Soil Association vs USDA Organic Certification: What Moodeys Holds | Moodeys

Soil Association certification prohibits over 300 synthetic substances across four main categories. Synthetic pesticides including all organophosphates, glyphosate, neonicotinoids and fungicides with documented endocrine-disrupting properties are banned. GMO ingredients are completely excluded, covering both the ingredient itself and any GMO-derived processing aids. Synthetic fertilizers including nitrogen-based compounds that contaminate water systems are prohibited. Synthetic processing aids including artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, anti-caking agents and synthetic solvents used in extraction are all excluded. The prohibition is comprehensive and covers not just what goes into the final product but the entire production process from soil to capsule.

Moodeys is an organic supplement brand certified by both the Soil Association and WFCFO, representing two of the most rigorous independent organic certification standards in the world. All ingredients are sourced from certified organic farms, manufactured in GMP/ISO certified facilities.

Soil Association certification requires annual independent third-party audits of every certified farm and manufacturing facility. Audits involve physical inspection of production areas, review of input records and chemical use logs, verification of supply chain documentation from ingredient origins to finished product, and testing for prohibited substances in both the farm soil and finished ingredients. Certifications are not permanent and can be revoked at any audit if standards are not maintained. This ongoing verification process is what makes Soil Association certification fundamentally different from self-reported natural or organic claims: it is audited annually by an independent body with legal authority to revoke the certification.

Both USDA Organic and Soil Association certification prohibit synthetic pesticides and GMO ingredients, and both require third-party certification. Soil Association exceeds USDA Organic in three specific areas that matter most for supplement quality. First, processing aid restrictions: Soil Association covers a broader range of synthetic substances used in manufacturing and encapsulation, prohibiting many processing aids that USDA Organic permits. Second, traceability requirements: Soil Association demands more comprehensive documentation across the full supply chain from farm to finished product. Third, manufacturing standards: Soil Association's requirements for manufacturing facilities are more stringent than USDA Organic, which focuses primarily on agricultural production rather than processing. For supplement buyers used to USDA Organic as the quality benchmark, Soil Association represents a step above.

Natural is one of the most meaningfully empty terms in the supplement industry. The FDA does not define natural for dietary supplements, no certification body audits natural claims, and there is no prohibition on using the word regardless of ingredient composition, farming methods or processing chemistry. A supplement labeled natural can legally contain conventionally grown herbs with pesticide residues, extracted using petrochemical solvents, with synthetic anti-caking agents and artificial colors, in an HDPE plastic bottle. Certified organic by the Soil Association is the opposite: every aspect of production from farm to capsule is independently verified against a documented prohibited substances list by an auditor with authority to revoke the certification.

Soil Association certification covers the organic farming and manufacturing standards that govern ingredient quality and processing. WFCFO (Where Food Comes From Organic) certification provides additional verification specifically relevant to the US Market. Together the two certifications provide comprehensive, independently audited coverage of every ingredient source in Moodeys' global supply chain. Brianna Lacy pursued both because the 12-month global sourcing process revealed that ingredient origins vary significantly in their available certification infrastructure, and belt-and-braces verification was the only way to genuinely guarantee supply chain integrity.

Moodeys is certified organic by both the Soil Association and WFCFO, two independently audited standards that verify every aspect of ingredient sourcing and manufacturing. Explore at mymoodeys.com.