How to Spot Fake Supplements in Kenya (and Check Yours Is Genuine)

Why it matters

Counterfeit and relabelled supplements are a known problem in many countries, and a product that passes through several sellers before it reaches you is harder to trace. A fake tub can hold less of what the label says, different ingredients, or nothing useful at all, and you usually can't tell by taste. The good news is that most problems show up before you open the tub, if you know what to look at.

Six checks that work on any tub

1. The seal. A foil or cardboard seal under the lid should be whole and stuck down all the way round. A torn, loose or missing seal means the tub has been opened. Don't use it.

2. The batch number and dates. Genuine products carry a batch (lot) number and a best-before date, printed by machine on the tub or bag rather than on a loose sticker. For powders the shelf life is usually around two years, so the dates should make sense for the pack. Optimum Nutrition, for example, says its powders have a two-year shelf life, so the manufacture and expiry dates should be about two years apart.

3. The print. Compare the label with the photos on the brand's own website: spelling, logo, colours and the quality of the print. Blurry logos, spelling mistakes and colours that look off are warning signs.

4. The powder. It should be dry and free-flowing, with the colour and smell you expect. Clumps, a strange smell or a colour different from your last tub are reasons to stop and ask.

5. The price. Genuine imported stock costs about the same everywhere. A price far below what other trusted sellers charge for the same product is the most common warning sign.

6. The seller. Can you find a real business behind it: a website with delivery and returns policies, a phone number, a way to complain? Our checklist for buying supplements online in Kenya covers this in more detail.

Official checks from the brands

Optimum Nutrition publishes a packaging guide with four things to check: the inner seal (a glossy white disc under the lid, untouched around the rim), the printed dates and batch code, the base of the tub, and the label. Tubs made in the UK and Europe have a round indentation on the base, while US-made tubs have a mould line instead; both are normal. ON is also phasing out the black neck band and gold hologram on Gold Standard whey, so a tub without them can still be genuine.

MuscleTech has a free Verify app. Scan the hologram sticker, or type in the 10-character code printed just below the logo, then check that the brand, product and expiry date the app shows match the printing on your tub. MuscleTech says some genuine products don't carry the hologram yet, so a missing sticker on its own doesn't prove a fake.

USN has an online check on its Verify Product page. Enter the LOT number (5 to 8 characters, usually on the back of a bag or the bottom of a tub) and the best-before month printed next to it, plus the QR code from the USN sticker if your pack has one. A genuine product shows "Authentication Successful". USN says some genuine products can fail the check; if that happens you fill in its contact form and its team follows up by email.

Other brands don't publish a check like this. For those, use the six checks above, and if you're still unsure, email the brand's customer service with the batch number and best-before date. Every manufacturer can trace its own batches.

If something looks wrong

Stop using it, keep the tub and the packaging, photograph the seal, the label and the batch number, and contact the seller straight away. A reputable seller will want to see it. At EVΛFIT, a wrong item, damage or a broken seal must be reported within 48 hours for a replacement or refund, and sealed, unopened products can be returned within 7 days. You can also WhatsApp us a photo of the seal and batch number before you open a tub, and we'll check it with you. More on how we source and check stock is on our authenticity page.