Following the announcement of a proposed 15% global tariff framework, international health and nutrition brands are reassessing strategies for entering the United States market with renewed focus on cost visibility and planning certainty. Over the past year, shifting tariff proposals and evolving trade authorities created hesitation among overseas supplement and wellness manufacturers considering U.S. expansion, making it difficult to model landed costs, structure retail pricing, and commit to long-term distribution agreements.
According to Mitch Gould, Founder and CEO of Nutritional Products International, the shift toward a defined tariff structure is already influencing sentiment among international brands. "Over the past year, I've spoken with dozens of global health and nutrition companies every week," Gould said. "Many either postponed their U.S. launch plans or canceled them altogether because they feared cost-prohibitive tariffs and ongoing uncertainty about what might happen next."
"International brands can adapt to defined cost structures," he continued. "What they cannot operate under is unpredictability. A clearly stated 15% framework provides more clarity than open-ended volatility. For many companies that were on the fence, that clarity matters." The United States remains the world's largest and most opportunity-rich nutrition and wellness market, spanning sports nutrition, functional foods, immune support, and beauty-from-within categories.
However, successful entry requires careful navigation of regulatory compliance, import logistics, warehousing infrastructure, retail relationships, and coordinated promotional strategy. To address those challenges, Nutritional Products International developed its proprietary Evolution of Distribution® platform — a structured, turnkey system designed to streamline international expansion into the U.S. marketplace.
The Evolution of Distribution® model integrates importation and customs coordination, FDA compliance and regulatory guidance, warehousing and fulfillment management, retail sales strategy and account oversight, placement support across major U.S. retail and e-commerce channels, and coordinated marketing and promotional execution. Rather than relying on multiple fragmented service providers, international brands can operate through a centralized framework designed to reduce operational complexity and accelerate time to market.
"When policy clarity improves, expansion discussions accelerate," Gould added. "But structure still matters. Even with defined tariffs, brands need a disciplined pathway into the U.S. market. Infrastructure is what turns confidence into execution." While trade discussions continue to evolve, industry observers suggest that defined tariff parameters provide businesses with a clearer basis for forecasting and decision-making than fluctuating emergency measures.
For international health and nutrition companies evaluating U.S. entry, clarity may prove decisive in determining whether to proceed with expansion plans that were previously stalled by uncertainty. The proposed framework represents a significant development for global brands seeking to access the lucrative U.S. wellness market, potentially unlocking new product availability for American consumers while creating growth opportunities for international manufacturers.
