We know that there’s a lot of thought and trust that goes into purchasing supplements, and that’s not something we take lightly. We pride ourselves on providing high-quality, bioavailable ingredients from trusted suppliers, prioritizing European and North American suppliers when possible. Our ingredients and end-product formulas go through rigorous testing. Our standards are high and we stand behind our quality first values.
How does quality affect bioavailability?
In this industry, the term bioavailability gets used a lot. It refers to the extent and rate at which the active ingredients in a supplement are absorbed and utilized by the body. In simple terms, it’s how much of the substance actually reaches your bloodstream and is available to have an effect.
For example, if you take a vitamin D supplement, the bioavailability indicates how much of that nutrient is absorbed from your digestive system into your bloodstream and can then be used by your body. The higher the bioavailability, the more effectively your body can use the supplement. Factors that can affect bioavailability include the quality of the ingredient, as well as the form.
Some ingredients, like herbs, naturally have a low bioavailability because of their poor lipid solubility or improper molecular size. In these cases, we source special forms and extracts like phytosome to help increase bioavailability.
We also formulate without the use of artificial binders and fillers, as those can also impact how the body absorbs and uses nutrients.
Pro tip: Cost doesn’t always equal quality. While you’ll likely spend more on supplements that are traceable and have trademarked ingredients, but it’s not always the case—it’s important to see where brands source their ingredients from, or lookout for an NSF certification.
Where are VitaminLab supplements manufactured?
Our in-house NSF GMP certified manufacturing facility is based in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Due to the unique nature of our custom supplements, each formula is completely custom and made-to-order. We oversee every step of manufacturing to ensure the highest quality products. We weigh, mix, measure, encapsulate, bottle and ship each individual formula in our in-house lab.
What are GMPs?
Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) are a set of standards developed by the FDA to guarantee that all products are safe, effective and pure. GMP standards ensure that all products are labeled correctly and contain no contaminants.
What is ‘NSF Certified’?
An NSF certification is essentially a seal of approval to give consumers peace of mind. When a lab is NSF Certified, it means that it has been evaluated and certified by NSF International, an independent organization that sets public health and safety standards. This certification ensures that the lab meets rigorous standards for quality, safety, and performance in testing and compliance.
For a lab, NSF certification typically means:
- It follows good manufacturing practices (GMP).
- It passed an NSF auditors review of current SOP’s, quality systems, equipment, training records and more.
- It uses validated methods and equipment.
- It undergoes regular audits and inspections to maintain certification.
- It can provide accurate and reliable results for product testing for dietary supplements.
Essentially, an NSF-certified lab is trusted for independent, high-quality testing and verification that meets industry and regulatory standards.
Becoming NSF certified was important to set us apart as a trustworthy manufacturer. Less than 3% of nutritional supplement manufacturing facilities are audited annually by independent third-party auditing companies (1). Oftentimes many manufacturers do not pass these audits or incur severe violations due to insufficient quality deficiencies. We wanted to remove the uncertainty and show our commitment to quality through this certification.
Benefits of this certification include ensuring that:
- A safer product lands in your hands
- Your supplement is free of contaminants
- Ingredients pass a toxicology review
- What you see listed in your formula is exactly what you get
The best reason to put your trust in NSF certifications? It’s not simply a one-and-done audit, but an ongoing process. Maintaining certification involves regular on-site inspections and re-testing to guarantee that the high bar is always met.
What are the different types of testing we perform?
To ensure the highest quality, we make sure to perform rigorous testing on all ingredients that enter our facility, as well as finished formulas. We do both internal and 3rd party testing, including microbiological testing, physical testing, analytical concentration testing (ex. ICP-MS, HPLC), and identity testing (ex. FT-IR, TLC).
Microbiological Testing
Your first line of defence against disease-causing bacteria and toxins. Helps to detect microorganisms such as specific bacteria, pathogens, yeast, and mold.
Physical Testing
Determining if product characteristics are up to standard (ex. density, solubility, dosage weights).
Analytical Concentration Testing
Analytical concentration testing is used to verify the potency (raw ingredient) or dosages (finished products) of specific compounds. Techniques such as ICP-MS (inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) or HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography) are commonly used. This allows us to quantify the concentration of active ingredients in our raw and finished products. These techniques also enable us to screen for the presence of unwanted components like residual solvents or heavy metals.
Identity Testing
All compounds we receive must pass identification testing before they can be used in manufacturing. Techniques such as FT-IR (fourier transform infrared) spectroscopy or TLC (thin layer chromatography) are typically used for this purpose.
How do we choose our suppliers and source our ingredients?
We select top European, North American and worldwide suppliers to ensure the quality and efficacy of our professional grade ingredients. Some of the suppliers we work with include:
We’re committed to quality. Our primary objective is to deliver a formula that is unique to you, with absolutely nothing else added. Since we do not mass produce formulas, our production process is very unique and we require different, and often complex levels of manufacturing and quality standards, all of which we’ve outlined here. Your formula will always be made to order, without unnecessary fillers or additives. We don’t take shortcuts. If you have any further questions about the quality of our products, our production facility, or our manufacturing process, please do not hesitate to reach out to us with questions!
References
- Kapoor A, Sharfstein J. (2016) Breaking the gridlock: Regulation of dietary supplements in the United States. Drug Test. Analysis, 8:424-430. doi: 10.1002/dta.1892.
