Increasingly, over the past few years, the dietary supplement industry has emphasized quality control and claim substantiation. At times, companies conserve on quality control and can end up with a product that doesn't match the claims and ingredients on the label. Many look to third-party organizations that help solve this problem by objectively certifying supplements for purity, safety, and quality. Non-GMO certification has become an useful tool to address some of these concerns. Keep reading to learn more about consumer demand for third-party tested products and ingredients and learn more about the Non-GMO certification process.
Consumers today are far more educated and discerning in their choice of dietary supplements. For context, one in five of US consumers make a transparent vitamin and supplement brand their first choice, according to a consumer market research study, as they seek transparency and third-party certification to back up their claims. Outlined in the 2021 TTC ITC Insights Consumer Supplement User survey, 31% of consumers consider quality certifications and seals on labels/ website a key driver of trust.
This goes beyond consumers, when healthcare practitioners were surveyed, over half of the dietitians surveyed considered quality certifications and seals displayed as the number one driver of trust.
Needless to say, having third-party certifications back your claims is critical both for consumer consumption and healthcare practitional referral of product. As mentioned, one area that leading dietary supplement brands have leveraged is third-party certifications related to Non-GMO testing. Not only are consumers looking for Non-GMO tested products and ingredients, many retailers require a brand to have third-party certification validating their Non-GMO claims.
Making a Non-GMO claim through traditional supply chain verification is impossible for some ingredients. Certifications by Nutrasource has a streamlined and effective process that assists your product and/or ingredient in acheiving these certifications.
Below we address some of the common questions we receive related to Non-GMO testing and certification.
Q: My dietary supplement contains ingredients that do not have supply chain visibility back to source. is there an option for me to achieve third-party certification and make a non-gmo claim?
Yes. For complicated supplements, such as B12, D3, and collagen, finished product Non-GMO testing exists that will demonstrate that the finished product does not contain specific GMO markers.
Q: How can i get my dietary supplement non-gmo tested to be able to display a third-party certified seal?
A: The IGEN (International Genetically Modified Organism (GMO)) Program verifies label claims about the presence of GMOs in products and ingredients and has certified 150+ products to date.
Products are either certified as “Non-GMO Tested,” certifying that the finished product does not contain any GMO markers, or “Non-GMO Certified,” which traces all ingredients back to source.
Q: Do consumers really care about non-gmo claims?
Yes, so much so that several retailers, such as Whole Foods Market, require brands to display third-party certification as mentioned earlier.
Learn more about non gmo certification
If you are interested in getting your finished product, ingredient or source materials tested and certified through IGEN™, please complete the following contact form and survey.
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