17/06/2026
There's a lot I could say about this.... but I'm going to keep it shortish:
(Link in comments, the one below takes you to a chat with me for some reason!)
1 - Most importantly, heads-up: if your child has been taking these products, and is having hives and strange allergy-type reactions, please beware it may be this product (The Good Vitamin Co kids gummies, several batches).
2 - There are many, many OTC products that make all sorts of claims about how they're going to improve your health, and many parents use them as a 'just in case' type product. My advice is always to ditch the kids multis, as most of them are unnecessary and full of j***y additives, and especially ditch the gummies. There have been far too many recalls on gummy supplements in recent years due to dosing issues inherent in that form of product, and the majority just aren't worth it. Not just this product, but many others.
3 - If you feel your child needs a supplement, please reach out to a naturopath or other health professional and go over it first. Clinical picture is super important, and not every child needs supplements - certainly not synthetic ones with cheap fillers and cheap forms of 'nutrients'. We might not have the prettiest marketing or biggest budget, but we are here to help.
4 - Take that money, spend it on good, organic, fresh, local whole foods. And focus on diet, because nutrition is absolutely key to everything. Lots of vegetables (the more variety the better), fruit, nuts and seeds, eggs, legumes, dairy if tolerated, meat, olive oil... you cannot out-supplement a poor diet, so make that your focus if you feel your kids are needing support. What goes into their mouths daily is by far the most important thing. Most kids shouldn't need supplementing, and if they do, again... see a professional for guidance.
5 - If you are going to supplement, look for GMP certification (ideally but not always pharmaceutical), which means the manufacturer goes through proper and regular auditing, batch testing, uses a proper manufacturing facility, and other proper manufacturing standards are upheld, which is a lot safer than a company who are only certified to basic low-risk food safety standards.
Stories like this make me so upset - so many families going through so much trouble and heartache, and so many kids with lives put at risk, and it's just so needless. I really hope everyone affected is ok... and that they don't take this as blame, because it is not their fault.
The bottom line is that we should be able to ingest things made for kids without fear of them reacting like this, no matter how 'good' or 'bad' for us they may be... but especially when they're meant to be 'good'!
Sending love to all affected. As a Mum of young ones myself, I can't begin to imagine how scary it must be and how angry you must feel.
A Christchurch mother says her family spent weeks trying to work out why her young son was breaking out in...
