CogniHoney Testing and Quality: What Is and Is Not Verified

Nothing independent that we can show.

FDA says it does not have the authority to approve dietary supplements before sale (FDA 101: Dietary Supplements). NCCIH says what is on the label may not be what is in the product (NCCIH, Using Dietary Supplements Wisely). Both are reasons to ask for third-party testing.

That leaves the buyer with a short list of questions. Does the capsule contain the named ingredients? In what amounts? Is it free of heavy metals and microbes? Does the lot you hold match the lot that was tested? A seller can answer these only with a document, and we have seen none.

A certificate of analysis is a lab report for one lot. A useful one has seven features.

1. A named lab

   The lab's name, address and, ideally, its accreditation. A report with no lab name is a claim.

2. Your lot number

   The lot must match the one on your bottle. A report for another lot proves little about yours.

3. Identity tests

   Evidence that the named plants and nutrients are present, not substituted.

4. Amounts

   The measured amount of each active, in mg or mcg, set against what the label says.

5. Contaminants

   Heavy metals, microbes and, for botanicals, pesticide residues.

6. Method and date

   The test method used and the test date.

7. A signer

   A named analyst or lab director who signed it.

A badge with no certifier is a picture, not proof.

The artwork includes badges reading FDA registered, doctor formulated, GMP certified, non-GMO, gluten free, dairy free and natural. None names who certified it. “FDA registered” would not mean approved, and we do not publish it. If the seller supplies certificates naming a certifier, we will review them.

A badge is a claim by the seller, not a certificate. FDA does not approve supplements before they are sold (FDA 101: Dietary Supplements), and a structure/function claim needs only the maker's own substantiation (FDA, Structure/Function Claims). Look for a named outside program with a number you can check, and check it.

• The Supplement Facts panel with amounts.
• A CoA for your lot, from an independent lab.
• The name of the manufacturer and its location.
• Heavy-metal and microbial results.

Put the request in writing, to the order desk at [email protected], and keep the reply. A seller that holds the documents can send them in a day. If the answer is a promise instead of a file, record that too, and weigh it when you decide.

Quite a lot, in the first five minutes after the box arrives.

• The outer seal: is it intact, and does it carry the brand name?
• The lot and best-before date: are they printed, readable and the same on the bottle and the carton?
• The panel: does it list the eleven names from the sibling-pack list, with amounts?
• The capsules: are they uniform in color and size, with no cracks, leaks or odor?
• The count: does the bottle hold the number printed on it?

Any mismatch is a reason to stop and call the order desk before taking a capsule. FDA lets people report bad reactions and product problems through its MedWatch program (FDA MedWatch).