Ever wonder what all those symbols on your favorite product mean?
Messaging through symbols is a growing way for brands to quickly connect with customers over shared values. Symbols might be used to convey how something is grown or how the company is addressing environmental and social issues.
Below, we explore what goes into several important certification/designation symbols, and why industry-leading Fungi Perfecti—makers of Host Defense Mushrooms—is committed to the highest standards.
Host Defense Certifications
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Organic / Vegan / Gluten-Free
The most obvious place to start when considering a supplement is verification for safety and quality.
The Certified Organic designation by the USDA, or other reputable third-party certifiers, verifies that ingredients have been grown without synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides, and, as with all organic foods, none of it is grown or handled using genetically modified organisms, which the organic standards expressly prohibit.
This means that any product certified as organic is also non-GMO.
Host Defense products are certified organic by either the USDA or Washington State Department of Agriculture.
In addition to being non-GMO, they are also vegan and gluten-free.
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110% Climate Positive
Many organizations are beginning to make a “carbon neutral” commitment. This means that they minimize their footprint where they can and offset any emissions they can’t eliminate, bringing their total emissions to zero, or carbon neutral.
While this is important work, unfortunately, being carbon neutral is no longer enough to keep pace with climate change.
At Fungi Perfecti, they have committed to being climate positive.
Working with a third-party carbon management solutions provider, they have minimized their overall impact, and offset not only their remaining emissions, but an additional 10% of the combined totals of their scopes 1, 2, and 3 emissions—earning them the designation of 110% Climate Positive.
By purchasing a Host Defense product, you’re helping to offset over 10% more carbon emissions than were released to produce it!
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Certified B Corporation
Certified B Corporations value people over profit. They share in the collective mission of transforming the global economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet.
The process to become a Certified B Corporation requires a strong commitment to transparency.
Fungi Perfecti, makers of Host Defense, became a Certified B Corporation in 2023 and was evaluated using the rigorous B Impact Assessment on a wide range of criteria, from supply chain practices and sustainability efforts, to employee satisfaction and commitment to corporate responsibility.
Identifying and supporting B Corporations is a great way to be part of the solution, helping to create a paradigm shift in business practices that can lead to a more equitable future for all.
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BPI Compostable Certified
The Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) compostable mark indicates the end-of-life opportunity for a compostable product. It is a way for consumers to identify products and packaging that can be safely commercially composted, and to determine that an item can be diverted with food or yard scraps where a program exists.
Years ago, Host Defense set out to create custom crafted material for our singleuse packets that can be commercially composted. In 2024, BPI Certification was achieved after having met the rigorous review process and having met the third-party verification ASTM standard.
By purchasing products with the BPI Compostable symbol, you are helping to reduce the amount of non-compostable, virgin plastics!
