Vitamin supplements are a good way to make up for things you aren’t getting in your diet. Depending on where you live and what you eat, you could be missing essential components for your body to heal and grow. Costco sells a number of different vitamin supplements, mostly from the Kirkland Signature brand.
Judging the quality of vitamin supplements can be complicated. Vitamins come in many forms, some of which cannot be used by the human body. In general, vitamins found in whole foods are more bioavailable than the isolated vitamins found in supplements.
Are Costco Vitamins Good Quality?
Costco vitamins are good quality in terms of the dosages. However, some publications report that many of these supplements contain synthetic vitamins which are cheap to produce and less beneficial for your body.
Keep reading to find details on the quality of vitamin supplements at Costco, as well as general information on Kirkland Signature vitamin supplements.
Are Costco Supplements High Quality?
The Costco website claims that Kirkland Signature brand vitamin supplements are designed and tested to meet or exceed the quality of other major supplement brands. However, this designation is rather vague, and doesn’t really tell us much about the quality of their vitamins.
Costco supplements are not high quality. While the United States Pharmacopeia has verified Kirkland Signature vitamin supplements as being pure and high-quality, many of these vitamins are synthesized, and not as useful as nutrients from whole foods or other vitamin supplements.
The Kirkland Signature brand is by no means bad; many of the basic vitamin supplements should be fine for meeting daily needs. However, there are better options out there with more bioavailability and fewer synthetic vitamins.
Read: Can I Bring a Guest to Costco?
Are Costco Vitamins Made in China?
The process and regulations that control the production of vitamin supplements can make a huge difference in the quality of those supplements. Vitamins made in Chinese factories and labs have a reputation of being lower quality, with lots of synthetics and even low doses of the vitamins they claim to have.
Costco vitamins are manufactured in the United States. The manufacturing process and content of the supplements is verified by the USP. However, some of the ingredients found in Costco vitamins may come from China.
Most pharmaceutical manufacturers will not disclose the exact sources of the ingredients used in their products. This is also true of companies that manufacture vitamin supplements. That being said, no matter where the ingredients come from, Costco vitamins are in fact manufactured and verified in the US.
Read: Do Costco Employees Get Discounts?
Who Makes Kirkland Vitamins ?
Obviously, Costco does not manufacture vitamin supplements themselves. They purchase vitamin supplements from established manufacturers and then label them as part of the Kirkland Signature brand. But who actually makes the vitamins?
Kev & Cooper LLC is listed as the manufacturer for many Kirkland Signature vitamin supplements. However, neither Costco nor Kev & Cooper have verified this relationship.
It is likely that the buyers for Costco Pharmacy source their vitamin supplements from a number of different manufacturers depending on price and quality.
Read: Why Doesn’t Costco Take MasterCard?
Where Are Costco Kirkland Brand Vitamins Made?
Vitamin supplement quality is often dependent on the manufacturing process and ingredients used. The process itself is frequently at the mercy of whatever regulations and policies govern the manufacturing of supplements in the country where they are made.
Kirkland brand vitamins are made in the US. Although some of the ingredients used in the supplements may come from other countries such as China, the supplements themselves are manufactured, tested, and certified in the US.
Read: How Long Do Costco Muffins Last?
Are Vitamins Cheaper at Costco?
The main reason vitamins at Costco are good is that they are generally available for much cheaper than other stores. Costco is able to price their products cheaper than other retail outlets due to their membership system and customer loyalty.
Vitamins are cheaper at Costco. You can buy Kirkland Signature brand multivitamins in bulk at Costco for a fraction of the price you can get at other stores. However, the availability of other major supplements brands may vary.
Costco usually stocks other major supplement brands, such as Nature Made. However, the availability of other brands may vary based on location.
How Do Costco Vitamins Compare to Other Big Brands Like Nature Made?
The main difference between Costco vitamins and other brands is the cost. Many supplements are cheaper at Costco than you can find them anywhere else. However, there are more important differences between different vitamin supplement brands.
Costco vitamins compare to other big brands in the following ways:
- USP certified
- Good diversity of nutrients
- Gelatin is often included (non-vegan)
- Most contain synthetic nutrients
This makes Costco vitamins a good cheap option for basic supplements. However, if you have more specific vitamin needs, it may be better for you to go with another brand, such as Nature Made.
Conclusion…
Vitamin supplements are a diverse and sometimes saturated market populated by many products with varying levels of quality. Costco markets their supplements under the Kirkland Signature brand, which is certified by the USP for quality standards.
While Costco vitamins are cheaper and useful for basic vitamin needs, the presence of many synthetic vitamins indicates that some of the nutritional value of Costco supplements may not be as good as those found in whole foods or other supplement brands.
If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to ask away in the comments section.