Purity-Award
How does it work?
Clean Label Project purchases products at retail, tests them for purity (chemicals of concern including heavy metals, pesticide residues, and plasticizers), and benchmarks the results. If the product is found to be among the top-performing in a given category, it qualifies for the Clean Label Project Purity Award.
Step 1Contact with Clean Label Project
Reach out to Clean Label Project to get a non-disclosure agreement and application materials. We’ll schedule a call to discuss your brand, product portfolio, and current quality assurance and control initiatives. Remember, Clean Label Project awards require benchmarked data. In other words, not all food and consumer product categories may currently qualify.
Step 2Sampling
After the product scope is identified, Clean Label Project will use it’s Consumer Chain of Custody Sampling Process. Clean Label Project simulates the consumer shopping experience, by purchasing samples from local co-ops, national retailers, and brand websites. This independent approach to sampling is meant to mirror the consumer shopping experience and evaluate the true contents of what’s in refrigerators, drawers, and pantries across America.
Step 3Testing
After the products are purchased at retail, Clean Label Project submits the samples to one of it’s ISO-accredited analytical chemistry partner laboratories. The scope of testing for Clean Label Project: Purity Award varies depending on the product category. Testing typically includes heavy metals (Total Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead, and Mercury), over 300 of the most commonly used pesticides, including glyphosate, the active ingredient in Round-up that has been linked to non-Hodgkins lymphoma, and plasticizers (including BPA, BPS, phthalates), and other chemicals of concern. The testing process can take up to 3 weeks.
Step 4Benchmarking
Upon completion of the testing, benchmarking is next. The test results for your product are compared to the test results of product category. If your product’s overall test results are in the top 33% of the category, in addition to other supporting compliance requirements, you qualify for the Clean Label Project Purity Award.
Step 5Ongoing Compliance
Clean Label Project will work with you on the marketing of your award to both consumers and retailers. However, keep in mind, a single test point is not enough to demonstrate ongoing compliance. It’s about making sure that the brand continues to maintain their internal quality assurance and control programs. Clean Label Project will continue to use its consumer chain of custody sampling and testing process to perform unannounced sampling and testing. The expectation is that you maintain the same ingredient quality assurance requirements to maintain these high standards. If a product is found to be non-compliant, adverse action policies are outlined in the applicable Clean Label Project Code of Practice.