A popular American wellness store could be the next target of Congress as companies with links to Beijing face the wrath of the Republican-controlled U.S. government.
General Nutrition Centers – better known as GNC – is a manufacturer and retailer that sells health, nutrition and fitness related ingestible products like powders, vitamins, supplements, herbs, minerals and energy products.
GNC is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and was initially an American company. But since 2020 it has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Harbin Pharmaceutical Group, which is a pharmaceutical manufacturer owned by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
With this revelation, a North Carolina congressman and former Green Beret told DailyMail.com he is now making it his ‘mission’ to get all GNCs removed from military installations.
Members of Congress are concerned about collection of data whenever a veteran or member of the military purchases something from a GNC on base.
Some lawmakers along with those at President Donald Trump‘s agencies are worried about potential health concerns associated with ingesting anything that comes from Chinese state-owned companies – though they admit there has not been proof of any such tampering or threat so far with GNC products.
And GNC Public Relations Director Nick Sero notes ‘over 96 percent of our GNC branded products are made in the U.S., and no GNC-branded product is manufactured in China.’
He told DailyMail.com that the remaining GNC products that aren’t made in the U.S. are largely produced in the United Kingdom and Canada.
‘None of our GNC-branded products are made in China, and our parent company does not have any influence on our products,’ Sero assured.
Officials with the Department of Health and Human Services and the FBI tell DailyMail.com they are cracking down on any company that has links to the CCP and supplies Americans with food, pharmaceuticals, vitamins, cosmetics and other things that go into or onto bodies.
Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-N.C.) is blowing the whistle on the prevalence of GNC stores on military bases, highlighting its links to the Chinese Communist Party and spearheading the effort to shut them down.
Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-N.C.) wants to kick GNC stores off of U.S. military bases. He is proposing a bill aimed at ensuring stores on installations are vetted for their national security threat level
There are more than 80 GNCs on U.S. military bases – and in 2020 the company became fully owned by a CCP pharmaceutical manufacturer
What started as an investigation into the number of supplements manufactured in China quickly turned much deeper once Harrigan became aware that the entire company is owned by the hostile communist Chinese government.
Sero confirmed the retailer’s presence on military bases and addressed concerns associated with collection of data.
‘We are proud to serve our military customers with integrity, safety, and full transparency,’ he said.
He added in a statement: ‘We are run by a U.S.-based leadership team and are governed by strict U.S. security protocols. Customer data is protected by third-party controls approved by the Department of Defense. We do not share any personal information, PCI data, or security information with our parent company, nor are they accessible.’
‘We remain committed to protecting our customers, following our compliance, and meeting the trust placed in us by the U.S. military community.’
Sero also pushed back on suggestions that any of GNC’s products are compromised.
‘No foreign government has any influence over our sourcing or formulations,’ he insisted. ‘We control our own formulas, ingredient sourcing, and testing. Every product meets rigorous U.S. standards, goes through our industry-leading 150-point checklist, and undergoes independent, third-party quality checks.’
‘Any suggestion that a foreign entity could compromise our supply chain or introduce unsafe ingredients is completely false.’
The Department of Defense did not weigh-in when reached by DailyMail.com about whether it was looking into GNC stores on its military installations.
Revelations of the links between GNC and China come as Trump seeks to decrease supply coming from outside the U.S. by imposing this week sweeping tariffs on nearly every single country – including a whopping 104 percent sanction on all goods from China.
It also comes amid rising concerns in Congress and the federal government over the CCP purchasing swaths of American acreage, specifically of farmland near military installations.
When the more than 80 GNCs were opened on installations in the U.S. they were still an American owned company. But it appears that their acquisition by a CCP company in 2020 flew under the radar in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Chinese-owned retailer is able to sell its supplements more easily directly to members of the military, their families and the veteran community by remaining on dozens of bases.
Harbin Pharmaceutical Group acquired 40 percent of GNC in 2018 and then took total control once the supplement store and manufacturer filed for bankruptcy in 2020.
Harrigan said it is ‘my mission to make sure they [GNCs] are no longer operating on our bases.’
‘I’m not going to let this go,’ the former Green Beret told DailyMail.com. ‘There’s just no way we should allow Chinese Communist Party companies to operate on our bases period.’
Harrigan noted how there are four separate GNC store locations just on Fort Bragg in North Carolina
During a visit to Fort Bragg in his home state this month, Harrigan found there were four GNCs on the base where thousands of special operators are stationed.
The North Carolina congressman unveiled this month the Military Installation Retail Security Act, which is aimed at making sure no CCP or other hostile nations are operating businesses on military installations.
He detailed the widespread support his proposal has already received and the interest of his colleagues to cosponsor the bill.
Harrigan says he is sending a letter to relevant agencies later this week asking for them to investigate the links between GNC and CCP and their ability to operate on U.S. installations. This presumably includes HHS, the FBI and the Department of Justice.
FBI Director Kash Patel has already said he’s keeping an eye on CCP links to U.S. companies.
‘I’m concerned, like many Americans, about the wide-scale purchase of land, real estate, etc. by the Chinese Communist Party or those sanctioned by the party in America,’ Rep. Scott Perry said during the House Intelligence Committee’s confirmation hearing with Patel earlier this year.
‘Director Patel, I think we can all understand that that can lead to the ease of nefarious activity of numerous sorts,’ the Pennsylvania Republican noted. ‘What do you think should be our posture or our policy from a national security standpoint regarding the purchases of these lands and the ownership, occupation, utilization, etc. by Communist Party sanctioned use?’
Patel replied: ‘From the FBI perspective, if we had federal statutes to enact criminal allegations and pursue those relating to these matters, we would do so.’
‘I agree with you that having CCP actors purchasing large swaths of land next to military installations is a national security issue, a major one.’
‘And I would highlight to the American public – we’re not allowed to buy farmland in mainland China or in Russia, so I don’t know why we let that happen here. But that’s a personal matter for me,’ the FBI director continued.
‘If I were given more legislation on it, I would love to act on it.’
In 2018 Harbin Pharmaceutical Group acquired 40% of GNC ownership, and in 2020 became full owners when the company filed for bankruptcy. The Chinese company is a pharmaceutical manufacturer owned by the CCP. Pictured: GNC headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Last week, DailyMail.com revealed how the FBI and HHS are in the process of increasing their focus on stopping the CCP from meddling in American food supply and preventing Beijing from buying U.S. farmland.
‘The FBI is actively monitoring and investigating the growing threat of CCP acquisition of U.S. farmland and interference in our food supply chains,’ Patel advisor Erica Knight told DailyMail.com.
‘With increasing reports of these efforts, protecting our national security and economic resilience remains a top priority.’
HHS is also weighing establishment of an outside advisory board to examine potential national security threats in food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.
And such an ‘insider threat’, some sources tell DailyMail.com, could now include products in GNC stores, Rep. Harrigan claims.
‘If you want to talk about risk – just access, placement and proximity, and GNC has it,’ Harrigan said during an interview this week on his new bill.
‘This just doesn’t even pass the sniff test with respect to how much vulnerability there is potentially,’ he said. ‘And, excuse me, sorry if we don’t trust a company that’s wholly owned by the Chinese Communist Party to do what they say that they’re going to do.’
GNCs are popular among fitness buffs and those whose job it is to stay in shape – like members of the U.S. Military. Most who visit these stores are seeking out protein, pre-workout, BCAAs, creatine, fitness supplies, and other health and wellness supplements.
Harrigan says while the priority is getting GNCs off base, he also realizes there is a need to provide a solution considering the popularity of these products among the military and veteran community.
He says that having American owned stores and brands take their place would be ideal.