the product they claimed to be. Others had ingredients that were not disclosed on the label. Between 2002 and 2004, the FDA seized more than nine million dollars worth of dietary supplements including vitamin supplements that were either labeled with false claims or were unapproved drugs disguised as supplements. Even if a supplement purports to be all natural, it can interfere with medication you are already taking or a medical condition you have.
Sometimes a vitamin supplement is necessary. My doctor has recommended certain supplements to me. When he does however, he writes down exactly what they are and recommends the same store every time, of which he has no affiliation. The important thing is I know my vitamin supplement store. I’ve gotten to know the woman who owns it and I’m familiar with the brands she sells. There is a consistency there that helps me to feel safe when I shop there.
That doesn’t mean that a vitamin supplement store has to be a brick and mortar store in order to be considered safe. You can still do your homework before you purchase from an online store. For one thing, if you can’t find a phone number and physical address for the online store, walk out the virtual door! That goes for any online company. Any legitimate company will display their contact information. In this way, not only can you contact them, but you can research them.
Once you know a vitamin supplement store’s name and physical address, you can check with the Better Business Bureau in that city to see if any complaints have been filed with them and if so, if they have been resolved. It is also easier to search the FTC and FDA websites for any disciplinary action when you have contact information.
Another reason to shut the virtual door when you are visiting a vitamin supplement store online is if they make any ridiculous claims. Claims like “this cures everything, buy it now, it won’t last,” etc. In fact, once a supplement purports to cure or treat an illness or condition, it ceases being marketed as a dietary supplement and has become marketed as a drug. That’s when the FDA and FTC start sending out warning letters that can lead to more serious action. Before purchasing from any vitamin supplement store, whether online or brick and mortar, use your common sense and do your homework to ensure your safety. Check the FDA and FTC websites if you have further questions or concerns about vitamin supplements or the stores in which you purchase them.
