Third-Party Dietary Supplement Testing: Why it Matters

third-party dietary supplement testingAll dietary supplements are not created equal, even if they have the same name on the label. Do third parties test the supplements you are taking for purity and safety?

Maybe, or maybe not.

Unfortunately for consumers, third party testing is not mandated. However, companies interested in your health encourage third-party testing and provide this assurance to their consumers.

Why is Third Party Dietary Supplement Testing So Important to Your Health?

Currently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers dietary supplements as a special type of food category. As such, dietary supplements are automatically deemed safe by the FDA and do not require approval prior to being sold to the general public.

Therefore, many supplements are being sold without consistent labeling, review of the actual ingredients being utilized within the product, review of the ingredients’ origins, or general product safety.

According to the FDA, the supplement brand is tasked with ensuring consistency of ingredients and general product safety. Some companies follow strict guidelines for ensuring consumer safety, while others cut corners.

Powder City’s Third Party Testing Review

Powder City is one company that I have come across that uses third-party testing. For each product, they engage a third-party testing company to conduct unbiased, quality reviews of the supplement’s ingredients as well as the effects on the body when ingested.

What is Third Party Testing?

You may be wondering: what goes into third party testing? Third-party dietary supplement testing must be conducted by an organization that is external to both the end-consumer and the underlying organization. The dietary supplement company pays the third-party tester to conduct reviews of its product’s ingredients and overall level of consumer safety. Products that pass certification can advertise as such to consumers.
While third-party testers cannot guarantee a dietary supplement’s ultimate safety, they certainly can provide an accurate assessment of the product’s ingredient purity.

What are Third-Party Testers Looking For?

Third party testers should review whether the manufacturer adheres to good manufacturing practices. It is impossible to test every bottle, capsule or package that is sold to a consumer. Therefore, auditing the company’s manufacturing practices can become important to ascertaining the product’s general purity and safety levels.

Consistent practices will ensure that the product being placed into a consumer’s hands is as it was designed to be. Currently, the only standard available to evaluate dietary supplements was established by the American National Standards Institute. These standards evaluate a product’s label accuracy, presence of microbes or contaminants, and advertising used to target consumers. Third-party testing companies can choose to utilize this standard when evaluating a supplement.

Dietary supplements can provide tremendous benefit to those consumers who include them as part of their health and fitness regimens. However, un-tested products sold direct to consumers may pose threats to their short-term and long-term health.

But What About Price?

Many companies with no third-party testing will offer what looks like a great deal on their products, but are you willing to sacrifice your health for a cheap price tag? Conversely, branded products from retail stores are almost always more expensive, but not for reasons that you might think.

Do not be fooled by the flamboyant packaging and advertising of retail supplements. Just because it has a fancy sounding name, does not make it any more effective or any safer. As is the case with many branded products, you are paying for the name and their marketing costs.

So why buy untested products or expensive retail supplements when you can pay a fraction of the cost and ensure product quality with bulk powders?

Visit the FAQ page for more information on Powder City’s third party testing and to find out how to receive a Certificate of Analysis (COA) for any supplement you wish to order.