Where to Get Vitamins and Supplements In Shanghai

Here are some reliable sources for all your vitamin needs in Shanghai.

Whether it’s a result of the weather extremes, air quality, busy schedules, constant cold and flu viruses being passed around due to high population density or too-frequent partying and late nights, many expats in Shanghai find that their bodies and minds function better when taking vitamins and/or supplements. But where can you find your favorite Western-brand vitamins and health supplements in Shanghai?

Local Retailers

Actually, vitamin and mineral supplements are available nearly everywhere, including in many local pharmacies and convenience stores, as well as foreign-based supermarket and department store chains. After all, these supplements are popular with local Chinese and foreigners alike.

Most of these outlets sell the basics such as vitamin C, calcium, fish oil and multivitamins such as Centrum’s line of products, though the key is to be aware of the sell-by and use-by dates that should be printed on the bottles. Furthermore, some vitamins and supplements, usually in gel-caplet or liquid form, are sensitive to temperature and ultraviolet light, so improper storage can be an issue. A good rule of thumb when buying vitamins and supplement in China is if there is no date printed on the bottle, if the packaging looks like it has been abused or neglected, or if it seems in anyway to be fake don’t waste your money.

For specialty supplements beyond just basic vitamins and minerals, GNC, World Health Store and BBA Supplements will have the widest selections, ranging from multivitamins to prenatal supplements as well as protein powders and immune system boosters and much, much more. Prices are not cheap, and selection is likely not as complete as you would find in a Western country, but they will usually have what you need.

World Health Store has two locations, one in Pudong and one in Puxi. With five outlets in Shanghai, Metro also offers an online locator to help find a shop near you. (Use Google Chrome to translate if you don’t can’t Chinese characters). City Shop is known as the “expat grocery store” and most of their five locations have vitamins and some basic supplements. All over China you will find hundreds of Watson’s outlets, and there’s likely to be one in your neighborhood, too. Manning’s is rapidly expanding into Mainland China from Hong Kong and now has several shops in Shanghai. Carrefour has several locations in and around Shanghai and most stores have a kiosk specifically dedicated to GNC products and often offers other foreign brands of health extracts, too. Located inside the Super Brand Mall in the Lujiazui area of Pudong, Lotus’s flagship supermarket has a wide selection of vitamins and minerals both inside the store and periodically on display in the food court. Most local western-style pharmacies will stock basic vitamins, though a translator or basic Chinese language skills are a must.

Online Sources

As with everything in Shanghai, from fast food to printer paper, your vitamins and supplements can be ordered online and delivered right to your door. Here are some of the most reliable online options:

• World Health Store will ship any item they stock to anywhere in China within a few days.

• BBA Supplements is located in Shanghai and ships nationwide.

• Taobao now permits brands to create their own online stores, which makes finding all their available products much easier (and safer, see below). Just search the brand or product you are looking for, but be aware that setting up a Taobao account requires help from someone with fluent Chinese capability.

• Amazon.cn, the Mainland version of Amazon.com, has a lot of vitamins and supplements available at very good prices, though purchasing items through their worldwide sales network is not yet offered.

Fake Goods – China’s Victimless Crime?

Fake watches, wallets, bags, shoes, t-shirts, electronics, software and similar items don’t pose much of a health risk for most people, though the manufactures of the real items seem to stay pretty upset at the lost profit and the “cheapening of their brand” that China’s widely available knockoffs present.

The same innocence does not hold true when it comes to things you put in your body, however. Reports of fake baby formula powder, pre-packaged milk and dairy products, prescription drugs, alcohol and spirits and even chicken eggs have been making international headlines over the past few years, and vitamins and supplements are not immune to the scammers either. Any product that can be replicated in look and feel for less cost than the genuine article, and then sold at or below the real item’s market value is prime territory for fake makers in China.

By and large, most fake vitamins, supplements, and food stuffs sold in China are basically harmless aside from the fact that they have no nutrient value since they are mostly just binding agents and inert organic material which simply pass through the body undigested, thus a waste of time and money. In other cases, however, some fake supplements have been found to contain chemicals and compounds that are not only harmful but even deadly.

Unfortunately for consumers, fakes can be very hard to distinguish from the real thing, so buyer beware. Price is often a good indicator, so if something seems too cheap to be real, it probably isn’t. This is especially true of products purchased online which can’t be seen before purchasing. So, the best way to be sure that you are getting genuine vitamins and supplements in Shanghai is to purchase them from a reputable dealer.

And If All Else Fails…

A lot of seasoned expats choose to forgo buying their vitamins and health or fitness supplements from within China simply to avoid the risk of fakes or expired goods, and because the identical product can often be found in their home country for much cheaper. As a result, many prefer stocking up with a decent supply when visiting home, or having a friend bring them over when they visit China, thus only needing to buy locally when supplement supply is critically low.

Found this article useful? Like and share!