What gets tested in a batch of garlic powder
Four questions sit on the table when a batch of garlic powder goes out for third party testing: is it what the label says, does it contain the claimed mg per serving, does it carry heavy metals, and does it carry microbes. Identity, potency, contaminants and cleanliness. One certificate rarely covers all four, which is why "tested" is the least informative word on a supplement website.
What third party tested supplements actually get checked for
Identity testing asks the blunt question first: is the material in the drum actually aged garlic, or something cheaper that smells similar. It's the question fraud answers with a shrug. Adulteration isn't a conspiracy theory, it's a recurring finding in ingredient supply chains, and DNA or chemical fingerprint methods catch it. Potency testing then asks whether the active marker compounds sit at the level the label promises, because a genuine ingredient can still be a weak one. A typical report pairs a 500 mg label claim with the assay result beside it, and ties both to a batch and an expiry roughly 24 months out.
The other two questions are less glamorous and more important. Results come back in their own units, with potency in mg per serving, metals in ppm and microbe counts in cfu per gram. Heavy metal assays look for lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic, which plants pick up from soil and which no washing removes, and the results are reported in ppm. Microbe testing looks for the usual bacterial suspects and for issues that appear when drying or storage went wrong somewhere between the field and the encapsulation line.
Why the certificate only answers what was asked
A certificate of analysis covers whatever assays were ordered, and nothing else. Ask which were run before assuming anything. A lab report showing clean microbe results says nothing about potency, and a potency result stated in mg says nothing about lead in ppm. Brands know most readers stop at the word "tested", so a one line CoA summary can sit next to a very thin test panel without anyone noticing. You're reading a menu, not a verdict, whenever you open one of these documents.
Verification is voluntary in most of the market, which is why brands differ so much. Nobody forces a company to test identity, and nobody audits the claim on the homepage. That sounds bleak until you use it as a filter: the brands that volunteer for full panels are telling you something about how they run the rest of the operation.
The three questions worth emailing a brand
Which batch was tested, by which lab, and for which of the four things. A good company answers all three in one reply, with a document attached that has a batch number on it. A company that replies with a marketing page has answered a fourth question about itself, and you learned it for the price of one email.
One honest limit: even a clean certificate describes one batch, not the product forever. Ingredients change with harvests and suppliers, so testing matters as a rhythm rather than an event, ideally every batch rather than once every 12 months. A brand that tests every batch can show you recent paperwork, and recency is half the value.
The next time "third party tested" appears on a page, read it as the start of a conversation rather than the end of one. Identity, potency, heavy metals, microbes: four questions, one panel rarely covers them, and the brands that can prove all four have earned the word that everyone else is borrowing.
Frequently asked questions
What does a certificate of analysis cover?Show answerHide answer
Whatever assays were ordered. Ask which were run before assuming anything.
Is testing legally required?Show answerHide answer
Verification is voluntary in most of the market, which is why brands differ so much.
What should I ask a brand?Show answerHide answer
Which batch was tested, by which lab, and for which four things.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
