A Chinese State-Owned Company Is Selling Supplements on U.S. Military Bases.

WHAT HAPPENED: Republican Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-NC) has called for an investigation into General Nutrition Centers (GNC) stores on U.S. military bases, amid claims that products which are supposed to be predominantly U.S.-made use ingredients mostly from China.

WHO WAS INVOLVED: Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-NC), Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary, and GNC representatives.

WHEN & WHERE: The investigation request was made in July 2025, targeting GNC stores on U.S. military bases.

KEY QUOTE: “A Chinese state-owned company with this level of access to U.S. military bases is a direct threat to national security.” – Rep. Pat Harrigan

IMPACT: Harrigan’s push could lead to investigations into GNC’s operations and potentially the removal of their stores from military bases.

Republican Congressman Pat Harrigan (R-NC) is calling on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate where General Nutrition Centers (GNC) sources its supplement ingredients, raising alarms about potential national security risks tied to Chinese supply chains and ownership.

In a letter addressed to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, Harrigan pointed to a significant gap between GNC’s public marketing and what he claims is the reality behind the scenes. “Our analysis reveals that nearly 90 percent of GNC’s private-label ingredients are sourced from China, despite GNC’s public claims that 96 percent of its products are U.S.-made,” Harrigan wrote.

At the heart of his concern is GNC’s 2020 acquisition by Harbin Pharmaceutical Group, a Chinese state-owned company with ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Harrigan argues that such ownership could pose a security threat, particularly since GNC operates stores on U.S. military bases. He’s now pushing for legislation—the Military Installation Retail Security Act—that would ban Chinese-owned retailers from operating on those bases.

“A Chinese state-owned company with this level of access to U.S. military bases is a direct threat to national security,” Harrigan said.

Supporting his case, Harrigan cited a risk assessment conducted by third-party firm Exiger. The report categorized GNC’s ownership risk as “medium-high,” and found that since the 2020 acquisition, GNC had received more than 4,300 ingredient shipments from China, worth roughly $500 million. Harrigan also referenced a $2.25 million penalty the company paid in 2016 for selling supplements containing unapproved ingredients.

The clash between Harrigan and GNC comes amid a related effort to scrutinize farmland acquisitions by Chinese nationals and corporations, particularly those near military installations.

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