reassurance from NOW Foods

[Guest guest]

A week or so ago, I sent email to NOW Foods, maker of the

brown rice protein I use, asking if they could comment on

the safety of their product in lieu of the recent melamine

scare with gluten, rice, and other protein powders.

 

It seems the form letter has finally been drafted and I'm

not the only one who requested reassurance. Please find

their response below my sig.

 

-Erin

www.zenpawn.com/vegblog

 

 

Hello,

 

Many of you have asked if we check for the contaminant Melamine in our

products and in general about ingredients that come from China. Since

2000, we have been certified to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).

Part

of what this means is that we audit our vendors and test ingredients

according to set specifications to ensure the safety and quality of

our

products. This is a top priority of ours.

 

We have been on top of the pet food / Melamine story since it broke.

Our

wheat gluten is produced in the U.S. from North American wheat. Our

rice

protein does not come from the tainted sources in China. Our products

are not contaminated with Melamine. We have been taking preventative

measures to ensure this. Our ingredients are safe for consumption.

 

Some of you have asked about ingredients from China. We source

ingredients from all over the world; however most of our ingredients

are

grown and processed in the U.S. The most important considerations are

that our ingredients are safe, meet specifications, and are not

adulterated. Although today the focus is on specific ingredients from

China, problems can arise even with U.S. produced ingredients. The

issue

is thus not the country of origin, but the safety, quality and

integrity

of the entire supply. Bad ingredients can and do come from anywhere.

The

only sure solution is to have a strict program in place to test

ingredients before they are used in foods and supplements.

 

At NOW Foods we have in-house state-of-the-art chemical and

microbiology

testing facilities. We are on top of ingredient issues facing our

industry and focus our testing on those issues in addition to the

day-to-day product testing required by our GMP certification. Our

testing is based on USP, AOAC, and other official or published

methods.

We audit our suppliers, which includes visiting facilities where

ingredients are processed to examine the protocols for ensuring safety

and quality. We are founding members of the Natural Products

Association-China, a new organization that is in the process of

setting

up a testing facility in China, so that we can test and certify

ingredients before they are shipped to the U.S.

 

We take our food supply chain seriously and have programs in place to

anticipate and guard against ingredient problems. We have invested

millions of dollars in equipment, capabilities and technical and

professional expertise. We do our best ensure you get the safest

products possible.

 

Sincerely,

NOW Quality, Science, & Nutrition Group