NOW Foods
Employee-and-family-owned manufacturer that tests its competitors at its own expense and publishes the results.
Status: Approved
- Website
- nowfoods.com
- HQ
- USA
- Manufacturing
- USA
- Ownership type
- Employee-owned
- Parent
- NOW Health Group, Inc.
- Acquired
- 2026-01-07 (ESOP, ~30%)
- Status since
- 2026-08-25
Ownership
ESOP announced 2026-01-07: employees expected to hold ~30%, family and management retaining ~70%. Partial sale, not a full transfer.
Why Approved
Owns its plants with in-house analytical labs, a partial employee-ownership structure that is the only counter-trend found in the category, and no enforcement history located. Runs 24 rounds of independent retail testing since 2017 covering 175 products.
Reversibility
What would change our verdict
ESOP unwound or family stake sold to a strategic or PE buyer. Manufacturing shifted off the named US plants.
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