Daily Mail: Kristi Noem under pressure to investigate China's ties to major health supplement supplier on US military bases

Contact: Lexi Kranich (814) 380-4408

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Donald Trump's administration is facing calls to investigate China's ties to a supplement store present on dozens of U.S. military bases.

Republican Rep. Pat Harrigan is demanding an investigation into GNC's claims that the vast majority of its products are made in the U.S.A.

The North Carolina congressman alleges that nine out of 10 GNC ingredients are actually sourced from China, which is one of the top adversaries of the U.S.

And he says this poses a major problem since Chinese-owned GNC is a major health supplement supplier on U.S. military bases.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary are facing pressure to get to the bottom of the discrepancies Harrigan is claiming.

'[O]ur analysis reveals that nearly 90 percent of GNC's private-label ingredients are sourced from China, despite GNC's public claims that 96 percent of its products are U.S.-made,' Harrigan's letter to Noem and Makary reads, according to a copy obtained by the Daily Mail.

'GNC's record of compliance is deeply flawed,' the letter states. 'In 2016, it paid a $2.25 million fine to the DOJ over the sale of dietary supplements containing unapproved ingredients.'

Harrigan's request for another investigation is part of his continued efforts to get all General Nutrition Centers (GNC) stores kicked off U.S. military bases.

There are approximately 85 GNC retail stores on U.S. military bases.

While its Chinese ownership is not a secret, Harrigan is concerned that the company engaged in 'food fraud' by misrepresenting where its consumable products originated, he notes in his letter to Noem and Makary.

A spokesperson for GNC told the Daily Mail that, like many other companies, the supplement store sources raw ingredients from around the world.

He explained that once it arrives in the U.S., the ingredients go through a rigorous analysis and testing process before they are used to domestically produce consumables sold at GNC stores.

'GNC stands by the fact that over 96 percent of our branded supplements are made right here in the United States,' GNC Public Relations Director Nick Sero said.

He told the Daily Mail: 'We've proudly invested more than $250 million into our domestic supply chain with major manufacturing partners across more than 10 states, including Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia, Missouri, and California.'

Sero also said that GNC leaders met with Harrigan in his office in May and explained the global sourcing of their ingredients but stressed the company's domestic quality testing.

'Every GNC-branded supplement is held to a rigorous 150-point quality and safety checklist, which includes testing of sourced ingredients for purity and potency, to ensure everything we offer meets our high standards,' Sero said. 

'We welcome any conversation, whether with Congress, the FDA, or the public, about our products and our ongoing commitment to the U.S. military, our customers, and American manufacturing.'

Besides the ingredients, Harrigan is also concerned about the potential threat the Chinese-owned company could pose to national security – especially when it comes to operations in military installations.

The growing threat from China continues to be something that Congress and the Trump administration is monitoring.

The Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) says China has quietly seized control or influence over 37 major seaports across Latin America and the Caribbean and is using the cover network to ship and supply weapons.

It gives Beijing the power to spy on U.S. military activity, choke off vital shipping lanes, and even launch a surprise military strike on American soil.

Meanwhile, a South Carolina port is being used by China to indiscreetly ship in products used in health supplements sold at GNC stores, according to an analysis referenced by Harrigan.

The congressman and 12 of his House colleagues in April signed a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi demanding the Justice Department investigate whether GNC violated federal law by falsely stating in 2022 and 2023 that it had no parent company.

In 2020, GNC was bought out of its bankruptcy and is now wholly owned by Harbin Pharmaceutical Group, a Chinese state-owned company with ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

It remains headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, despite its relatively new foreign ownership.