We know the supplement industry can feel a little sus these days. So we went looking for the ultimate test to prove our products are as good as we say they are.
That test didn't exist. So we built one.
The 5 Nation Standard is our third-party testing framework that applies safety benchmarks from five of the world's toughest regulatory systems for health products: the United States, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, and Switzerland.
Every Ora product, every batch, is independently tested at ISO 17025-accredited laboratories before it reaches you. We don't just meet one standard. We benchmark against internationally recognized frameworks, set stricter internal limits on top, and publish every result by batch number so you can see the data for yourself.
Unlike prescription drugs, the FDA does not review, approve, or test supplements before they're sold. There are no federal limits for heavy metals in supplements. Most brands test only what the law requires. Some test even less.
We thought that wasn't good enough. So the 5 Nation Standard does what no single certification does: third-party tests every production lot before release, against internationally recognized standards, and makes the results public.
Four principles
The 5 Nation Standard is organized around four principles. Each one represents a commitment we make to every product, every batch.
Inspired by the U.S. (USP, AOAC), Germany (BfR & BVL), Switzerland (Swissmedic, FSVO).
Every batch is third-party tested for contaminants including heavy metals, microbials, and pesticides at ISO-accredited laboratories.
We benchmark to two well-recognized frameworks: USP (the United States Pharmacopeia standard for dietary supplements) and European Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915 (contaminant limits for food supplements).
On top of meeting both, Ora applies a stricter internal release limit for lead of no more than 5 micrograms per day per serving, half the USP adult limit of 10 micrograms per day.
Inspired by the U.S. FDA's requirements and Japan's strict label accuracy policies.
We test every production batch to confirm active ingredient strength matches our label claim. Many brands allow rounding rules or under-formulation. Ora requires 100% label claim throughout shelf life, not just at time of manufacture. We formulate with intentional nutritional overages and justify every expiration date with real stability data.
Inspired by GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) regulations in the U.S. and strict allergen labeling laws in Japan.
All ingredients are either GRAS, self-affirmed GRAS, or approved under New Dietary Ingredient (NDI) pathways. We label major allergens clearly. No banned substances, unnecessary additives, or excipients that don't meet our standards.
Inspired by third-party voluntary programs across all five countries.
We publish batch-specific lab test results for all 5 Nation Standard-verified products.
We partner with leading third-party laboratories and verification providers such as Eurofins, FSNS, QALITEX, and Certified Labs, to name a few.
Our ingredient standards and testing methods are documented and openly shared.
How often we test
Not every test needs to happen every time. The risks that matter most — heavy metals, dangerous pathogens, and whether the active ingredients actually match the label — are verified on every single production lot before it ships.
Broader checks like allergen cross-contamination, pesticide residues, and nutritional accuracy run on a documented annual schedule. Two tiers, one standard: nothing leaves our facility without the data to back it up.
Every lot is third-party tested for lead, cadmium, mercury, and arsenic at ISO-accredited laboratories before release, benchmarked against USP and European Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915. Our internal release limit for lead is aligned with the USP adult limit. If a batch doesn't pass, it doesn't ship.
Plants absorb elements from soil and water, which is why trace levels of metals can be found in everyday plant foods and botanicals, even when grown responsibly. Presence is not the same as contamination. What matters is whether levels are controlled, verified by independent testing, and published. We publish by batch number so you can check for yourself.
Six parameters tested per batch: Total Plate Count, Yeast and Mold, Total Coliforms, E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella. These tests verify clean manufacturing conditions and screen for the specific pathogens most commonly implicated in supplement contamination events.
Every lot is tested to confirm that active ingredient potency matches the label claim. We require 100% label claim throughout shelf life and formulate with intentional overages to ensure consistency from the first serving to the last.
Eight major allergens verified annually: gluten, crustacean, egg, fish, milk, peanut, soy, and sesame. Cross-contamination risk from shared manufacturing environments is real, and undisclosed allergens can cause severe reactions.
Macronutrient, micronutrient, and calorie values verified against label claims. Consumers rely on Supplement Facts panels for dietary decisions. We verify that ours are accurate.
Plant-based ingredients are particularly susceptible to pesticide carry-over from farming. Annual screening covers pesticide residues including glyphosate, adding a second layer of protection beyond our organic sourcing.
Chemical residues can remain from extraction or manufacturing processes. Annual screening ensures levels stay well below established safety thresholds.
• Panax Ginseng under the microscope | Found in Great Minds
For context
The supplement industry has several respected certification programs, each built for a specific purpose. Understanding how they differ helps explain what the 5 Nation Standard adds.
The legal floor
Every supplement sold in the US is legally required to be made in a cGMP-compliant facility. That covers things like equipment maintenance, staff training, and record keeping.
But here's what cGMP doesn't do: it doesn't tell brands which contaminants to test for, it doesn't set thresholds, it doesn't require third-party testing, and compliance is self-certified. The FDA doesn't pre-approve supplements or routinely inspect every facility. For a lot of brands, cGMP is where testing starts and stops.
Better, but not every lot
Some brands go further with programs that review their formulations and run spot-check testing — like Informed Sport, Organic, non-GMO and more.
That's genuinely better than cGMP alone, but the testing isn't always tied to every production lot. A product can be certified based on a sample from months ago.
This is us
Every lot, published
We don't test a sample from a previous run or rely on a facility audit. We test the actual product in the actual lot you're going to receive, at an independent lab, against USP and EU standards, and we publish the full results by batch number. Every time.
Independently verified
The 5 Nation Standard does not exist in isolation. Across our product line, Ora carries third-party certifications that each address a specific need.
via CCOF and QAI
Verifies ingredients and processing meet USDA National Organic Program standards. We source certified organic ingredients whenever possible because, among other requirements, USDA Organic prohibits the use of sewage sludge (biosolids), a potential vector of undesirable contaminants, and requires soil and input practices that minimize contamination risks at the source.
Company-wide
Every Ora product is PETA Vegan Certified, confirming no animal-derived ingredients and no animal testing at any stage. Most products also carry Vegan Action certification.
This isn't a product line decision. It's a company decision. Ora will only ever make plant-based products. No whey, no collagen, no gelatin, no animal-derived anything. Not now, not down the road, not if it would be easier or cheaper.
Third-party vegan certification also serves as an additional layer of ingredient integrity: it verifies that no dairy, egg, or animal-derived ingredients enter the formulation or manufacturing process, reducing cross-contamination risk for consumers with allergies or sensitivities.
LGC · every batch
Run by LGC, a world-leading anti-doping laboratory with over 55 years of experience, Informed Sport is widely regarded as the gold standard for banned-substance testing in sports nutrition. Every single batch of every certified product, including all flavor variants, is screened for over 250 prohibited substances (steroids, stimulants, diuretics, and more) using ISO 17025-accredited methods before it can be released to market. After certification, LGC continues to purchase products from retail for additional blind testing. LGC's own research has found that approximately 1 in 10 non-certified supplements worldwide contain banned substances.
Our protein powders (So Lean & So Clean and Longevity League), our creatine (Muscle Memory), and our electrolytes (Thirst Aid) all carry Informed Sport certification. It's a batch-tested program, which aligns directly with how the 5 Nation Standard works.
LGC · anti nitrogen-spiking
Also run by LGC, Informed Protein is a global verification program built to solve a specific problem: the protein number on the label might not be the protein in the product. LGC's own survey of 61 protein supplements found that roughly 1 in 4 contained less protein than claimed on the label, including one product that delivered just 27% of its stated protein content. The standard industry test measures total nitrogen and converts it to protein, but it can't distinguish between functional protein and cheap amino acids like glycine or taurine added to inflate the reading. That's nitrogen spiking, and it means you could be paying for 23g of protein and getting significantly less.
Informed Protein goes deeper: it tests total protein via nitrogen, evaluates carbon-to-nitrogen ratios for batch consistency, runs free amino acid analysis to detect spiking, and screens for nitrogen-rich adulterants like melamine. Manufacturing facilities are also audited, and after certification, LGC continues purchasing products from retail monthly for blind re-testing.
All flavors of So Lean & So Clean are Informed Protein certified. When we say 23g of protein per serving, that number has been independently verified.
Company-wide
Every Ora product is made with non-GMO ingredients. For our USDA Organic certified products, this is built in: organic certification prohibits genetically modified organisms at the ingredient level. But we don't stop there. Even our products that fall outside our organic range are formulated exclusively with non-GMO ingredients. It's a company-wide standard, not a product-by-product decision.
Verified annually
All Ora products are formulated without gluten-containing ingredients. For consumers with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, a gluten-free label on a supplement isn't just a preference. It's a safety requirement. This is also why our 5 Nation Standard includes annual allergen cross-contamination testing across eight major allergens including gluten: formulating without it is the first step, but independently verifying it isn't sneaking in through manufacturing equipment is what actually protects you.
Chicago Rabbinical Council
Most Ora products carry kosher certification through the Chicago Rabbinical Council, independently confirming that ingredients, processing, and facilities meet strict dietary law standards. Check individual product pages for which certifications apply.
See the data
Most brands don't publish test results at all. We publish full batch-specific Certificates of Analysis for every 5 Nation Standard-verified product, often running 8+ pages, showing our testing limits and pass/fail results across every category: heavy metals, microbiology, allergens, pesticides, potency, and more.
We don't claim "free of" on our labels. That would be dishonest. Trace amounts of naturally occurring elements exist in virtually all plant-based materials. What we do instead is set strict limits, test every batch against them at independent labs, and give you the receipts.
The 5 Nation Standard is Ora's third-party testing and verification framework. It applies safety, purity, and accuracy benchmarks drawn from five of the world's strictest regulatory systems for health products: the United States, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, and Switzerland. It operates on a two-tier model: the highest-risk categories (heavy metals, microbiology, active ingredient potency) are third-party tested on every production lot before release, while broader parameters (allergens, nutritional accuracy, pesticides, residual solvents) are verified annually. All testing is conducted at ISO 17025-accredited independent laboratories.
Every single one. All testing under the 5 Nation Standard is conducted by independent, ISO 17025-accredited laboratories. Ora does not self-test. Results are tied to specific lot numbers and published publicly as batch-specific Certificates of Analysis on our website.
Yes. The most critical safety tests run on every single production lot before it is released. These include heavy metals (lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic), microbiology (6 parameters including E. coli, Salmonella, and Staph aureus), and active ingredient verification. No batch ships without passing third-party testing at ISO-accredited laboratories.
Every production lot is third-party tested for lead, cadmium, mercury, and arsenic at ISO-accredited laboratories before release, benchmarked against USP and European Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915. Ora also applies a stricter internal release limit of no more than 5 micrograms per day per serving for lead, half the USP adult limit. If a batch does not meet our release specifications, it does not ship. We publish our testing limits and pass/fail results by batch number on our website.
We benchmark against two well-recognized international frameworks: USP, the United States Pharmacopeia standard for dietary supplements, and European Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915, which sets contaminant limits for food supplements. On top of meeting both, Ora sets stricter internal release limits. For example, our internal lead limit is no more than 5 micrograms per day per serving, half the USP adult limit of 10 micrograms per day. We also screen for pesticide residues including glyphosate, microbial contaminants, allergens, and nutritional accuracy. All testing is conducted at ISO-accredited third-party laboratories and results are published by batch.
Nitrogen spiking is an industry practice where manufacturers add cheap amino acids to inflate protein readings on lab tests. The standard nitrogen-based test cannot distinguish between functional protein and these added aminos, so the label can significantly overstate usable protein content. Ora's protein powders are Informed Protein certified by LGC, which independently verifies actual protein content and checks amino acid profile integrity to detect spiking.
Across our product line: USDA Organic (via CCOF and QAI), Informed Sport (LGC), Informed Protein (LGC), CRC Kosher, Vegan Action Certified, PETA Vegan Certified, Non-GMO, and Gluten-Free. Not every product carries every certification, so it's always a good idea to check the product page for the most accurate information. The 5 Nation Standard sits across all of them as a verification layer.
Full batch-specific Certificates of Analysis are published for all recent batches at ora.organic/pages/coa. Our COAs often run 8+ pages per product, showing our testing limits and pass/fail results across every category. Find your product and batch number to see the full report.
We source USDA Certified Organic ingredients whenever possible. Among other requirements, USDA Organic prohibits the use of sewage sludge (biosolids), a potential vector of undesirable contaminants, and requires soil and input practices that minimize contamination risks at the source. Organic certification is not a heavy metal "zero" guarantee (no system can promise that), but it improves the baseline by addressing contamination risk at the source rather than only detecting it after the fact.
Our protein powders (So Lean & So Clean and Longevity League), our creatine (Muscle Memory), and our electrolytes (Thirst Aid) all carry Informed Sport certification from LGC, one of the most rigorous independent banned-substance testing programs in sport. Every batch is screened for over 250 prohibited substances at LGC's ISO 17025-accredited anti-doping laboratory before release. Our protein powders also carry Informed Protein certification, which independently verifies that the protein content on the label matches what's in the product and screens for nitrogen spiking and adulterants.
The 5 Nation Standard is Ora's internal testing and quality verification framework. It is not a government-regulated certification, a formal seal of approval, or a claim to meet all legal requirements across all five countries. It represents our interpretation of best practices from across these regulatory systems, unified in one framework that prioritizes quality, purity, strength, transparency, and safety.