Swanson Vitamins Quality

[AntM1564]

I need to pick up some vitamins a minerals. Swanson is having a sale right now, but I have never used their vitamin C, D, magnesium, etc. Just wondering if anyone knows of their quality.

 

[cheftepesh1]

I have never heard anything bad about Swanson. From the positive stuff I heard it has one of the higher quality ratings.

 

[Nac]

Id be keen to hear if anyone has delved into this. I mean, I use a fair amount of their stuff without issue but this of course doesnt guarantee much in regards to their dosing and batch quality/consistency.

 

[john.patterson]

I've never heard anything negative about Swanson either. I've used their KSM-66 in the past and never had any doubts

 

[TommyTuffGuy]

Top notch. I use them for all my staples. 3rd party tested and better formulations than Puritans Pride.

They have a few supplements that are like the top in the industry, I know their production of Olive leaf extract is one.

 

[kbayne]

One of the better options you have. My go to for 90% of my health supps.

 

[Nac]

Current sale (25% disc on home brand) is best Ive seen.

 

[AntM1564]

Current sale (25% disc on home brand) is best Ive seen.

That is what I was referencing to. Thank you everyone!

 

[hsk]

I buy many of my staple supps from Swanson's and for the most part, their own in house brand is good depending on the product. They also have good prices on some branded products (Jarrow, NOW, etc) and when they are running 20% off specials. Regarding any products they sell under the Swanson label make sure to read labels and ingredients thoroughly to make sure the ingredients or extracts you want to buy are the same as what's being listed on the labels. Any trademarked or licensed extracts they sell are clearly stated on the labels, and they are always good quality and value when bought on sale (ie KSM-66,Cognizin, Geranova, Sabinsa, etc.). When in doubt about a label or ingredient I always email or live chat with CS to ask any questions I may have.

However, I would also like to mention that I found late last year that they had been bought out by a private equity group last year in 2016, which might explain some of the price increases. http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160125005260/en/Swander-Pace-Capital-Acquires-Swanson-Health-Products
Additionally, starting last year they quietly downgraded and or downsized some of their own in house products and I found this out by reading labels and by chatting with CS. Examples:

-They sell their own ZMA formula, and it was a good value but they recently lowered the total weight of the formula and increased the price.

-Some of their bulk extracts have been downgraded such as their Berberine HCL caps. They used to sell Berberine HCL 97% and the label clearly showed this. It was strong and potent and my go to supplier for capped Berberine. Then I noticed their berberine started giving me stomach upset and it seemed to be not as potent, so I checked the label and noticed it now only reads Berberine hcl, but does not list a % like before. I contacted CS through live chat and asked what % their Berberine HCL is stardardized for and if a COA was available. I was the told that their current Berberine product is not standardized and that their was no way to tell how much actual Berberine HCL it contained. Additionally COA's were only available internally for their own QC departments. I asked them if they had changed extracts/products because I had remembered previous product labels stating Berberine HCL 97% as well as the fact that the product no longer seems to work as effectively. CS confirmed to me that what I said was correct, that they used to sell Berberine HCL 97% but they recently switch to a non standardized extract.

I will still use them for many of my staples supps, but now I will be extra cautious before making purchases. The above changes likely took place after the company was sold in order to lower costs and increase profits. As always, "Buyer Beware!".