Understanding Clean Label Project Certification

Hiya supplements have officially earned Clean Label Project certification

In the United States, food and supplement safety standards have primarily focused on pathogen control. With recent growing interest in product safety, quality, and purity, many consumer brands are looking for ways to ensure their products meet the highest safety and quality standards. Enter Clean Label Project—a nonprofit certification agency committed to increasing transparency in food and product labeling. Let’s explore Clean Label Project certification, how the certification process works, and Hiya’s dedication to upholding the highest standards of safety, quality, and transparency for every family.

What is Clean Label Project?

The Clean Label Project is committed to empowering consumers with transparency about the content of their products. Although product labels seem informative, they often omit important safety information, particularly regarding contaminants that may pose health and environmental risks. Typically, food safety manufacturing processes are designed to eliminate foodborne pathogenic microorganisms like E. coli and Salmonella. However, these same procedures do not remove or address environmental contaminants, such as pesticide residues, antibiotic residues, and toxic heavy metals.

With growing public concern about product purity and safety, the Clean Label Project works to bring greater transparency and accountability to the food and consumer goods industries by testing for environmental contaminants. Their mission is to equip consumers with the knowledge they need to make informed and confident decisions about products and their health, while also redefining the standards of product safety in the United States.

Understanding the certification process

Here’s how Clean Label Project certifies products:

1. Purchase products: Clean Label Project purchases products directly from retail stores. 

2. Product testing: The products are tested for heavy metals, pesticide residues, plasticizers, and other chemicals.

3. Compare to safety standards: Test results are measured against high-risk chemicals listed under California’s Proposition 65 by the Environmental Health Hazard Assessment Office.

4. Certification: If the product meets the standards, it qualifies for Clean Label Project Certification.

For testing, Clean Label Project submits product samples to ISO-accredited analytical chemistry laboratories, where they are screened for heavy metals, such as arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury), as well as over 300 contaminants, including pesticides, plasticizers (BPA, BPS, phthalates), and other chemicals.

Once testing is complete, Clean Label Project schedules a call with the testing laboratory and the brand to review the results. If the product meets certification standards, Clean Label Project collaborates with the brand on marketing efforts to inform consumers and retailers of their certification status. To maintain certification, Clean Label Project ensures ongoing quality and continued compliance with unannounced sampling and testing.

What makes Clean Label Project stand out

Many agencies, such as USDA Organic and the Non-GMO Project, set high standards for product quality. However, the Clean Label Project goes above and beyond by taking additional measures to ensure purity and safety, including:

• Finished product testing: Conducts unannounced sampling and testing of finished products.

• Benchmarking: Establishes benchmarking criteria based on scientific evidence.

• Pesticide testing: Includes an extensive panel of pesticide testing.

• Glyphosate testing: Mandates testing for glyphosate, the most commonly used pesticide in the United States (also known as Roundup). 

• Heavy metal testing: Requires testing for heavy metals, like arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury.
  Plasticizer testing: Tests for plasticizers such as BPA, BPS, and phthalates. 

• Proof of food safety: Requires proof of compliance with GMP or GFSI-benchmarked food safety standards.

Hiya's commitment to safety, quality, and transparency

At Hiya, we believe that quality supplements go beyond just the nutrients listed on the bottle. Our top priority is ensuring our products are healthy and manufactured with the highest safety standards. We're committed to protecting your family and also setting a new benchmark for the safety of all consumer products. 

Our mission is to make a meaningful difference so you can feel confident about giving our supplements to your child and incorporating them into your daily routine. As parents ourselves, we understand that nothing matters more than the health and safety of your family.