GMP, ISO 22000 and HACCP: What Supplement Certifications Actually Mean

Supplement packaging is covered in badges. Some represent genuine, independently audited standards. Others are a graphic someone added in Canva.

Here is what the common ones mean.

This is part of our series on how to choose a supplement.

The ones that mean something

GMP — Good Manufacturing Practice

A framework covering how a facility operates: hygiene, staff training, equipment calibration, documentation, batch records and contamination control.

What it tells you: the manufacturer follows a documented, repeatable process, so what is in one bottle should match the next.

What it does not tell you: anything about whether the formula is well designed or the doses sensible. GMP governs how a product is made, not whether it was worth making.

Treat GMP as a baseline you should expect rather than a distinguishing feature.

ISO 22000

An international food safety management standard, covering the whole supply chain rather than just the factory floor.

Why it carries weight: certification requires audit by an accredited body — Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance and BSI Assurance UK are two you will see named — with periodic reassessment. It is not self-declared.

If a brand cites ISO 22000, they should be able to name the certifying body. If they cannot, ask why.

HACCP — Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points

A preventive system. Rather than testing the finished product and hoping, HACCP identifies the points in production where something could go wrong and monitors them continuously.

Why it matters: finished-product testing only catches problems after they have happened, and only in the batch tested. HACCP is designed to stop them occurring.

Informed Sport and Informed Manufacturer

Run by LGC, an independent laboratory. Products or facilities are tested for substances banned in sport.

Who needs it: anyone drug-tested — professional or amateur competitors, armed forces, some police roles. Contamination in sports supplements is a real and documented problem, and "I did not know" is not a defence in anti-doping.

Everyone else: not essential, but it indicates a manufacturer submitting to external testing they could avoid.

Soil Association Organic

Certified organic status with a traceable licence number — UK organic products carry a code such as GB-ORG-05.

What it tells you: how the raw material was farmed. Genuine and verifiable.

What it does not: organic does not mean more effective, better absorbed or higher dosed. It is an agricultural standard, not a nutritional one.

Halal, Kosher and vegan certifications

Issued by recognised authorities — for example the Universal Halal Authority, or the Vegan Society trademark. Meaningful within their own terms and independently assessed.

Worth noting that vegan status often hinges on the capsule shell rather than the contents: HPMC is plant-based, gelatin is not.

The ones that mean very little

None of these is necessarily dishonest. They simply are not certifications, and should not be read as such.

• "Lab tested" — by whom, for what, how often? Without a named laboratory it is unverifiable.
• "Pharmaceutical grade" — has no legal definition for food supplements. It sounds regulated. It is not.
• "Clinically proven" — proven by which study, on this formulation or on one ingredient in isolation? Almost always the latter.
• "Doctor formulated" — no standard, no register, no verification.
• "Third-party tested" without naming the third party.
• "Award winning" — many industry awards are paid entry.
• Generic quality seals designed in-house to look official.

How to check for yourself

Real certifications are verifiable. That is the whole point of them.

1. Look for a number. Organic codes, certificate numbers, licence references.
2. Look for a named certifying body, not just a standard.
3. Check the company has a quality page setting out its standards in detail.
4. Search the certifier's own register where one is published.
5. Email and ask. A legitimate business will answer. The response — or lack of one — is informative.

What certification cannot tell you

Worth being clear: a fully certified facility can still produce a badly formulated product. Certifications address safety, consistency and traceability. They say nothing about whether the dose is adequate, the ingredient is appropriate, or the price is fair.

They are necessary rather than sufficient. Check the certifications, then still read the label.

You can read the specific standards our own manufacturers hold on our Quality & Safety page.

Next: what supplement companies are legally allowed to claim.

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