Shocking!! Fake Supplement in India

Beware!! more that 50% supplements sold in India are fake. Read on for more details on how to detect it and what can we do about it.

Increase in demand of bodybuilding supplements in India

Bodybuilding Supplements

Bodybuilding Supplements

These days the business of bodybuilding  supplement has increased a lot in India. This is due to huge increase in demand of supplements in India recently. Bodybuilding and fitness is rapidly gaining popularity in India. Lots of youngster are moving towards fitness and bodybuilding.People are getting aware of this sport and we see more and more bodybuilding events are being organised in India.

India being a huge youngster population makes it a very good market for this business. Also the profitability ratio is good. So lots of new Indian supplement products have come in market. Some companies import the supplements from international vendors and sell them locally in India.

Reason for increase in Fake supplements

Fake Supplements

Fake Supplements

  •  Bodybuilding supplements are sold as dietary supplement and currently there is no Regulatory body in India that governs and regulates the manufacturing, import, sales and distribution of bodybuilding supplements.
  • Its very hard to detect fake supplements.
  • Making a fake supplement is very cheap therefore the profitability ratio is extremely high.
    Manufacturing cost = Rs. 200  Market price = Rs. 4500. So you can imagine the profit.
  • Often people consult their gym instructors or gym owners for guidance on bodybuilding supplement. More often than not these guys suggest some supplements and promise to make it available at cheaper rates. These are usually fake products from grey market. Be cautious if your trainer or gym owner is trying hard to convince you to buy a particular brand of protein supplement. You can take advice from him but do a good research and if needed buy the same product from genuine shops.
  • Most people buy supplements from local pharmacy or local stores, so grey marketers directly deal with these people and give them higher margin for selling their fake supplements.

Effects of Fake Supplements

The ingredients used to make fake supplements are cheap, they are made to look real by trying to give them the same color and texture as the original products. These ingredients are harmful for body. Some companies add cheap steroids to the product to show quick results which can be really very dangerous for our body. Read these news articles to get more information

Please check below YouTube video of a news report by Aaj Tak on duplicate supplements. A gang was caught making fake protein powders, Interestingly they were selling it to various pharmacies. Also when the raid was conducted they were found to have  a stock of  labels and stickers of major bodybuilding brands.

Some of the popular brands suggest ways to check whether the product purchased is genuine either though hologram, special seals, logo on the bottles, batch number verification etc.

Take a look at a good video showing how fake supplements are made.

What should we do

First of all try to get your protein and nutrient requirements from food intake itself. During the initial days of bodybuilding, there were no supplements. Even then people used to get desired muscles and weight.

Secondly, if you decide to really go for supplements then you need to find out what is your exact requirement. People will try to sell you supplements that you don’t really need or may be not at this stage. Supplements can range from pre-workout supplements, protein supplements, creatine, glutamines, post-workout supplements, fat burners etc, for more information on types of supplements, read our post on Protein Supplements .

Do a research on different brands that are making supplements. Read reviews, ask your friends at gym for feedback on supplements they use. Next, buy supplements from genuine outlets or order from trusted online stores. We have complied a list of Online websites selling bodybuilding supplements in India. Make sure you purchase the supplements with a valid bill with VAT no and TIN no.

Please feel free to provide us your feedback/ comments.

 

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