subject: Equine Vitamin Supplement, Biotin Horse, Grand Meadows [print this page] My name is Nick HartogMy name is Nick Hartog. I am the president of Grand Meadows. http://www.GrandMeadows.com Grand Meadows manufactures and sells high quality horse supplements made with natural ingredients.
So do you believe that all those supplements can do what they say they can? Or that they even contain what they claim on the labels, that is if you can understand them? If I were to tell you there is little or no governmental regulation in the supplement industry, would you think about it a little bit? Well you should.
Recent evidence of products being tested has been pretty disturbing. In fact, ConsumersLabs.com which has been testing chondroitin sulfate (used to treat osteoarthritis) has yet to find a human pet or equine supplement that matches their label claim. So I want to give you all some good info to offer you a better chance to buy a legitimate product.
You know, it is really a shame that this industry has spawned so many elicit manufacturers because if you buy a product and it does not work, you are probably not going to buy another one. At Grand Meadows, we have always been very passionate about not only our ingredients but our ingredients matching the label claim. In fact, the Florida Department of Agriculture has randomly tested our products nine years in a row and each year our labels have corresponded 100% exactly to the ingredients. Our labels are clear and easy to read and show the exact amount of every ingredient per serving.
My next topic is delivery systems. Prior to five or six years ago, we mostly had pellets and powders. Then someone had the idea of making a liquid supplement because it would supposedly be absorbed quicker. It does not really make much sense since everything liquefies in the horses stomach in 20 minutes anyways.
Now, there is a significant obstacle delivering liquid form vitamins in many nutraceuticals (food-based dietary supplements that provide medical and health benefits).
First of all, when you put your expensive ingredients into the water environment, they immediately start to oxidize and lose their potency. Vitamin C can lose its potency in 24 hours after its bottled. To see for yourself go into drug store, look for liquid supplements. You will find that most of the products, around 95% of them, are tablets and powders in dark brown bottles because that is how you preserve shelf stability and get dosage accuracy.
Another manufacturing process that can cause ingredients to lose their activity level is pelleting which is a heat process. So if you are feeding a pelleted joint supplement to your horse, ask the manufacturer, what they do to preserve the Glucosamine and Vitamin C in the formula?
Now, this is not about painting all the other manufacturers out there as dodgy, it is just about making sure you question the manufacturing process.
There is some positive news in this area and that comes in the form of the NASC. Now, the National Animal Supplement Council was formed in 2002 with the goal of trying to establish manufacturing standards and providing a measure of quality assurance for the animals and their owners.
I am a founding member of NASC and I serve on the board of directors and it has been really exciting seeing the benefits of our efforts really starting to bare fruit.
I believe that many people are skeptical about supplements, deservedly so. But I want to make sure that everybody understands that Grand Meadows has been in the forefront of trying to establish transparency and improve manufacturing standards in this industry. You are paying hard earned money for these products, so the least you should expect is that the product matches the ingredients of the label and that it performs according to the manufacturers claims.
What does any of this mean to you? Well, by earning an NASC seal, we are subjected to a stringent audit by the NASC where they come in to our plant to ensure that we are observing all the quality system requirements. When you look at our Grand Meadows labels, you can see every ingredient is clearly explained and you know what levels you are providing to your horse.
The NASC is now doing random testing of its own members products. By June of 2010, all NASC members will have to be registered with the Food and Drug Administration which will trigger an FDA audit with the FDA coming into our manufacturing plants and that will also enhance legitimacy.
I think the most important thing when deciding which supplement to purchase is for people to be a bit cynical. Pretend you are buying a used car when you are buying a supplement. If a used car cost a lot less than the same cars with the same mileage, you will probably think something is wrong with it. Well, take the same approach to supplements.
All manufacturers have to pay about the same amount of money for the ingredients. So, if the product is a lot less than other competitive products that should be a red flag.
If the product claims dramatic results in a few days, think about that, these are not drugs, supplements take time to work! But unfortunately, lots of manufacturers are aware of the fact that consumers are looking for fast results even though those results may not be real.
So, food for thought, that is probably enough for this piece. I will add some more soon.
If you enjoyed this article, we have videos that we will send to you that explain how to improve your horse's health safely and naturally that we can send to you absolutely free. Just tell us where to email them and we'll send them immediately. A number of the world's top riders are using our products and believe me, they have a lot of choices. If you are interested in trying any of our products, we are offering a discount and free shipping within the Continental United States. If you go to our website or call us, just use the discount code "gmvideo". http://www.GrandMeadows.com.
by: GrandMeadows
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