Skin reflects what’s going on internally, so beauty and nutrition go hand in hand. Pop into any of the high street health food shops or chemists, and you’ll see a bewildering array of nutritional supplements, but how do these differ from Advanced Nutrition Programme products?
The ingredients used, the testing procedures and the manufacturing processes vary widely across the industry, which means that product absorbability and efficacy varies too. Paul Naude, our Quality Affairs and Regulatory Manager from Advanced Nutrition Programme explains the concept of the ‘five Ps’ and why your clients should be taking Advanced Nutrition Programme supplements.
PURITY
ANP is on a journey to Clean Label status. Although there is no definitive description of what Clean Label actually means, our understanding is that it relates to traceability of ingredients, the elimination of additives (e.g. capsule colours and artificial preservatives) and ingredients that are easy to recognise and pronounce. Our ingredients are scrupulously checked and screened for contaminants, heavy metals and pathogens and are ethically and sustainably sourced. Not only that, they are non GMO and free from preservatives and artificial colourings.
The way we source our fish oils is a good example of our approach. They are of a very high quality to start with, so they require minimal processing, and we use an environmentally friendly supplier called EPAX, which is GOED certified. GOED is a voluntary organisation which regulates the quality of EPA and DHA fatty acids, they enforce a code of practice, which EPAX adhere to. This means we chose fish oil sources that are sustainable and ethically sourced as well as being exceptionally pure. Several studies have indicated that non GOED certified oils had alarmingly high levels of pollutants, far exceeding industry safety levels*
POTENCY
How do you know that your product is potent? This is an important consideration because not only are you relying on the manufacturer to make it to strict criteria, you are also dependant on the actual raw materials which are grown in various places around the world. How do you know there has been no industrial fall out where the botanicals grow? Or a nuclear meltdown like what happened at Fukushima in Japan after the tsunami?
We ensure the usage of safe, legal and effective dosages that deliver results and are fastidious about where we buy our raw materials from. We are constantly being offered ingredients by various suppliers- most don’t stand up to scrutiny because we go above and beyond to choose what’s effective, clean label, safe and compliant. Recently we were offered a botanical we were already considering using and the supplier said it was wonderful and organic and therefore didn’t need to test it. Needless to say we did test it, and it fell short of our extremely strict criteria.
To guarantee the potency of our supplements, not only do we test them rigorously ourselves we also submit them for completely independent third party testing. This pharmaceutical style approach means they are tested for active ingredients, contaminant levels, heavy metals and microbe levels. It’s carried out in in labs overseas (no animals are involved), and costs us thousands of pounds each time.
PRODUCTION
Part of making a pure and potent product involves ensuring that your production is up to scratch. This is where many companies fall down- they do great advertising, but then they use cheap ingredients, or a suboptimal dose or cut corners during production.
In addition to the stringent testing protocols, all our products are traceable and are made in GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) certified facilities. Our packing plant is registered with the FDA (Food and Drug Administration in the USA) and Health Canada (one of the few in the UK that are) and all our products are made in the UK.
(P)FADS
Our formulas and ingredients are based on science, not fads. We use dosages backed by strong scientific evidence which shows that they are effective. We don’t add nutrients because they are fashionable - but because they are effective.
PACKAGING
It is estimated that 91% of global consumers expect companies to operate responsibly and make efforts to address environmental concerns. Clean label goes hand in hand with being environmentally aware so the paper we use in our packaging (and even in our office) is recycled, FSC certified and printed with non-toxic vegetable inks. We strive to source sustainable raw ingredients, from our fish oils, which are certified by Friends of the Earth, to our botanicals. We even regard our capsules as packaging – they’re vegan, and contain only natural ingredients.
Above and beyond
Manufacturing food supplements is a complex operation; sourcing quality ingredients that meet our stringent criteria is time consuming; using ingredients that are clean label is costly; using packaging that is recyclable is not the norm, but we at ANP believe this is the right thing to do. We don’t do ordinary - but extraordinary. That’s what makes us different from the high street brands, and that’s why your clients should be taking Advanced Nutrition Programme supplements.
*Sources:
- In New Zealand, researchers found that 83% of the products exceeded recommended industry peroxide levels (Albert, 2015).
- A similar study from South Africa reported the number at 80% for their over-the-counter fish oil supplements (Opperman, 2013).
- In Norway, the homeland of fish oil, the results were even worse. A 2009 study demonstrated that over 92% of the products surveyed exceeded recommended industry levels (Laupsa-Borge, 2012).
- A recent Canadian study. This study found that omega-3 products marketed towards children had the highest oxidation values of all (Jackowski, 2015)
ARTICLE courtesy of Paul Naude. Quality Affairs and Regulatory Manager, Advanced Nutrition Programme™