Chinese-owned GNC stores operating on US military bases spark national security concerns

While much of Congress focuses on banning China from buying land near U.S. military bases, freshman Rep. Pat Harrigan, R-N.C., says the Chinese Communist Party already has a direct presence on those installations – through national nutrition chain GNC.

A bill released by Harrigan this week, the Military Installation Retail Security Act of 2025, would ban any companies of Chinese, North Korean, Iranian or Russian ownership from operating on military bases. 

“This is actually a situation where the CCP is operating on our military bases. It’s even crazier [than foreign land purchases],” Harrigan told Fox News Digital. 

In June 2020, vitamin retailer GNC filed for bankruptcy and was wholly acquired by Harbin Pharmaceuticals, a partially state-owned enterprise in China. Harbin had previously acquired a 40% stake in GNC in 2018.

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In 2019, GNC agreed to integrate its manufacturing with International Vitamin Corporation (IVC), which has a consortium of Chinese investors. 

The company, founded in Pittsburgh, had already been operating on U.S. bases for years at the time of its sale, and its potential to help with Chinese surveillance on military bases was overlooked.

Now, some 85 GNC stores operate on U.S. military bases. They operate under what are known as “long term concessions” contracts, meaning they are operated, staffed and supplied by GNC.

“This is a really ripe target for intelligence gathering,” said Harrigan. “This is no joke about defending the integrity of our military, making sure that foreign adversaries who are actively seeking to undermine us don’t have the opportunity to do that from within our military bases.” 

“You know who these people are, the customers you’ve got, their purchasing habits. You have access to sensitive health information based on the type of products that they’re purchasing,” he said. 

The store could identify individuals with vulnerabilities by tracking frequent purchases of testosterone, sleep aids, or anxiety supplements, Harrigan said. It could also monitor deployment cycles based on changes in buying patterns, he added.

Harrigan warned that GNC’s access could even allow adversaries to introduce banned or harmful substances – or counterfeit products – to degrade military readiness.

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The store also poses potential cyber risks, Harrigan said, noting that in-store WiFi and mobile data tracking could reveal troop geolocations. Loyalty apps and promotional materials, he warned, could be used to embed malicious links or software.

“Our systems are independently monitored and meet strict federal standards, partaking in multiple audits throughout the year,” a GNC spokesperson told Fox News Digital. 

“We love our military customers. Their wellbeing, whether it’s their personal health or the safety of their information, will always come first. We’re honored to be part of their communities and will continue to safeguard their information just like we do all our customers.”

Lawmakers have introduced dozens of bills aimed at blocking China from buying U.S. land near sensitive military sites – a movement that gained urgency after Chinese food producer Fufeng Group purchased 370 acres near a North Dakota Air Force base in 2022.

China owned around 350,000 acres of farmland across 27 states as of last year, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

GNC Holdings appeared on the System for Award Management – the federal registry for government contractors – in 2023 and 2024, despite not being required to register due to its long-term concessions contract.

The company did not disclose its Chinese ownership on the website, and let its registration expire in October 2024. 

As a U.S. senator from Florida, Secretary of State Marco Rubio raised alarms in 2020 over GNC’s sale to Harbin, warning that customers’ personal data could be handed over to the Chinese Communist Party. He urged the Treasury Department to launch a national security review.

Despite those concerns, Bankruptcy Judge Karen Owens approved the $770 million sale. Since then, GNC has capitalized on renewed interest in health and wellness to grow its footprint to more than 4,000 stores in the U.S. and 2,000 internationally, according to the company’s website.