"Updated review:
I have been doing a bunch of research on supplements and vitamin suppliers trying to figure out where to buy besides Amazon because of the issue I wrote about below. After having a really hard time and finding lots of conflicting messages, I had my son bring me the vital-zymes bottle that I still hadn't thrown away. I wanted to smell it again and see how bad it smelled now. I was surprised that it did not hit me in the face like it did the other night, and while I did not love the smell, I also don't like licorice which is one of the ingredients. It did not smell rancid to me like the whiff did the other night and I decided to try one myself. It did not taste like something gone bad. It wasn't a dessert to me or anything, but it wasn't bad. I still don't know whether this is directly from klair-labs, if it does everything it's supposed to do, and if it's all on the up and up, but I believe that whiff was just especially strong to me that night for some reason and combined with my son's complaints, the doctor's warnings about Amazon (which I'm not sure if I wholeheartedly agree with now), and the 1-star reviews, I think I made an unfair assessment the other day. I have noticed an increase in my son's occurrences of reflux since he discontinued use, and it may be exactly what it's supposed to be. I wanted to just delete my review until I felt I knew what to say, but I can't find a way to do that and I didn't want to leave it at 1 star because I don't think that's fair either.

Original Review:
Not a vital-zymes issue but an issue with this seller on Amazon and Amazon itself in this situation.

I wish I had not bought these and wish I had paid more attention when my son complained about the taste. We bought our first bottle through a Dr's office and he went through that bottle just fine and actually sort of enjoyed the taste. They did not have a strong smell. Then, trying to save us some money, I bought what is marketed as the exact same thing here on Amazon on 6/27/22. When our son complained about the taste, my husband and I smelled them and thought they smelled kind of fruity and knew our son didn't particularly like the flavor of Papaya either, so we decided perhaps this bottle was more fresh than his first (wishful thinking), and that the enzymes of some fruits might just not taste that good. I later was told by our Dr's office to try to find our vitamins and supplements from a more reliable source than Amazon because they can sell name brand stuff from unauthorized sellers. I figured we could finish the various things we'd already bought and do that next time. I opened my son's vital-zymes bottle today (the one we bought through Amazon) and it smelled so strong and rancid. I got on Amazon to initiate a return and our return window closed less than a week ago. I read other 1 star reviews and saw other reviews that help to verify what our Dr told us-we should find a better way to buy vitamins and supplements. One reviewer in particular said that they spoke directly with klair-labs and learned that this Amazon seller is not an authorized seller for them. Another reviewer said that they ran a test between this bottle's contents and the contents of a vital-zymes bottle bought from another source and the test did not recognize them as the same substance. I am really disappointed, but of course our son can not finish the last 2/3 of his bottle now, and so far I don't see a way around this "return window has closed" issue."

"I purchased these for my son who is having digestive issues. I wanted to do my own research and keeping a journal for foods before taking him to the doctor. In the time that he has been taking the enzymes his stool has become much more "normal". This may be too much info...
However, my son had soft stools that were sticky and sometimes he would have a small accident due to loose stools. I began researching which enzymes are necessary for proper digestion after discussing my son's issues with a friend. She mentioned that one of her customers had told her about the same type of digestive issue (sticky stools)and it was because she wasn't breaking down fats in her food. We thought it was food but could not figure out from our journal what the culprit was. I found a website that had a list of the top 10 enzymes needed for digestion and this product from Klaire labs is excellent in that area. It has EVERY single enzyme recommended for proper functioning of the bowels and then some. I am so glad I found this product reviewed on the autism boards when researching enzymes for my son.

I am not sure if this is relevant, as I have seen many reviews for this product pertaining to autism, but my son had a regression at 18 months from a combination vaccine. We did a lot of changes to diet, homeopathy, therapy, aminos, probiotics and lots of love and he is now a recovered "normal" 8 year old. However, I think that some of the challenges we had (during the 2 years of helping him recover) are returning and behavior issues have creeped back up (overly sensitive, crying due to not adapting or accepting situations). I am fairly certain it is due to his gut. I do not think we have been using the enzymes long enough to see a change in the behavior but I know that they are working for his digestion of foods such as sugars and fats. I would be curious to know if others have seen behaviors improve using the enzymes and will update my review if I have any results to report.

My son does not swallow pills, (and at times has issues with textures) and this product is excellent for him. The taste is great and he has no issues taking them. I also think that with the product being a chewable it is more readily available to the gut to start the process of digesting without having to break down a capsule to get the enzymes out.

We did finally go to the doctor to discuss his behavior, digestion and other issues with his health and he did tests. The doctor has recommended that we continue to give him these enzymes and probiotics. We are still awaiting results from the doctors tests to determine if there is something else causing his digestion issues (parasites, yeast, foods etc...). In the meantime, he is doing amazing with these enzymes. There are no more worries over the consistency of his movements or having accidents. AND....On an even more positive note:

I started taking them for my IBS (C) and it has done wonders for me as well. Daily bathroom visits are unheard of for me and these have really helped. I am also getting hungrier more often but I think that is because my food is actually being digested and not sitting in my digestive track. I have also noticed that my weight is slowly going down and I think it is because I am finally starting to get my nutrients from my foods. I was using a different brand and not getting the results I wanted. They were also in a pill form. These Klaire digestive enzymes are what I will stick with as long as we continue to need them for our digestive issues.

I highly recommend them for all ages regardless of what you need them for (IBS, constipation, diarrhea, reflux, indigestion etc) I think they will work wonders for you. I wish they were a bit less expensive but, I suppose, you get what you pay for in this instance. It is well worth it to our family to continue to purchase this product. Now I just need to figure out how to afford 2-3 bottles, per month, of this miracle...lol."

"Love the comprehensive mix of enzymes. I really feel they help my body make the most of the food and vitamins I take. I’ve been using these for a few months and they DEFINITELY help cut down on gas and indigestion. I have an unhealthy habit of eating a lot on Sundays and normally I would feel bloated and have bad gas but these make a big difference."