More and more people are waking up to the need to become educated as to where the food they eat is coming from and what’s in it. I know I see many more people at the store reading product labels and when I visit the local farmer’s market it is more crowded than ever. Since so much of the food we find in the grocery stores is processed for longer shelf life, consumers need to question the nutritional value the foods they are buying contain. Even our produce often comes under scrutiny as we hear stories through the media about food grown that is GMO or grown with toxic fertilizers and pesticides. As we become more educated and informed about our food sources, many more people are turning to diets that include whole foods. When nutrition is lacking from our foods, we also find more and more people turning to whole food supplements to fill in the nutritional gaps. The company we have worked with for over 30 years has proven to us time and time again that they are committed to exploring the latest research and providing the purest and highest quality product when it comes to providing nutritional whole food supplements, thus ensuring they offer the best of both nature and science.
Harvesting Algae
When it comes to algae, there are several types and varieties. Some are grown in artificial environments, but the most nutritious and sustainable algae is the AFA bluegreen algae from Upper Klamath Lake in Oregon. The rich minerals and nutrients that nourish this AFA partly come from the volcanic soil in the Klamath basin and this algae is so sustainable in this environment that if all the algae were harvested at once it would only take a few days to regenerate itself. One of the concerns voiced about wild algae is the risk of other species of algae that are not edible and possibly toxic that may be growing in the same lake being harvested along with the edible form. Rest assured however that there are safety guidelines in place to prevent this through the harvesting process and by avoiding heat in the processing. The company we work with is the largest and oldest AFA harvester with its own in-house laboratory for testing the purity and quality of its algae. In addition to in-house testing, the company also uses independent laboratories to test each batch of algae it harvests including tests for heavy metals, pesticides, extraneous substances, toxicity from other algae forms, bacteria, moisture content, and analysis of pigment to insure the chlorophyll is intact. These tests are done by 2 different independent labs to insure their reliability. Then the Oregon Department of Agriculture regularly tests the company to insure there are no microcystins in the products.
Additionally, this company is a NSF GMP facility. GMP stands for Good Manufacturing Practices and refers to a set of guidelines established to ensure that food, drugs and dietary supplements are safe for people. To be GMP certified a company must follow practices that meet guidelines for the manufacturing and selling of food, drugs, or pharmaceutical products. These guidelines apply to manufacturing and testing to make sure the products are safe, high quality and do not pose health risks. In the United States GMPs for food and drugs are enforced by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). A company that is GMP certified has established a facility that is designed with appropriate current technology and practices to control the design and manufacturing of food and drug products. Part of what is required by GMP regulations is well maintained and calibrated equipment, trained and qualified workers, and systems and processes in place that can be reproduced and shown to be reliable. Dietary supplements have their own specific GMP certification program for products and testing standards that were developed by the NSF (National Sanitation Foundation). This program protects consumers by testing for harmful levels of contaminants and certifying that supplements contain the ingredients listed on the label and nothing else. Dietary supplements that have the GMP certification assure the consumer that every ingredient is thoroughly tested for possible pollutants or contaminants and verified 100% pure.
Certifications
Certification labels are a good way for consumers to know what exactly are in the foods and supplements they are buying. There are official certifications that state guidelines or policies that must be adhered to in order to hold it and that are regulated by a particular agency and then there are labels that are not official certifications, but do meet certain criteria by their definition. A great many of our whole food supplements have official certifications and then there are some additional labels that some of the products meet the requirements for.
Organic
Organic is a certification with standards created by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program and a third party must insure that the USDA criteria is being met. Organic food products are those that have been grown and processed by organic farming methods If you find the USDA Organic label on food products you will know that at least 95% of the ingredients are organically grown. To qualify for this label, a product must be free of synthetic growth hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, and irradiation can’t be used in the production or processing of it. This is true at least for the 95% organic ingredients. The other 5% might have additives or synthetics from a list of approved substances. If your label only says it is made with organic ingredients, but does not have the USDA label, then it may be only 70% organic ingredients and not produced by synthetic methods, but it does not contain enough organic ingredients to qualify for the USDA organic label. Whole food supplements from the company we work with are certified organic by the USDA’s National Organic Program and OCPP/Pro-Cert of Canada is the company that performs annual audits of the processing facilities and continues to certify the entire operation as compliant with the requirements for organic certification. Additionally, the watersheds that feed into Klamath Lake are inspected annually for organic compliance.
Kosher Certified
A Kosher certification is given to a product that has been found to be in accordance with the dietary laws observed by the Jewish faith according to the Torah. The product must pass inspections of its processing facilities and procedures for standards of cleanliness. This certification for meat assures that a shochet used a specifically defined manner in the slaughter of the animal. This food label does not assure that hormones, antibiotics or organic feed was used in raising the animal. Star-K of Baltimore, Maryland, certifies our company’s facilities and products to kosher standards. A representative from Star-K annually inspects the facilities, products, and documentation. Representatives for Star-K also inspect all of the operations of vendors that produce and supply kosher-certified products to the company. You can see the list of products certified Kosher on our website at https://prosperity-abounds.com/product_certifications.html.
Halal
IFANCA (Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America) gives this certification to products that have been found to be in accordance with the dietary laws observed by Muslims according to the Quran. For a product to receive this certification, it must also pass inspection of its facilities and procedures. In the case of meat products, the animal must be slaughtered in a specific way, but it is not specified how the animal was raised and if antibiotics were used or not. You can see the products that have been certified as meeting the standards for halal on our website at https://prosperity-abounds.com/product_certifications.html.
Vegan
People following a vegan diet include no animal products at all in their diets. This could be due to principles related to animal rights or just because they believe it is a healthier way of eating. Quite a few of our whole food supplements are vegan and totally dairy free. You can see which products fall into this category on our website at https://prosperity-abounds.com/product_certifications.html.
Vegetarian
A vegetarian diet consists of grains, pulses, nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruits with, or without, the use of dairy products and eggs. (www.vegsoc.org). This type of diet is not as well defined in general as the vegan diet. Some people refer to themselves as vegetarian if they eat a mostly plant based diet but also include dairy products. Then there are those that include dairy with the exception of eggs. There are also people that fall somewhere in between the definitions by eating mostly vegetarian with or without dairy and eggs and occasionally include fish or poultry in their diets. Some of our whole food supplements fall into the vegetarian category and some do not. Check the list on our website at https://prosperity-abounds.com/product_certifications.html for vegetarian products.
Paleo Friendly
The Paleo Diet consists of whole, unprocessed, nutrient-dense, nourishing foods, and the avoidance of processed and chemical-laden foods. The “Paleo-Friendly” certification, developed and trademarked by The Paleo Foundation Inc., ensures consumers that these products have been rigorously vetted to guarantee that they meet the strict qualifications required for certification as Paleo-Friendly. Products must be grain-free, legume-free, dairy-free, and have no artificial additives or preservatives. You can see which of our whole food supplements carry this certification on our website athttps://prosperity-abounds.com/product_certifications.html.
With all the media attention on food recalls and unsafe foods today, we hope this helps ease your mind as to the safety and high quality of our whole food supplements. If you have specific questions not addressed here about any of our products, we are always happy to answer them. Just shoot us an email at info@staging.prosperity-abounds.com with your questions or concerns and we’ll get back to you. Food safety and quality matter to us and I’m sure to you too, so we want to help put your mind at ease and let you know exactly what you are getting when you choose our supplements.
