Labels and certificates
What each word in the Labels row of a product page means.
We read these words off each product’s photographs by OCR. We did not test any product, and we do not check any claim.
- A label claim is a phrase the manufacturer printed, such as “Gluten free”.
- A certificate is an organization the photograph names. It is not a document we hold, and it is not an endorsement.
- A word that is missing means the photograph did not say it. It does not mean the product fails it.
Label claims (35)
Diet and allergens
Gluten free
The label says the product is gluten free. Under the FDA rule, a food labeled gluten free must contain less than 20 parts per million (ppm) of gluten.
FDA rule: 21 CFR 101.91GFCO certified
The label carries the mark of the Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO). GFCO requires the ingredients and the finished product to test below 10 ppm of gluten, which is stricter than the FDA limit of 20 ppm.
GFCOWheat free
The label says the product contains no wheat. This is not the same as gluten free: barley and rye also contain gluten. Wheat is one of the nine major food allergens a US label must declare.
FDA: the nine major food allergensDairy free
The label says the product contains no milk or ingredients made from milk. The FDA does not define "dairy free" or any other "free of" claim except gluten free; the claim must only be truthful.
FDA on dairy-free claimsSoy free
The label says the product contains no soy. Soy is one of the nine major food allergens a US label must declare.
FDA: the nine major food allergensNut free
The label says the product contains no nuts. Tree nuts and peanuts are two different major food allergens, and the phrase does not always say which it covers.
FDA: the nine major food allergensEgg free
The label says the product contains no egg. Egg is one of the nine major food allergens a US label must declare.
FDA: the nine major food allergensShellfish free
The label says the product contains no shellfish, such as shrimp, crab or lobster. Crustacean shellfish is one of the nine major food allergens a US label must declare.
FDA: the nine major food allergensSesame free
The label says the product contains no sesame. Sesame became the ninth major food allergen a US label must declare on 1 January 2023.
FDA: the nine major food allergensVegan
The label says the product contains no ingredients from animals. Many capsules are made of gelatin, which comes from animals, so a vegan product uses a shell made from plants, such as cellulose. FDA regulations do not define "vegan".
FDA draft guidance, January 2025Vegetarian
The label says the product contains no meat or fish. It may still contain milk, egg or honey. A gelatin capsule is not vegetarian. FDA regulations do not define "vegetarian".
FDA draft guidance, January 2025Kosher
The label says the product meets Jewish dietary law. A kosher agency's symbol on the label, such as OU, Star-K or KOF-K, names who certified it. Those agencies are listed under Certificates below.
Halal
The label says the product meets Islamic dietary law. A halal agency's symbol on the label, such as IFANCA, names who certified it.
Sugar free
The label says the product is sugar free. Under the FDA rule, this means less than 0.5 g of sugars per serving.
FDA rule: 21 CFR 101.60(c)Sodium free
The label says the product is sodium free. Under the FDA rule, this means less than 5 mg of sodium per serving.
FDA rule: 21 CFR 101.61Alcohol free
The label says the product contains no alcohol. This matters most for liquid extracts and tinctures, which are often made with alcohol.
Quality and testing
GMP facility
The label says the product was made in a facility that follows Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP). In the US, every company that makes, packs, labels or holds a supplement must follow the FDA's GMP rule, so the phrase alone states the legal minimum. A named auditor, such as NSF, NPA or USP, says more.
FDA rule: 21 CFR part 111Third-party tested
The label says a company other than the maker tested the product. The phrase alone does not say who tested it, what they tested for, or what they found. A named certificate says more.
Lab tested
The label says the product was tested in a laboratory. It does not say which laboratory, what was tested, or against which limit.
Heavy metal tested
The label says the product was tested for heavy metals, such as lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury. It does not say which limits were used or what the results were.
NSF certified
The label carries an NSF certification mark. NSF certifies that what the label lists is in the bottle, with no unsafe contaminants or undeclared ingredients. "NSF Certified for Sport" adds testing for substances banned in sport.
NSFInformed Sport
The label carries the Informed Sport mark. Informed Sport tests every batch of a certified product for substances banned in sport before it is sold.
Informed SportBPA free
The label says the packaging contains no bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical used to make some plastics. The claim is about the container, not the contents.
Ingredients
Non-GMO
The label says the product is made without genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The phrase alone does not name who checked. Compare Non-GMO Project Verified. The FDA does not define "non-GMO".
FDA guidance on GE food labelingNon-GMO Project Verified
The label carries the Non-GMO Project Verified mark. It means an outside reviewer checked the product against the Non-GMO Project Standard for avoiding GMOs. The Non-GMO Project itself says this is not a "GMO free" claim.
Non-GMO ProjectUSDA Organic
The label carries the USDA Organic seal. A product labeled organic must contain at least 95% organic ingredients by weight, not counting water and salt, and be certified by an organic certifier.
USDA rule: 7 CFR 205.301No artificial colors
The label says the product contains no artificial colors.
No artificial flavors
The label says the product contains no artificial flavors.
No artificial sweeteners
The label says the product contains no artificial sweeteners, such as sucralose, aspartame or acesulfame potassium.
No preservatives
The label says the product contains no preservatives.
No high-fructose corn syrup
The label says the product contains no high-fructose corn syrup, a sweetener made from corn starch.
No additives
The label says the product contains no additives. The phrase has no fixed meaning, and most capsules and tablets need some inactive ingredients. The Other ingredients list on the product page shows what is in it.
Filler free
The label says the product contains no fillers: inactive ingredients that add bulk to a capsule or tablet, such as cellulose or rice flour. The Other ingredients list on the product page shows what is in it.
Origin
Made in the USA
The label says the product is made in the USA. Under the FTC rule, this means final processing and all significant processing happen in the USA, and all or virtually all ingredients are made and sourced there.
FTC rule: 16 CFR part 323Bottled in the USA
The label says the product was bottled or packed in the USA. It does not say where the ingredients come from or where the product was made.
Certificates (40)
The organizations a product’s photographs name. Each link goes to the organization’s own website.
A2LA
American Association for Laboratory Accreditation
A US non-profit that accredits testing laboratories and certification bodies. It does not test products. Its name on a label means the lab or certifier that did the work was accredited by A2LA.
a2la.orgAlkemist
Alkemist Labs
A testing laboratory in Garden Grove, California, that tests plants and mushrooms: identity, potency and contaminants. It runs the Alkemist Assured certification seal.
alkemist.comANAB
ANSI National Accreditation Board
An accreditation body owned by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). It accredits laboratories and certification bodies. Its name means the lab or certifier was assessed, not the product.
anab.ansi.orgBRC
BRCGS
Publishes food safety standards that factories are audited against. On a label, BRC usually means the factory holds a BRCGS certificate. We read "BRC" as BRCGS; the label does not spell it out.
brcgs.comBSCG
Banned Substances Control Group
Certifies supplements. Its "Certified Drug Free" program tests finished products for more than 450 banned substances, including the World Anti-Doping Agency list.
bscg.orgBureau Veritas
A large international testing, inspection and certification company. On a label it usually means a lab test or an audit was done by Bureau Veritas.
bureauveritas.comCCOF
California Certified Organic Farmers
A non-profit organic certifier from California. Its mark means CCOF certified the product or its maker as organic.
ccof.orgClean Label Project
Tests products for contaminants that labels do not list, such as heavy metals, pesticides and plasticizers. Its mark means the product passed that testing.
cleanlabelproject.orgConsumerLab
ConsumerLab.com
An independent company that tests supplements and publishes reviews for subscribers. Its "CL Approved Quality" seal means the product met ConsumerLab's standards in a review.
consumerlab.comControl Union
An international testing, inspection and certification company. On a label it usually means a certificate Control Union issued, for example organic.
controlunion.comCovance
A former testing and research company. Its website now leads to Labcorp. Its food and supplement testing business was sold to Eurofins in 2018, so a Covance name on a label usually refers to a test done before or around then.
covance.comEcocert
An international certification body that began with organic farming. On a label it usually means organic certification by Ecocert.
ecocert.comEllipse Analytics
An accredited testing laboratory in Denver that tests food, supplements and pet food for contaminants. It does testing for the Clean Label Project.
ellipseanalytics.comEurofins
Eurofins Scientific
A large international network of testing laboratories for food, medicines and consumer products. On a label it usually means a lab test was done by Eurofins.
eurofins.comGOED
Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3s
A trade association of omega-3 companies. Every member must follow the GOED Monograph, a quality standard for freshness, contaminants and EPA and DHA content. It is membership of an industry group, not a test of one product.
GOED MonographIFANCA
Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America
A non-profit halal certifier. Its Crescent-M symbol means the product is certified halal.
ifanca.orgIFOS
International Fish Oil Standards
A certification for fish oil and omega-3 products, run by Nutrasource, part of SGS. It tests the omega-3 content against the label, contaminants and freshness, and publishes the results.
Nutrasource: IFOSIGEN
IGEN Non-GMO Tested
A non-GMO testing program run by Nutrasource, part of SGS. "Non-GMO Tested" means testing found no GMO material above the program's limits.
Nutrasource: IGENInformed Choice
A program run by LGC that tests supplements for substances banned in sport and checks how and where they are made.
Informed ChoiceInformed Sport
A program run by LGC that tests every batch of a sports supplement for banned substances before it is sold.
Informed SportIntertek
A large international testing, inspection and certification company. On a label it usually means a test or a certificate by Intertek.
intertek.comISURA
A Canadian non-profit that verifies natural health products: identity, contaminants, adulterants, non-GMO status and whether the label is accurate.
isura.caKOF-K
KOF-K Kosher Certification
A kosher certification agency. Its symbol means the product is certified kosher.
kof-k.orgLabdoor
A company that buys supplements from stores, tests them in a laboratory and publishes free rankings. It also runs a certified-brands program.
labdoor.comMerieux
Mérieux NutriSciences
A food safety company that does laboratory testing, audits and certification. On a label it usually means a test or an audit by Mérieux NutriSciences.
merieuxnutrisciences.comMicro Quality Labs
An accredited testing laboratory for supplements and cosmetics, founded in 2003. It became part of Certified Laboratories in December 2020.
Certified LaboratoriesNPA
Natural Products Association
A US trade association of the natural products industry. It runs a GMP certification program, and its "GMP Certified" seal means the maker passed that program's audit.
npanational.orgNSF
A public health standards body. NSF certification of a supplement means what the label lists is in the bottle, with no unsafe contaminants or undeclared ingredients. "Certified for Sport" adds testing for banned substances.
NSFOregon Tilth
A non-profit organic certifier in Corvallis, Oregon. Its mark means Oregon Tilth certified the product as organic.
tilth.orgOrthodox Union
OU Kosher
The kosher certification agency of the Orthodox Union, a non-profit. Its OU symbol means the product is certified kosher.
oukosher.orgPerry Johnson
Perry Johnson Registrars Food Safety
A certification body in Michigan that audits food and supplement makers against food safety standards such as SQF, BRCGS and GMP. On a label it means the factory was audited, not the product.
pjrfsi.comQAI
Quality Assurance International
A USDA organic certifier that is now part of NSF. Its name means QAI certified the product as organic.
qai-inc.comSCS Global
SCS Global Services
A third-party certification body for claims such as organic, food safety and sustainability.
scsglobalservices.comSGS
A Swiss testing, inspection and certification company. Nutrasource, which runs IFOS and IGEN, is one of its brands.
sgs.comSilliker
A food testing laboratory founded by Dr. John H. Silliker in 1967. It is now part of Mérieux NutriSciences.
Mérieux NutriSciencesSQF
Safe Quality Food Institute
Runs SQF, a food safety and quality certification for factories. On a label it means the factory is SQF certified, not that the product was tested.
sqfi.comStar-K
STAR-K Kosher Certification
A non-profit kosher certification agency in Baltimore. Its STAR-K symbol means the product is certified kosher.
star-k.orgTRU-ID
A Canadian company that offered DNA testing to confirm that the plant or animal species named on a label is the one in the product. Its own website no longer works, so we could not confirm more than this.
FishWise on TRU-IDUSP
United States Pharmacopeia
A standards organization. The USP Verified mark means the maker passed a facility audit and a review of its records, and the product passed laboratory testing against USP standards, with further tests on bottles bought from stores.
USP Dietary Supplements VerificationWFCFO
Where Food Comes From Organic
Most likely the organic certifier Where Food Comes From Organic, which certifies to the USDA organic rules. We matched the letters WFCFO to it from a USDA file name; the label does not spell it out.
wfcforganic.com