Amazon

The rule of 3: Amazon prioritizes 3 categories and 3 labs with new dietary supplement policy

17-Apr-2024 By Stephen Daniells

Tech giant Amazon is prioritizing three categories of dietary supplements—weight management, sexual enhancement and sports nutrition/bodybuilding—with its updated sellers policy.

Amazon updates its dietary supplements seller’s policy

05-Apr-2024 By Stephen Daniells

Tech giant Amazon has updated its requirements for dietary supplements and now requires third-party verification, including testing data and certificates of analyses straight from the lab to Amazon.

‘The cost is credibility’: FDA sends warning letter to Amazon on tainted male sexual products

03-Jan-2024 By Stephen Daniells

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration has warned Amazon about “energy enhancing supplements or foods” alleged to contain undeclared sildenafil and tadalafil for male sexual performance.

NOW testing program reveals ‘alarming quality failings’ of berberine products online

20-Dec-2023 By Asia Sherman

Natural products manufacturer NOW has reported that dozens of "no name" berberine supplements sold on Amazon and Walmart.com do not meet potency claims on label.

NutraWomen Wednesday: Katie Banaszewski, Senior Director of Quality, NOW

18-Oct-2023 By Danielle Masterson

For the past decade, Banaszewski has worked to transform NOW’s analytical capabilities. The lab’s transformation and subsequent Amazon product tests has been revered by industry vets–and feared by bad actors.

New Jersey man arrested for selling counterfeit supplements on Amazon

29-Sep-2023 By Asia Sherman

Brad Snyder of Marlton, NJ was arrested Tuesday and charged with counterfeiting Pure Encapsulations and Nature M.D. branded products and selling them online.

NOW Foods continues to drive industry standards

29-Aug-2023 By Danielle Masterson

The company conducts thousands of tests in-house every month to make sure quality is top notch—while leading a culture of sustainability.

NOW calls out ‘significant failings’ in astaxanthin supplement quality

21-Aug-2023 By Stephen Daniells

Sixty-four percent of lesser-known brands of Astaxanthin supplements sold on Amazon.com and Walmart.com failed potency tests, according to new data from NOW’s award-winning testing program.

Fungi Perfecti discovers counterfeit products with allergens on Amazon

25-Apr-2023 By Stephen Daniells

Fungi Perfecti LLC, a company founded by renowned mycologist Paul Stamets, has discovered 23 sellers on Amazon selling alleged counterfeit products claiming to be the company’s Host Defense brand.

AHPA: ‘Amazon reportedly enforces erroneous FDA adulteration allegation’

24-Apr-2023 By Asia Sherman

The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) has called out Amazon for allegedly prohibiting the sale of products containing Pinellia ternata based on an inaccurate adulteration allegation issued by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA).

NOW alerts Amazon to counterfeit supplements on its platform

14-Apr-2023 By Stephen Daniells

Alerted by concerned consumers, NOW recently discovered multiple fraudulent supplements sold on Amazon impersonating the NOW brand as well as another prominent supplement brand.

NOW releases ‘abysmal’ results in bromelain testing, announces plans to ramp up testing

21-Mar-2023 By Danielle Masterson

The natural products manufacturer continues into its 6th year of testing unfamiliar brands found on Amazon, with new results showing the problem may not be getting better.

FTC charges The Bountiful Company for ‘review highjacking’ on Amazon

20-Feb-2023 By Stephen Daniells

In the first-of-its-kind case, the US Federal Trade Commission took action against The Bountiful Company for allegedly abusing a feature of Amazon.com to steal or repurpose reviews of another product.

Amazon removing NMN dietary supplements, citing FDA actions

16-Feb-2023 By Stephen Daniells

The online retail giant has moved to remove supplements containing NMN, an anti-aging ingredient, from its platform following an FDA announcement that NMN is not a legal dietary ingredient.

Proposed suit alleges Amazon selling “illegal drugs masquerading as therapeutic dietary supplements”

07-Feb-2023 By Danielle Masterson

Big name brands, “illegal drugs” and a formidable opponent to the supplement industry: it has all the underpinnings of a dramatic suit— but does it hold water?

NOW finds inaccurate, misleading labeling among magnesium supplements sold on Amazon

07-Dec-2022 By Hank Schultz

Supplement manufacturer NOW has discovered prevalent mislabeling among magnesium supplements sold on Amazon. It’s part of the company’s ongoing testing program looking at products sold on the site.

‘Warning letter geek’ decodes marketing compliance

17-Nov-2022 By Danielle Masterson

Asa Waldstein is principal of the Supplement Advisory Group and the man behind 'Warning Letter Wednesdays.' His bread and butter is educating companies about the dos and don'ts of marketing.

Amazon warning over skin tag products puts online giant on notice for assuring regulatory compliance

15-Sep-2022 By Hank Schultz

A recent warning letter to Amazon on the subject of skin tag removers was seen as significant for the dietary supplement industry because it puts the online sales giant on stricter notice for being responsible for the regulatory compliance of products...

NAC supplements back on Amazon

25-Aug-2022 By Stephen Daniells

After a hiatus of over a year, Amazon is again selling NAC-containing dietary supplement products. The development was described as exciting by one industry trade association.

NutraCast: SPINS on VMS inflation powered by Amazon data

24-Jun-2022 By Danielle Masterson

Between worker shortages, plant shutdowns, trucking issues, backups at the ports, supply chains are pinched and prices are growing. Every industry is feeling the inflation burn – and the health and wellness sector is no exception. According to SPINS,...

Low potency products still the norm on Amazon, NOW finds in CoQ10, quercetin tests

09-May-2022 By Hank Schultz

Supplement manufacturer NOW found in a new set of tests of CoQ10 and quercetin supplements sold on Amazon that quality problems persist for products sold on the site and in some ways may have gotten worse.

NutraCast: Gene Bruno, NutraScience Labs, on the jump in shady business practices

14-Jan-2022 By Danielle Masterson

The pandemic has seen no shortage of warning letters, with the FDA and FTC doubling down on their efforts to stop a number of shady business practices. Gene Bruno, Vice President of Scientific and Regulatory Affairs for NutraScience Labs, says there has...

IPA Chief talks ongoing growth for probiotics and the online explosion

04-Nov-2021 By Stephen Daniells

“Growth for probiotics this past year on Amazon was 50%, and it’s pointing still north,” George Paraskevakos, Executive Director of the International Probiotics Association (IPA), tells NutraIngredients-USA.

Amazon requires testing for illegal weight loss, sexual enhancement ingredients

02-Nov-2021 By Hank Schultz

Amazon has updated its specifications for dietary supplements with a new set of requirements for sellers of weight management or sexual enhancement products as well as changes to COA stipulations.

Study: 97% of consumers expect retailers to visit manufacturing facilities, test supplements for safety

16-Sep-2021 By Danielle Masterson

The data highlights increasing demand for independent product testing and GMP auditing.

NJ Labs: “ISO accreditation is not enough”

02-Sep-2021 By Danielle Masterson

Amazon heightened the priority of ISO/IEC 17025:2017 when it announced to dietary supplement sellers that ISO accreditation is required, along with Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) in order to sell products on its online retail platform.

Packing a bigger punch: India’s energy and protein bar firm takes on US market with Amazon listing

25-Aug-2021 By Tingmin Koe

Fitsport Nutrition Foods, a Hyderabad-based company specialising in energy and protein bars, has ventured into the highly competitive US market with a bigger bar via a listing on Amazon US.

FDA sends Amazon letter over sexual enhancement & weight loss products

05-Aug-2021 By Stephen Daniells

The US Food & Drug Administration has sent a letter to Amazon about the availability of drug-tainted sexual enhancement and weight loss products for sale on its platform, the majority of which were marketed as dietary supplements.

NOW’s Aaron Secrist on Amazon exposé

06-Jul-2021 By Danielle Masterson

NutraIngredients-USA sat down with Aaron Secrist, executive vice president of Quality, Regulatory Affairs & Operations at NOW Health Group, to reflect on what has happened over the past year and what he thinks is next for the e-commerce giant.

PlantFuel signs agreement with Amazon's Launchpad to amplify digital sales channel

14-Jun-2021 By Danielle Masterson

PlantFuel Life Inc. recently announced that its PlantFuel supplement brand has signed an agreement with Amazon’s Launchpad, a program aimed at empowering new brands.

CRN: ‘This is not the final word on NAC’

11-May-2021 By Stephen Daniells

While Amazon moves ahead with removing NAC-containing dietary supplements from its website, the FDA’s Office of Dietary Supplement Programs (ODSP) acknowledges that it is still reviewing the information around the ingredient.

UNPA's Israelsen on DSHEA 2.0 & CBD: ‘Unless there is unity, it just gets harder’

29-Apr-2021 By Stephen Daniells

Proposed modernizations to the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) and solutions to the CBD issue require “an outstanding effort by industry to speak with a united voice”, says Loren Israelsen, President of the United Natural Products...

‘Steps in the right direction’: Amazon updates/ expands CoA options for dietary supplement sellers

19-Apr-2021 By Stephen Daniells

Tech giant Amazon has updated its requirements for dietary supplements, with notable changes to Certificates of Analysis (CoA) issued by in-house laboratories.

News in brief

GOED webinar to explore omega-3 supplements on Amazon

01-Apr-2021

An upcoming webinar will explore the EPA and DHA supplement category on Amazon.com in the US. Omega-3 supplement sales increased 44% on the platform over the past year.

NutraCast: Compliance amid a pandemic with CRO NutraSource

26-Mar-2021 By Danielle Masterson

Nutrasource, a Canada-based contract research organization, quickly adapted to the pandemic by implementing regulations and best practices to continue running human trials. The company’s president and CEO, Will Rowe, and Josh Baisley, VP of clinical...

Amazon has ‘unique opportunity’ to engage manufacturers on adverse event reports, says expert

12-Mar-2021 By Stephen Daniells

The new dietary supplement specifications from Amazon are comprehensive, but adverse event reporting is not currently part of the picture and that presents challenges for brands and consumers, says an expert.

Amazon dietary supplement specs: ‘They make contracts start to matter,’ says lawyer

11-Mar-2021 By Stephen Daniells

The new specifications for dietary supplements from Amazon are focusing attention much more on the contracts between brands and manufacturers, industry lawyers and experts tell NutraIngredients-USA.

Amazon’s dietary supplement specifications: “These requirements shouldn’t be terribly onerous”

10-Mar-2021 By Stephen Daniells

From the ISO accreditation issue to concerns around “by input”, the new Amazon specifications are sparking a lot of debate within the dietary supplements industry...

FDA warns consumers about weight loss & male enhancement products sold through Amazon, eBay

04-Jan-2021 By Stephen Daniells

The US Food and Drug Administration issued a consumer warning on December 17 about potentially dangerous drug ingredients in certain male enhancement or weight loss products sold through Amazon, eBay and other retailers.

NutraCast Podcast: Are brands responsible for consumer reviews? Atty Marc Ullman weighs in

04-Sep-2020 By Danielle Masterson

When it comes to discussing immunity and other health claims, marketers have to be cautious, especially in the current climate. A recent National Advertising Division (NAD) decision stated this is an “unprecedented time” and declared it would fulfill...

NOW finds many understrength phosphatidylserine products for sale on Amazon

13-Aug-2020 By Danielle Masterson

Supplement manufacturer NOW tested 43 phosphatidylserine supplements it bought on Amazon. Almost none met label claim.

Coronavirus highlights opportunity for smart packaging

30-Mar-2020 By Danielle Masterson

As much of the world shelters in place, delivery services like Amazon have become a lifeline for many who wish to still receive their supplements and other items without having to go to the store.

What Amazon’s email about counterfeit supplements might mean to the industry

23-Jul-2019 By Adi Menayang

Amazon sent a warning email to some customers earlier this month, saying that some probiotics sold as Procter and Gamble’s Align brand might be counterfeit, Wired reported. Industry stakeholders hope it’s a sign that the ecommerce giant will increase...

MuscleTech’s new private label line for Amazon to appeal to ‘all active consumers’

12-Jul-2019 By Adi Menayang

Sports nutrition brand MuscleTech developed a line exclusively for sale on Amazon, describing it as a private label line for the ecommerce giant, scheduled to launch on Prime Day.

Aldi 2.0? New Amazon stores likely to have ‘heavy private label’ offer, plus the best of Amazon tech and shopper insights, predict analysts

01-Mar-2019 By Elaine Watson

If Amazon is planning to launch a new retail offer with lower prices than Whole Foods, it would lend credence to the idea that “well-designed, well-located brick-and-mortar stores have an important role to play in the years ahead, even as e-commerce continues...

Soaring sales in Asia help Usana deal with the 'Amazonification' of the US market

29-Oct-2018 By Hank Schultz

Dietary supplement direct sales company Usana reported a 13.4% rise in sales in its most recent quarter. The increase was driven almost entirely by soaring sales in its Asia-Pacific region.

Amazon is expanding its private label sports nutrition offering. What does this mean for the category?

24-Oct-2018 By Adi Menayang

When Amazon enters a new category, it’s common for existing players in that space to shudder. It entered the sports nutrition category in stealth mode this year.

Ascent sports supplements get national distribution deal at Whole Foods Market

03-Aug-2018 By Adi Menayang

Protein powder products by Colorado-based Ascent, which markets whey protein free of artificial flavors and sweeteners, will be distributed nationwide at Whole Foods Market.

'Amazon has moved squarely onto the turf of traditional supermarkets and poses a much more significant threat,’ says analyst as ecommerce giant pays $13.7bn for Whole Foods

16-Jun-2017 By Adi Menayang and Elaine Watson

While TABS Analytics founder Dr Kurt Jetta argues that Amazon is effectively ‘raising the white flag’ when it comes to food e-commerce by coughing up $13.7bn to buy a bricks & mortar retailer (Whole Foods), most analysts are predicting that over the...