The Unseen When Producing Natural Medicine

 

“Fully licensed natural health products offer full transparency and are distinguished by the therapeutic response.”

 

Last weekend in Toronto we had the Canadian Health Food Association (CHFA) Now Health Show where hundreds of booths were on display showing things found on the shelves of health food stores. There were large pavilions with banners hanging from the ceiling with everyone either pumped to see what was new or, those selling, how to get their products to market and sold. When it comes to the industry, I am no stranger to displaying and attending natural health food shows; this is my 40th year.

 

We all assume in some strange manner that with time things improve but that is the furthest from the truth. During my earlier career the health shows were comprised of more than 80% of supplements and the other 20% was food and some sports products. Today it has completely reversed: it is mainly sports products, food and a small percentage of supplement companies. In the past I would walk the aisles and I knew the owners. Today about 80% of the exhibitors are owned by companies not associated with the supplement industry. When a multi-billion-dollar corporate conglomerate or private equity firm takes over a vitamin line, the fundamental business goal changes from product advocacy to shareholder maximization. “The supplement industry, once dominated by small, independent companies aiming to provide innovative health solutions, has seen a significant shift over the years. Large corporations have entered the space, acquiring some of the most popular supplement brands to diversify their portfolios and tap into the growing demand for wellness products. While this wave of acquisition brings with it increased resources and distribution opportunities, it also raises questions about product quality and corporate influence.”[1]

McKinsey & Company published Cashing in on the booming market for dietary supplements[2], a comprehensive research mapping out how the vitamins, minerals, and nutritional and herbal supplements (VMHS) sector shifted away from “pure-play” independent companies. Their studies detailed how massive consumer packaged goods (CPG) makers and large pharmaceutical companies publicly committed to expanding consumer health divisions specifically by acquiring independent lines (citing landmark examples like Procter & Gamble buying New Chapter and Pfizer buying Alacer/Emergen-C). The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) recently purchased Thorne Research for $3.8 billion.

Corporate studies published by firms like Grand View Research[3] and Euromonitor track corporate concentration ratios. These reports outline how the top 5 to 10 global conglomerates have successfully captured the vast majority of the over-the-counter (OTC) market share. The trend outlines a classic “hockey-stick” curve: highly fragmented prior to the mid-1990s, followed by sharp consolidation into fewer, larger corporate hands year-over-year.

Industry investment banking reports by firms like Capstone Partners[4] explicitly track the diminishing pool of independent lines. Their data details how private equity groups and multi-national strategists systematically “roll up” independent contract manufacturers and mid-tier brands, paying high premiums for established consumer trust.

The dietary supplement (DS) or natural health product (NHP) market has been growing all over the world from the USA to the EU, through China and Africa. According to a review A Global Overview of Dietary Supplements “[t]he market for DS is clearly growing in Algeria, and unlike prescription drugs, these products are developing without any control or regulation. Many worry that this lack of regulation may have a negative impact on consumers, especially as some DS are considered to be drugs.”[5]

In reality, lacking regulations and quality differences really represent a huge global problem. While I was preparing the product licensing with Health Canada for our soon to be release AnxieTea with lemon balm and kava kava, I was presented with the quality differences of the raw materials. I sent our raw material inquires to several raw material suppliers and I asked them to quote me for their highest quality ingredients. One came back with everything sourced from China and when I asked how about raw materials not sourced from China, they said they only source from India and China because this is what the industry demands as the prices are much lower. I compared the two lemon balm certificates of analysis, and the differences were night and day. A consumer will not know the difference when examining the label; one offers the highest quality organic sourced and approved Kosher and Halal and shows extensive analysis of the heavy metals and lead, mercury and cadmium levels while the other just says it “passes”.  Just for the comparison: the Chinese lemon balm is $40 CAD per kilogram and the organic is $99 USD for the same amount. Life Choice buys organic and branded material not because we want to spend more money, which contributes to lower sales, but because it gives peace of mind and there are no second guesses.

The massive disparity in quality can create confusion among consumers who fall victim to slick marketing campaigns with huge budgets. In order to help navigate the sea of health products, we outline a few points to look for when shopping to ensure you get the most value for your money.

  1. Quality of Raw Material Ingredients: USP Grade, Food Grade & Feed Grade

Ingredients are the primary indicator of the quality of a health product and how they are sourced will result in the bottom line when being sold. There are three basic categories of ingredients: USP grade, food grade and feed grade. USP grade is the highest level of quality, as it meets or exceeds requirements of the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) and indicates exceptional levels of purity. Food grade is sufficient for human consumption, but the quality is lower than that of the USP grade ingredients. Feed grade is suitable for animal consumption.

If you want to ensure that you are purchasing quality natural health products, look for “USP Grade” on the label. A company that sources this level of quality, when available, for their ingredients will certainly communicate that to its customers as those ingredients are far more expensive than the lower grades: the price difference can be greater than 10x the price of the lower grade.

Although this can increase the end cost significantly, products created with the highest quality raw materials can actually promote a positive therapeutic change in the body, while often lesser quality ingredients do not. In the worse case scenario, they can be harmful, especially with repeated use and when used by children.

  1. Synthetic vs Natural Ingredients

There is a huge difference in the efficacy of compounds that are produced synthetically as to those that are derived from natural sources. An excellent example is found in common vitamin B1. When derived from a natural source such as spirulina, the bio-availability to cells is 90% with an absorption rate of 95% to the cells. Compared to its synthetic counterpart, which is derived from fossil fuels, the bio-availability drops dramatically to 25% with an absorption rate of 30% to the cells. This is an important question to ask when purchasing your health products: are they sourced naturally or synthetically? If it is not readily apparent on the packaging, a little research may be in order.

  1. Capsules

Many people have different diets based on allergies, lifestyle and religious requirements. When it comes to health products, it is important to realise that many capsules are composed of gelatin manufactured from the collagen of animal skin or bone. This can run contrary to and complicate halal, kosher or vegan diets. Only capsules made of cellulose from vegetable sources are sure to comply with these lifestyle or religious choices. One other factor, they come with a cost, are gelatin capsules are half the price of vegetarian capsules. This is an important aspect of manufacturing that many people overlook when choosing their health products.

Matching the size of the capsule to the amount of principle medicinal ingredient is also a key consideration when looking for quality products. While it is often necessary to include some filler in capsules—when the dose size of active ingredients required are minute—the capsules should be as small as possible. For example, if the active ingredient is only 3mg and the company chooses to use a 500mg (size “0”) capsule, the amount of filler required to make the capsule is 497mg!

  1. Buffers, fillers and flow agents

Another important and often overlooked aspect of health products are the extra non-medicinal components that are included directly in the vitamin product. A buffer—such as calcium or magnesium ascorbate with a vitamin C—is a compound that is used in order to be gentler on the stomach during digestion. The draw-back of adding buffers (instead of increasing the purity and thus digestibility of the vitamin C when GMO sourced) is that the lower grade calcium and magnesium used as a buffer can accumulate in the body and end up having a negative net-result rather than the positive one that the consumer sought.

Fillers (or bulking agents), as mentioned above, increase the size of the supplement. Manufacturers often use these because the active ingredients in the capsule represent only a small amount. Because fillers are so cheap, this is a way for manufacturers to increase profit by reducing manufacturing costs—consumers pay for the whole pill, not just the active ingredient. Several types of fillers are linked with health concerns; this seems to directly contradict the idea and goals of health products. Bottom line: using less filler is better but no fillers are the best, Life Choice does not use fillers.

Flow agents (also known as anti-caking agents) are compounds that are listed as non-medicinal ingredients and added to the raw materials before production to prevent ingredients from clumping together within the machinery used to manufacturing the product. A company that is discerning the details of a potentially harmful flow agent is truly dedicated to the health of its customers. Many companies would not consider more expensive flow agent options in order to protect the integrity/health value of the end product. Life Choice only uses ascorbyl palmitate, a fat-soluble vitamin C, when necessary.

Magnesium stearate and steric acid are the most common flow agents used and found in nearly every supplement on the market. It is usually sourced from hydrogenated cotton seed oil and palm oil, which can be found to contain high levels of pesticides. Couple that with concerns about bio-accumulation, adverse effects on the immune response and problems with absorption of nutrients and the use of magnesium stearate as a flow agent—which is already controversial—becomes a very real concern.

  1. Packaging materials

Environmental sustainability is an increasingly important factor as the world moves forward and industries mature toward stewardship. Companies that are focused on good stewardship, although perhaps in the minority, are the companies that are trying to impact the future in the most positive and meaningful ways possible. Using recycled materials such as PET packaging—plastic that can be recycled over and over again—for their packaging needs is one way these companies attempt to reduce their environmental footprint. Life Choice also uses USP certified organic cotton to eliminate capsule breakage. Although it can increase manufacturing costs, using recycled packaging reveals much about the attitude of stewardship that a company values and can speak volumes about integrity and the “behind-the-scenes” decisions that are made when it comes to other moral and professional issues.

Why all of the above matter? Because the fact that our products actually work and help people can only be achieved by following the highest standards and our customers always appreciate it.

“I would like to express my gratitude to Life Choice for the unique products made available to the general public. Me and my family have been using CLAW Therapy, Vitamin C, DMSO, Full Spectrum Digestive Enzymes, and Kava-Kava with fantastic results. I used their DMSO with Vitamin C topically to treat my mother’s varicose veins and the results are absolutely staggering. I use the CLAW package (2 kits) and feel huge health benefits. The other products are also fantastic.” (Martin, Europe)

Fully licensed natural health products offer full transparency and are distinguished by the therapeutic response as the alternative to allopathic medicine. We purchase the very best in raw materials and our products are evaluated as reliable and effective. Shoulder to shoulder with the natural health food industry, we work as one of the pioneer roots of the health industry. Our goal is healing the nation, one person at a time.

Pharmaceutical, Chemical and other Mega-Corps and the Natural Health Companies They Own

References:

 

 

[1] Google Ads Agency. 2025.

[2] Teichner, Warren and Lesko, Megan. 2013.

[3] https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/dietary-supplements-market-report

[4] Capstone Partners. 2025.

[5] Djaoudene, Ouarda et al. 2023.