Elite Physique

Q: Dan, I know that there's counterfeit gear that I should watch out for but I also heard that sometimes supplements are counterfeited. Is this true? 

A: I've been involved heavily in the supplement industry for the past ten years as an account manager for a top Canadian supplement distribution company so I can really speak from experience on this one. Unfortunately yes, it is true. Several years ago one of the products the company I work for was faked. One chain in particular was well stocked with the fake version so it was quite frustrating. This product was popular at the time. Its wholesale price was around $70 and retailed for as high as $120 – and it sold! With this high price you can understand why a counterfeit version was very attractive to retailers (I think the fake ones wholesaled for $25). Much like faked anabolics the label was almost perfect so if you didn’t know about the scam you most likely would have been fooled. The faked product didn't meet label claim at all! I’m certain you can understand the seriousness of this matter. The real product worked wonders but users of the faked product reported zero results. Not only does this kill future sales of the product but it also damages the trust between consumer and manufacturer. If you had no results then you weren’t likely to pick up another product from this company in the future. Fortunately, an updated version of the product came out shortly afterwards so the older version was phased out. I always wondered why the company didn’t come out immediately and reveal the scam. I think it would have increased consumer confidence in the company. Maybe they thought that with the newer version coming out they didn’t need to. I’m not really sure of their reasons but I feel they really dropped the ball on this one. I know what I would have done if I was in charge. The counterfeit scam has also hit other companies. Wherever there is easy money to made…well you know the rest. Who’s a consumer to trust? Retailers have to be more than just about margins and the bottom line. Consumers should shop at vendors they know and trust. Progressive supplement companies have stepped up to the plate and implemented anti-counterfeiting measures. Check out the lids on some products. Smart companies will spend the extra dollar and get the lids embossed with their logo. A counterfeiter is less likely to fake this as they want to keep their costs down. I’ve also seen holograms on product labels which is a prudent step to keep one stop ahead of scammers. It’s these types of proactive steps that should inspire confidence in the consumer. Luckily I haven’t seen or heard of any scams lately so you should be safe but it’s always wise to stay informed by reading MUSCLE INSIDER and SupplementGenius.com as our team of writers will keep readers informed and you’ll know what to steer clear of.