Quality.  This is the most important but most difficult attribute to ascertain. In a profit driven society where industry can more or less monitor itself, there is much room for inferior product. Last year the New York State attorney general office accused Walmart, Target, GNC and Walgreens of selling dietary supplements that were fraudulent and contaminated (See “What’s in Those Supplements” in the New York Times, February 3, 2015.) In “Herb Plus” brand, for example, pills labeled Ginkgo biloba contained only rice, asparagus, and spruce. Remember that a company who sells to chains such as GNC and Walgreens are more driven by quantity of sales than by quality of product. Reputable companies use third parties to substantiate quality and will provide you with proof of assays upon request. Additionally, they use quality ingredients that may be more expensive. Calcium carbonate may be calcium, but it is little more than ground up sea shells.   

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