NOW Foods: Quality Natural Supplements and Vitamins

NOW Foods in five points

NOW is one of the largest natural products brands in the United States and it is also the one with the most references in this store. Knowing where it comes from helps to understand why the same ingredient appears in five different strengths.

1. Born from a pricing problem

In 1968, Elwood Richard, a physical chemist by training, owned natural products stores near Chicago and was losing customers to a supermarket because of the prices. He started manufacturing his own products so he could control them. The idea that a natural product no one can afford is useless remains the hallmark of the company.

2. Still a family-owned company

More than 55 years later, NOW remains linked to the Richard family, with headquarters in Bloomingdale, Illinois, and a second facility in Sparks, Nevada. This is rare in a sector where almost all major brands have been sold to investment funds.

3. In-house laboratories

NOW analyzes raw materials and finished products internally: it has had ICP-MS for heavy metalssince 2007, a RiboPrinterto verify probiotic strains since 2016, and ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation for its chemical and microbiological laboratories since 2021. Manufacturing is GMP-certified by an external entity.

4. The house lines

• NOW: supplements, from vitamins and minerals to herbs, probiotics, and enzymes.
• NOW Sports: sports nutrition, with Informed Sport certification since 2018.
• NOW Solutions: personal care and essential oils.
• NOW Real Food: foods, nuts, and culinary oils.

5. How to compare within the brand

The same ingredient often appears in various strengths and formats: vegetable capsules, oil-based softgels, tablets, powders, and liquids, and in very different package sizes. Compare the mg per servingand the number of servings per container, and check if the capsule is vegetable or a softgel, which contains gelatin.