The Supplement Industry's Trust Crisis: A Bold Solution Emerges
The supplement industry is facing a crisis of trust, and it's time for a radical change. SuppCo is taking a stand with a groundbreaking certification program that aims to revolutionize how we verify the active ingredients in dietary supplements. But is this the solution the industry desperately needs?
SuppCo's new initiative, TESTED by SuppCo, is a direct response to the company's own research, which revealed a shocking truth: nearly half of the top-selling supplements on the market fail to live up to their label claims. This discovery, made through testing initiatives, sparked the creation of a certification program to address this widespread issue.
Steve Martocci, SuppCo's co-founder and CEO, expressed his personal motivation for starting the company, stating, "SuppCo is my answer to the frustration of navigating the supplement market." He continues, "TESTED by SuppCo is our way of setting an independent, transparent standard, empowering consumers to trust their purchases and brands to prove their integrity."
But here's where it gets controversial: TESTED by SuppCo has already gained the support of prominent brands like Momentous, Thorne, and Gaia Herbs, but will it be enough to make a real impact? Jordan Glenn, SuppCo's head of science, believes so. He explains that the certification builds upon their previous testing of 44 popular supplements, which also showed alarming accuracy failures.
The program works in tandem with SuppCo's TrustScore feature, which assesses formulation, manufacturing, and transparency practices. And this is the part most people miss: TESTED by SuppCo takes it a step further by purchasing products anonymously, just like a regular consumer, and testing them after normal retail aging. This unique approach closes a critical loophole, ensuring that products can't pass certification with carefully curated samples.
Initial testing focused on creatine, NAD+, urolithin A, and berberine supplements, revealing that 22 products had little to no active ingredients. A startling discovery: brands with the highest serving sizes often masked weak or missing actives.
SuppCo's 2025 testing retrospective highlights systemic failures, stating, "These aren't minor discrepancies; they're signs of quality control breakdowns." The root causes vary, from manufacturing shortcuts to supplier inconsistencies and intentional deception.
TESTED by SuppCo's rigorous process includes independent lab testing, with certification awarded to products meeting or exceeding 95% of their active ingredient claims. All results are publicly available, ensuring consumer awareness. This transparency is a key differentiator, as Jeff Byers, CEO of Momentous, notes, "Transparency is non-negotiable, and brands must prove their quality."
A controversial question arises: Is self-regulation enough? As the supplement industry grapples with increased scrutiny, TESTED by SuppCo offers a unique solution. But will it be widely adopted, and what does this mean for the future of supplement quality and consumer trust?
Like its predecessors, ConsumerLab, NSF International, and the United States Pharmacopeia, SuppCo aims to ensure label accuracy, identity, purity, and quality. However, its approach to testing and certification is distinct, addressing a fundamental structural issue. Will this be the game-changer the industry needs?
