Alkemist Labs Announces Alkemist Assured™
Seal and Next Generation Transparency™ Reports
Two-Tiered Transparency Program Displays Testing Accuracy
to Consumers and B2B Customers
Garden Grove, CA (May 24, 2022) – After seven years of encouraging industry members to share their test results as a demonstration of quality, Alkemist Labs announces a two-tiered program to help ingredient suppliers and finished product companies do just that, with several companies having signed up already. By focusing on botanical and fungal products, Alkemist’s program is unique in the industry spotlighting the quality and emphasizing consumer and supply chain transparency for plant and mushroom testing.
Level One: Next Generation Transparency™ Reports for Consumers
Participating companies display test results and Certificate of Analysis (C of A) reports in Next Generation Transparency™ (NGT) consumer-friendly formatting on their website for either B2B customers or consumers to see, and refresh them at least every six months. These simplified C of A’s are supplied in addition to the more technical versions Alkemist’s testing clients receive, but are easier for people without scientific training to understand. Each company in the program will be listed on the Alkemist website as a Next Generation Transparency™ partner, linked to their website.
Level Two: Alkemist Assured™ Seal
Brands wishing to further demonstrate their quality commitment and assurance may also apply for the use of the Alkemist Assured™ seal on product marketing materials, website, sales materials, etc. In addition to the requirements for the level one NGT program, level two requires that participant companies utilize Alkemist identity, potency, and contaminant testing services for raw material and blended ingredient quality. A minimum one-year commitment is required for each product in the program to be permitted to use the Alkemist Assured™ seal.
“Transparency is the vehicle by which trust is communicated*. Accurate testing by a proficient lab is a tried-and-true demonstration of label accuracy and quality, so it has always made sense to me that testing reports be shared with consumers,” said Elan Sudberg, CEO of Alkemist Labs. “It’s gratifying to see the industry embrace this vision, and it is the right thing to do for the people who take our industry’s products.”
True Grace was the first brand to sign up with their Myco-RenewTM mushroom blend as well as three other single mushroom products. “At True Grace, intention and transparency are at the core of everything we do,” said owner and CMO Kristie Hall. “Partnering with Alkemist Labs, an accredited third-party, ensures the quality and integrity of our mushrooms. Our consumers deserve to know that any mushroom they’re putting in their body has been identified correctly, is uncontaminated, and contains guaranteed levels of active compounds. The Alkemist Assured program does just that.”
“True Grace is starting with their mushroom products and gradually adding others to the program as new lots are produced, in a manageable transition to NGT-level transparency,” explained Petra Erlandson, Alkemist Labs Director of Sales & Marketing. “In fact, most of our clients are rolling out Alkemist Assured in a similar way, rather than waiting to have all products tested under our program.”
The first ingredient supplier to enroll in the Alkemist Assured program is SUANFARMA, a life sciences company specializing in the development, production, and commercialization of ingredients for the pharmaceutical, veterinary, and nutraceutical industries. SUANFARMA will utilize the Alkemist Assured program to highlight their ingredient quality and use the simplified NGT C of A’s for increased supply chain transparency when communicating with less technical supply chain contacts. Doreen Smith, SUANFARMA Quality Manager said “A component of our mission statement at SUANFARMA is to create value for customers by developing and supplying products with the best conditions of quality, service, and price. This new and exciting program with Alkemist Labs is a natural extension of our core ethos.”
The largest Next Generation Transparency participant is New Chapter, which is currently making C of A’s visible to retail customers. “New Chapter is excited to partner with Alkemist Labs on Next Generation Transparency, an exciting initiative aimed at helping customers find products that have identity-assured botanicals through cutting-edge quality testing measures,” said Charlotte Traas, BCMH New Chapter Director of Education and Training. “New Chapter will work diligently to find ways to deliver identity confirmation to our customers through future transparency initiatives currently being introduced by Alkemist Labs. We look forward to growing together with Alkemist Labs in the future and giving our customers, and the industry, the botanical identity assurance everyone deserves.”
Other charter participants include:
Beehive Botanicals for both their beehive derived finished products and raw materials such as royal jelly, bee pollen granules, and propolis concentrate. “Beehive Botanicals is excited to partner with Alkemist labs in the Alkemist Assured Program. This aligns perfectly with our continued mission to supply high quality bee products to our customers. Beehive has always been committed to testing our products for identity, strength, and purity and the Alkemist Assured Program allows us to showcase that commitment. When customers see the Alkemist Assured logo they will know they have chosen the gold standard in bee products” said Rachel Sennet, Quality Control Manager.
Winged Women’s Wellness will launch Alkemist Assured beginning with their Happy Start mood & stress powder. “Transparency in testing has always been something we thought needed improvement from the industry as a whole.” Said Winged co-founder, Jess Mulligan. “It’s very exciting that Alkemist has developed this robust, best-in-class testing program. We are thrilled and proud to be utilizing the Alkemist Assured program and seal.”
Lost Empire Herbs will be enrolling in Alkemist Assured with their most popular pine pollen and tongkat ali products, as well as rolling out NGT consumer reports on their botanical products. “We have been sharing Alkemist reports on our website for years and are excited to simplify and strengthen our consumer transparency with the Alkemist Assured program,” said Zane Christopher, Director of Quality Assurance of Lost Empire Herbs.
Quality of Life Labs is utilizing Alkemist Assured for their AHCC Kinoko PlatinumTM finished product. “We are very excited to become a part of the Alkemist Assured program and to drive additional consumer confidence to our flagship hero products. We plan to use the Next Generation Transparency reports as a key part of our digital marketing collateral to educate consumers on the importance of quality with credible, easy-to-understand reports from a highly reputable independent 3rd party lab,” said Dan Lifton, CEO, Quality of Life Labs.
More details about the program can be found here: https://www.alkemist.com/alkemist-assured/.
*ROI of Trust Transparency, Scott Steinford p.37
About Alkemist Labs
Alkemist Labs is an ISO 17025 accredited contract testing laboratory specializing in plant authentication, botanical ingredient identification, quantitative analytical services and contaminant screening for the Food & Beverage, Nutraceutical and Cosmeceutical industries. Located in a state-of-the-art facility in Garden Grove, California, Alkemist Labs offers clients a wide range of specialty research services to evaluate the identity, purity, and quality of botanical raw materials, dietary ingredients, and finished products. DEA registered 1, 2, 3n, and 4 for over 20 years, Alkemist is also approved to be on California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) list for hemp testing. Alkemist Labs also produces a complete line of Composite Reference Botanicals (CRBs), critical tools for botanical identity verification. Since it was founded in 1997, Alkemist Labs has become the ideal “Partner for Quality” to companies interested in producing high quality natural products requiring independent, third-party analysis, Stability/Shelf-life studies, Certification of Analysis, and cGMP compliance.
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