Now Foods Review: An Extensive Review of Now Foods Practices and Your Most Pressing Questions Answered

Many years ago I discovered Now Foods, it seemed like such good products but I was weary. Why is everything in the natural industry more expensive than what Now Foods offers? Luckily about 2 years ago I got to visit their factory and headquarters and see for myself what goes on behind the scenes.

Here’s the thing, when a brand is willing to bring people in, it’s because they have nothing to hide and that is huge! I cannot tell you how many brands won’t even disclose all of their ingredients on the phone. Meanwhile, here was Now Foods opening its doors.

If you want to see what I learned during this trip, click here to see my visit to Now Foods. But just because I visited their headquarters it doesn’t mean automatic trust. Yes, after that visit and doing some research I realized why Now Foods is more affordable and it made me realize what an amazing company this was. 

Ever since that visit we’ve been using Now Foods products regularly in my home. But since that visit I had gotten so many questions from all of you that I asked Now Foods if we could partner for this post so that we could answer, accurately, all of your questions.

So, here are the answers to most questions you’ve ever had about Now Foods, answered with verifiable data and sources.

NOW Foods review:

First of all, what is Now Foods?

Now Foods is a natural products company that was founded in 1968 – when natural foods weren’t even that popular. The founder, Richard Elwood, believed that natural products were better for everyone and that was his driving force when he founded Now Foods. He wanted to offer better products made with better ingredients at an affordable price. 

Today, Now Foods sells over 1400 products, in 6 big categories:

• Supplements
• Beauty
• Essential oils
• Sports nutrition 
• Natural foods
• Pet health

If you want to learn more about how Now Foods got its start, watch this video:

The NOW Foods transparency

One of the things I love about Now Foods is their openness and transparency, with everyone. Did you know that you could book a tour of their factory? Yes, you! 

Of course you might live too far, but they have also created videos to show you what goes on behind the scenes. 

And they even have a number where you can call and get all your questions answered about any of their products and an online form where you can request information.

So if you ever have questions about their ingredients, products, anything, reach out to them. The best place to get your information is from the source and then expand from there, if needed.

NOW Foods: your most pressing questions about this company and their ingredients answered

Ingredient sourcing: where do NOW Foods ingredients come from?

According to NOW Foods:

“We source ingredients from all around the world, based on the highest quality and best value available. Rest assured, NOW controls the quality of the raw material that we use regardless of the country it comes from. We have found that country of origin is not a reliable gauge of quality or safety. Rigorous testing can eliminate any tainted sources regardless of where they came from. We rely on the tried and true method: rigorous screening and auditing of suppliers, followed by extensive identity and safety testing of the raw material per our own strict specifications. For example, we routinely test for not only identity but also for purity, heavy metals, pesticides/agricultural chemicals, and possible adulterants including pharmaceuticals. Controlling our supply chain by these means is far more reliable than simply generalizing about a country or countries without any data on the actual supplier, its certifications/audits, or test results on its materials.”

Back in 2017 I toured the NOW Foods facility in Chicago and I was impressed by what I saw. I was expecting to walk into a huge factory and it felt like I walked into a huge lab.

A huge part of the facility was just labs, where they could test the ingredients! NOW foods tests every single batch of ingredients that comes into their facility, BEFORE those ingredients are used in production. This way, if they detect some toxic ingredient or an unwanted chemical, they can discard that whole batch. 

This is how they can guarantee that their products are clean. Once the ingredients have passed the initial testing, they are put into production and made into a product. This final product is also tested on their labs.

You can learn more about my tour and their production process here.

You can learn more about their manufacturing process, from ingredient sourcing to final product, here.

If you’re really concerned about their ingredient sourcing and testing, I want to reiterate that you should read this information:

• How NOW Foods manufactures their products and how raw materials are inspected
• How NOW Foods manufactures their products and how raw materials are inspected

Where are NOW Foods products made?

Directly from their site:

“As one of the natural products industry’s premier manufacturers, NOW owns and operates several manufacturing and distribution facilities in the United States and Canada.

NOW is headquartered in Bloomingdale, Illinois, where our corporate offices and primary manufacturing facility are located. NOW also operates a cutting-edge distribution facility in the neighboring town of Roselle. To better service our west coast customers NOW also operates a manufacturing and distribution facility in Sparks, Nevada.

Both the Bloomingdale and Sparks facilities also house state-of-the-art testing laboratories, where NOW’s quality technicians use the latest analytical instrumentation to perform approximately 16,000 tests on ingredients and finished products each month.”

You can learn more about their facilities here.

Who owns NOW Foods products?

Believe it or not, NOW Foods is a family run operation, owned by The Richard family and is one of the biggest natural products manufacturers in the world. 

If you want to learn more about their history, check out this book. Currently available for free on PDF format.

Are NOW Foods products organic?

NOW Foods has thousands of products, and not every single one of them is organic. However, they have a HUGE line of organic products and lots of choices to choose from – at very affordable prices. Click here to view their organic certifications.

It’s important to point out that the rigorous ingredient processing happens in both organic and non-organic ingredients, so you can rest assured that you are buying products made with clean ingredients. 

If organic is important for you, you can shop directly for their organic products – which is what I do. 

• Click here to shop for NOW Foods USDA Organic certified products.
• Click here to shop for NOW Foods organic products.

Does NOW Foods test on animals?

No, NOW Foods does NOT test their products on animals.

NOW Food Essential Oils Review

One of the topics I get the most questions from is NOW Foods essential oils. The most common question I get is:

Why are the essential oils from NOW Foods so cheap?

NOW Foods is a large company, with huge buying power. This means they can buy ingredients in bulk, in very very large quantities, which brings the cost down of their products.

They also invest very little in marketing. If you’re familiar with business practices, a lot is invested in marketing. However, NOW Foods has opted not to spend money in marketing to lower down (even more) the cost of their products.

Also, a lot of people questioning the quality of NOW Foods essential oils because they are cheaper are comparing them to multi-level marketing companies that sell essential oils. The muli-level marketing makes products more expensive because they have to pay the people selling those products and that is reflected in the product cost.

The reason why I personally use NOW Foods essential oils is because they do such heavy testing on their ingredients that I know I am buying a pure oil. I won’t buy an essential oil from a company who doesn’t do testing on every ingredient batch, like NOW Foods does. That’s why most of the oils I own are from them.

NOW Foods is also extremely transparent about their essential oils line. You can find more information on the quality and safety of their oils here.

Are NOW Foods essential oils pure?

Yes, they are and they are some of the cleanest essential oils you will find. They are not diluted, watered down or have anything added to them.

NOW Foods does sell blends of essential oils, which contain more than 1 essential oil but those are clearly labeled.

According to their Identity and Purity section:

“NOW® regularly assesses the quality of our essential oils through the evaluation of purity and identity. This protects our retailers and consumers, ensuring they get the product they paid for.

We utilize numerous physical or physiochemical techniques, including:

• Instrumental testing such as Refractive Index, Optical Rotation, Specific Gravity, Gas Chromatography (GC), and Inductively Coupled Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS);

• And, Organoleptic Evaluation, focusing on appearance and odor.”

You can learn more about their purity testing here.

Do you have more questions about NOW Foods essential oils? 

They have a pretty extensive FAQ section that answers the most common questions in regards to their essential oils. Check it out and if you don’t see your question answered, use the contact form to get it answered or leave it here in the comments down below.

NOW Foods Supplements Review

One of the things I love about NOW Foods is their transparency, they list every single ingredient they use, in every product. 

Some products are not required to list all ingredients if some ingredients are used in minimal quantities. This is how questionable ingredients sometimes find their way in natural products.

But since NOW Foods is so committed about their transparency, they list every single ingredient, even if it’s in small amounts inside the product. So, when you want to know what’s in a NOW Foods supplement, check that label!

One of the reasons they have so many labs and do over 16,000 tests on a monthly basis is because of their supplement line. You can learn more about the quality and safety of their supplements here.

Are NOW Foods supplements fake? 

I get this question a lot, and the answer is no. However, NOW Foods does use synthetic ingredients in some of their supplements, which you can clearly see on the label.

How are NOW Foods supplements regulated?

In the US, the FDA is in charge of regulating supplements and making sure companies aren’t making wild claims they can’t sustain. As a supplement company, NOW Foods is also regulated and being watched by the FDA. You can learn more about this process here.

The good news is that NOW Foods goes even beyond the FDA requirements and you can see their latest reports here and click here to see their current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs) for the dietary supplement industry. 

You can learn more about the safety of NOW Foods supplements here.

Are NOW Foods supplements made in USA?

NOW Foods supplements are made in North America, with ingredients sourced from around the world. 

They have to source ingredients outside of the US because not everything grows in the US. However, every ingredient they sourced is thoroughly tested and they document where every single ingredient comes from, including if it was processed or manufactured elsewhere.

You can read more about their manufacturing process and ingredient sourcing here.

NOW Foods educates

NOW Foods is all about educating and transparency. I personally love to work with them because they have a scientist on staff and lots of professionals that can provide you with accurate information.

If you want to learn more about natural health, check out their NOWledge section. 

Is now foods a good brand? Is NOW Foods a reputable brand?

Yes! NOW Foods is a very unique company in the sense that they are so heavily focus on the quality of the ingredients they use and they do such heavy testing on both their ingredients and products.

Going to their headquarters and seeing it with my own eyes (which you too can do!) was a huge deciding factor for me. I finally understood how they can guarantee their quality and the safety of their products, because they are basically a giant lab.

They are also one of the most transparent companies I’ve ever dealt with. You can find a lot of information on their website and if you can’t find your answer there, they’re like an open book. You can call, schedule a tour or send an email and they will provide you with an answer.

When a company is so transparent and has nothing to hide, they have my trust.

I also love that they are able to make such high quality products at lower costs by buying ingredients in bulk and not spending too much money on marketing.

I have been using NOW Foods products for over 7 years now and I am really pleased with everything I tried.

Have you tried NOW Foods products? Have any more questions? Leave a comment down below.