What we do to Control the Quality of our Products
During production:
Our foods, treats and supplements are made from 100% human food grade ingredients, always. That means they are produced to the exact same standards as the foods you eat – in a plant that actually produces human foods like bakery mixes, right alongside our products. In fact our plant is registered and inspected by the FDA and already conforms to the new HACCP food safety regulations and established GMP’s (Good Manufacturing Practices) that all food production companies will have to conform to soon.
Click here to learn how dehydration works, and what it means for our fresh, raw ingredients!
We require the following from our Suppliers:
- Non-Genetically Engineered certificates for all vegetables and fruits. We never buy genetically engineered produce for our products.
- Organic certification for oats, rye, flaxseed, kelp and coconut.
- Free-range, antibiotic-free certification for our chicken.
- Provision of comprehensive spec sheets and certification to verify that every lot of raw ingredients we buy, has been tested clear of salmonella, E-coli, listeria, as well as testing for contamination with heavy metals (lead, arsenic and mercury), melamine, yeast and mold, & pesticide residues, when appliccable, before it even enters our plant.
Click here to learn about our newest Vendor Pledges.
After Production:
- Our foods undergo comprehensive testing as part of our Quality Control program. Finished products are tested on a routine basis for:
- Bacteria including: salmonella, E-coli, coliform and listeria,
- Yeast and mold,
- Contaminants such as heavy metals & melamine, and
- Verification of pH and proximates (protein, fat, fiber and moisture).
- We also conduct regular random testing to ensure various other nutrient values for vitamins and minerals, are within the correct and guaranteed parameters.
The Honest Kitchen is also an approved member of Green America, which places a high priority on sustainability, green business and fair-trade. As part as our application for membership, documentation on each of our suppliers both domestically and overseas, was supplied by The Honest Kitchen and evaluated by their organization in order to obtain approval for membership of Green America. Businesses such as The Honest Kitchen which bear the green America seal, operate in ways that support workers, communities, and protect the environment.
In addition to all this, humans actually taste every ingredient that goes into our recipes, as part of our product development process. Our president’s young children also like to delve into the R&D room at our headquarters and love to conduct their own taste-tests and palatability trials. This is truly a family business!
