The flagship astaxanthin ingredient AstaZine Natural Astaxanthin from Algae Health Sciences, Inc. (AlgaeHealth), a subsidiary of BGG, tested 100% Glyphosate-Free to a level of detection ranging from less than 26 to 50 parts per trillionin independent laboratory testing. 
 
Glyphosate is an herbicide trademarked as RoundUp which is commonly used in conventional agriculture. The test was conducted through the Organic & Natural Health Association (O&N) at HRI Labs with equipment specially designed to test to infinitesimal levels of detection. O&N chose HRI Labs because other labs generally can only test to 20 parts per billion. “We’re very happy to have tested non-detected to this extreme level of detection,” said Lixin Ding, PhD, chief operating officer for AlgaeHealth. “And we’re proud to be part of O&N, an organization that is championing the fight for a pure supply chain for the supplement industry.” 
 
Glyphosate is becoming ubiquitous in many countries as farmers increasingly choose to grow genetically modified crops which are designed to be used in conjunction with this herbicide.  Even some organically-grown crops test positive due to drifting of pesticides, use of manures from contaminated cattle, and organic farming in soil that was treated with RoundUp in the past. Unfortunately, levels in the low parts per trillion have shown potential health effects in rodents. “A study in rats showed that Glyphosate levels as low as 50 parts per trillion resulted in liver and kidney damage and indications of fatty liver disease” (Mesnage et al., 2015) said John Fagan, PhD, co-founder and CEO of HRI Labs. “I am concerned that the rapidly increasing incidence of fatty liver disease in Americans may be due to the widespread use of Glyphosate.  In addition, levels of Glyphosate may be an indicator for risk of other contaminants. We encourage all food and supplement manufacturers to have their products tested to the parts per trillion level to ensure that their supply chain is clean and to avoid potential consumer health issues.”