Everything you need to know

Part 1. What is Third-Party Testing?

Third-party testing involves independent laboratories evaluating dietary supplements to ensure their quality and safety. Unlike in-house testing, third-party labs have no affiliation with the brand, providing unbiased results. At Tend, we hold our prenatal vitamin to the highest testing standards. We created this product for our own family and fertility journey. We are passionate about delivering the highest quality products to our customers, who trust us for these vital stages of preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum.

Is it required?

Currently, third-party testing is not a regulatory requirement for dietary supplements. While the FDA oversees supplement safety, it does NOT mandate third-party verification of nutrient content. This leaves the responsibility entirely to the individual company.

How is it conducted?

The process typically starts with the supplement company sending samples to accredited labs. These labs then analyze the samples for various parameters, such as the presence of contaminants and the accuracy of nutrient labeling. The results are compiled into detailed reports, which companies can use to substantiate their product claims.

What can be tested?

Third-party labs can test for a range of factors, including:

• Contaminants: Heavy metals, pesticides, and harmful microbes.
• Nutrient Levels: Verification of vitamins, minerals, and other components listed on the label.
• Purity and Potency: Ensuring the supplement is free from impurities and that active ingredients are present at the levels that are claimed.

Part 2. 
Common Problems in Current Third-Party Testing Practices

Most third-party testing in the supplement industry is limited to detecting harmful substances. This includes heavy metals like lead and mercury, pesticides, and microbial contaminants. While this type of testing is crucial for safety, it doesn't necessarily verify the efficacy of the supplement.

Not testing nutrient levels

A significant gap in third-party testing is the verification of nutrient content. Many brands claim third-party testing, but this often only means their products are free from contaminants. They rarely test to confirm that the nutrients listed on their labels are present at the advertised levels. If this sounds surprising and even disappointing to you, you’re not alone. A lack of testing for nutrients in the finished product can lead to consumers unknowingly purchasing supplements that may not deliver the promised benefits, or deliver too much of a specific vitamin.

Lack of Transparency

Due to the lack of regulation and transparency, consumers might mistakenly believe that all third-party tested supplements have verified nutrient levels. This misconception can undermine consumer trust and the overall credibility of the supplement industry.

Part 3. The Gold Standard:
Comprehensive Third-Party Testing to Ensure Nutrient Accuracy

Beyond Safety: Verifying Nutrient Content

Some brands, like Tend, go beyond the basic safety tests. Our prenatal vitamins are unique because we ensure that each batch is tested not only for the absence of harmful substances but also to confirm the presence and levels of the nutrients listed on our labels. This comprehensive testing provides an additional layer of assurance for our customers.

Our Approach to Third-Party Testing

We prioritize transparency and accuracy. Each batch of our synthetic-free, real food-based prenatal vitamins undergoes rigorous testing. This includes:

• Nutrient Verification: Ensuring that vitamins and minerals on the label are in the product.
• Purity, Potency, and Contaminant Testing: Ensuring a lack of impurities and testing for levels of metals, pesticides, and harmful microbes.

Part 4.
OUR RESULTS

We triple-third party test our product, meaning we’re testing for the absence of harmful microbes, the absence of heavy metals and pesticides, and the presence of nutrients at the levels claimed on our packaging. 

Without further ado, here are our results:

Glyphosate and Heavy Metals Screen* 

Tend is uniquely made from 100% real food, and the fruits and vegetables in our nutrient blend are organically-grown. As with anything grown on a farm, consumers are increasingly aware of and concerned with potential levels of pesticides used in modern farming practices. That’s why we test for glyphosates. 

Glyphosates are a class of pesticides that are commonly used in conventional (but not organic) farming. Exposure to pesticides is concerning at all stages of life, particularly in and around pregnancy, and has been shown to increase the risk of birth defects, low birth weight, and miscarriage, among others (CDC). 

Tend has conducted glyphosate screens since we first launched the company in 2021. 

Furthermore, heavy metal screens, or tests for Mercury, Arsenic, Cadmium, and Lead, are also of important to highlight, especially given recent reports of chocolate containing high levels of these compounds such as lead. 

Below, you’ll see that Tend passes the FDA and WHO threshold for these compounds. In fact, in every case, our products contain between 400-800% less than any level of any compound that is deemed concerning by any governing body. 

We’ll be honest here (and a little vulnerable), the reason we perform this extensive testing is because of you, our consumer. And our first consumer was Hannah, our original mom and co-founder of Tend, who still has Tend on the daily, to this very day. We know what it’s like to be on a pregnancy journey – ours was long, winding, disappointing, uncertain, and at times heartbreaking. Testing our product for ourselves helped us feel  empowered – sharing these results with you, our extended Tend family, we hope that you feel empowered, too. 

Microbiological Test Results

To ensure the safety of Tend, we perform testing on all batches of our product for harmful microorganisms such as bacteria, molds, yeasts, and parasites. This testing is done individually by each raw ingredient supplier and manufacturer, as well as on each lot and flavor of our finished Tend product. 

Since pregnancy is a very delicate period, where specific microorganisms can be even more harmful than normal, this testing is crucial to us delivering on our mission to create the most rigorously tested, exceedingly safe prenatal vitamin. 

We are proud to report that, due to the excellent work of our manufacturing facility and our top-tier ingredients, Tend has never had a product fail a microbiology test. Below are real results for one of our flavors, Lemon Berry, tested in 2024. Results for each corresponding flavor are nearly identical, with negative results across the board.

In full transparency, we’re releasing each method’s reference, which details how testing was carried out, according to international standards of food safety. 

Our high quality ingredients, our FDA-audited manufacturing facilities, and our finished product testing simply means safety, and the peace of mind that can bring on top of what is at times an uncertain and overwhelming pregnancy journey is invaluable.

Nutrient Test Results

Most vitamin brands will test for harmful chemicals and microorganisms.

But what if the nutrients it claims on the label aren’t in the actual product? 

This is where our extensive and voluntary nutrient testing comes in. 

Here we share an example of a portion of our nutrient test results from one of our recent batches of Chocolate Sea Salt.

You’ll notice some variation in minerals like copper and iron, since these can fluctuate when sourced from whole foods opposed to synthetic sources. You’ll also notice everything at or just above the expected result – a positive sign that what’s on our label is what you’ll find our product. 

Testing methodologies are also not always perfect, so some degree of error from what was put into the recipe is expected. However, this is why we test each batch, and each flavor, for the same, and particularly the most critical, nutrients, over and over again, as shown below. 

Here you’ll see our most recent testing for folate, one of the most important nutrients in prenatal nutrition.

Again, perfection is impossible, but we’re proud of our results. Testing with rigor and transparency are what matters most to us. If any results were off, misleading, or dangerous, we would hold back our product and not sell it. To reiterate, we (co-founders Hannah and Dr. Behzad) are personally consuming this product every day!

We encourage you to inquire with the brands that make your supplements, and ask them to show you their results. 

In Closing

Our mission at Tend is to create the highest quality, most efficacious (and delicious) products for our customers. Our commitment to third party testing reflects our deep passion for transparency, the highest standards, and truly earning the trust of our community. 

Thank you for being part of our Tend family. Tend was built from our personal fertility struggle when we discovered a huge opportunity to reimagine  what a prenatal vitamin should be: real, whole foods with nothing synthetic, to nourish one of the most important stages of life. 

Please reach out with any questions or feedback at hello@tendprenatal.com.