CONSUMER FAQ's
This section of our FAQs is dedicated to consumers – covering off the most commonly asked questions by people looking to submit the supplements they consume on a regular basis, for a better understanding of their safety and integrity.
Once you select the testing service you’d like to order, and complete the checkout process – you’ll be redirected to a confirmation page that will provide you with an address to ship the product sample to (our lab is based in the US).
You’ll also receive an email confirmation of the address.
It is advisable that you pack your retail-sealed packaging in a suitably-sized box with sufficient padding to avoid damage during transit, then affix the ship label provided at the end of the checkout process.
The minimum sample size we require is 40z (or around 114g) for powder-based supplements, 24 units for capsule/tablet form supplements, and 120ml for liquid-based supplements.
Currently, we only accept sealed retail packs for testing – meaning they have to be new and unopened. So if your pack size is less than the volumes/sizes referenced above, you will need to send us a larger pack size to accommodate our minimum sample requirements.
The typical turnaround time for most tests is 5-7 business days from delivery of the sample, to receiving your results in digital format.
Extensions to this turnaround may be applied in circumstances where testing requirements are extensive (eg our Diamond-level verification package), or where the raw ingredient requires special test requirements.
You will be provided a turnaround expectation on completion of the checkout process (and via your order confirmation email).
During the checkout process, you will see a ‘grouping’ of tests into more comprehensive packages – for example, we group all individual metal and mineral contaminant testing into a fully-comprehensive contaminant test package that identifies and quantifies all potential contaminants – and in these circumstances we offer a volume discount vs purchasing each of these tests individually.
We also apply an additional 5% discount when purchasing more than one test during the same transaction, and a tiered multi-product discount when submitting more than one product for the same tests. Our multi-product discount extends up to an extra 15% off total cost (when submitting 20+ products for testing), with smaller discounts available when submitting more than 5 products for the same tests.
Since we only currently accept sealed packs for testing, no preparation/sterilisation is required when preparing to send your samples to us.
Just simply ensure your product is packaged well, so it doesn’t get damaged in transit.
Whilst GMP is a recognised mark of Good Manufacturing Practice (what the acronym stands-for), it relates more to business practices, staff training/competency and appropriate record-keeping than it does to scientifically testing and quantifying ingredients in the end product.
The source documents outlining GMPs are often written at a high level to allow flexibility in implementation to ensure that the expectations are effective for a broad range of products. And because of GMP’s lack of product or industry specificity, this leaves gaps in the requirements to meet GMP standards vs delivering a fully-verified, thoroughly-tested end product.
So, in summary – GMP is absolutely a positive sign, and should lend confidence to your purchase decisions when it comes to which food supplement brands to choose, but it doesn’t guarantee absolute safety, integrity, and lack of contamination. This requires a far more specific set of tests/verification – which is what our verification mark proves.
BRAND/MANUFACTURER FAQ's
This section of our FAQs relates to queries that are often asked by brands/manufacturers looking to test and attain verification marks for their products.
Yes. In order to continue to display our verification mark on your products and/or marketing materials, you must maintain an active subscription plan (this can be purchased alongside your initial test requirements, and will continue to be charged on an annual basis thereafter).
Alongside the active subscription, you must also commit to re-testing your food supplement(s) for the same tests as required by your level of accreditation. A 50% discount on regular testing fees is offered for annual re-testing purposes.
On average, brands that display our Verified Badge on their product packaging, website, and promotional materials, experience a 7% directly-attributable uplift in sales*
With up to 12% uplift experienced by brands that display our Diamond and Platinum level verification.
*Measured over a 6 month period, across only long-established sales channels (with no extra marketing activity, beyond prior period activity, throughout)
Yes. Our lab holds Chemical Testing accreditation from A2LA in accordance with the recognized International Standard ISO/IEC 17025:2017 for both chemical and biological testing.
Not without your express permission.
If your tests receive positive results, you may opt for them to be included in our publicly available results database (that we share with our subscriber-base), to increase awareness and promotion of your product integrity/quality.
Consumer-submitted samples, on the other hand, will always have results added-to and shared in the results database – regardless of the outcome/results.
If a consumer has submitted one of your products for review within the past 12 months, and the results are positive/passed status – it may be possible for you to avoid initial testing fees and simply purchase a subscription on the basis of the consumer-submitted sample test results, to allow you to begin using our accreditation mark on your products. Or, should you wish to attain a greater level of accreditation than the level that the consumer-submitted test would permit, you can build upon the consumer sample results with further testing, in order to attain the accreditation level you desire.
If your products fail any element of a test for the purposes of accreditation, you will be permitted to submit another sample (from a different production batch), to re-test for the failed aspect. This is performed free-of-charge.
If it passes on re-testing, you will be permitted to use our accreditation mark as normal. If it fails on re-testing, you will not be permitted to use our accreditation mark on your products and/or marketing materials, and any pre-established subscription will be cancelled and refunded in-full.
We use relevant regulatory body advised permitted contaminant, toxin, microbiological, and pesticide levels as a benchmark for a ‘pass’ or a ‘fail’ for accreditation purposes. For core ingredient testing, we use the quantified results against the packaging-specified ingredient/strength to determine a ‘pass’ or a ‘fail’. And for absorption testing, we use industry-established benchmarks for effective dissemination of active ingredients.
Our accreditation mark subscription costs differ according to the scale of your business (turnover-dependent), but range from between £600-5,000 per annum.
Specific pricing tiers for subscriptions, and the testing prices, are all shown transparently during the checkout process, so you can perform accurate costing on attaining an accreditation mark before you commit.