Now alerts Amazon about deceptive certificates of analysis used by seller on its site

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Now (Bloomingdale, IL) has notified Amazon about a brand posting Certificates of Analysis from a third-party testing lab on their website which confirm the fill weight of its products, but not the identity, potency, or purity. Now argues that these kinds of documents are misleading to consumers because they would be unlikely to understand that fill weight has nothing to do with hallmarks of quality such as identity, potency, and purity.

“I think many of us had hoped that Amazon would institute safeguards that would marginalize companies engaging in this type of behavior,” said Dan Richard, Now’s vice president of global sales and marketing, in a press release. “My wish is for Amazon to be very specific in their documentation requirements, be fully transparent with their rules, and enforce them for all brands selling on their platform.”

Now has been testing products from Amazon and reporting the results of these tests to the public as well as the ecommerce giant so that Amazon can take action and also better understand the dietary supplement industry, and how to keep an eye on bad actors. According to Now, after proving the serious quality failings of lesser-known supplement brands on Amazon, the company has instituted stronger requirements on dietary supplement sellers. Consumers are becoming savvier about the products they buy, and Certificates of Analysis help validate that their purchasing decisions are wise. Therefore, tricking consumers with misleading Certificates of Analysis can be a new and insidious way to deceive consumers.