How We Test GRNS: Heavy Metals, Pesticides, Microbes and Banned Substances

"Third-party tested" is one of the most overused phrases in the supplement industry, and one of the least explained. Tested for what? By whom? Every batch, or once, three years ago?

Those are fair questions, so this article does two things. First, it explains the different types of testing a greens powder can be subject to and what each one is actually looking for. Second, it sets out plainly what happens with GRNS, and what we don't claim.

The short version: every batch of GRNS is independently tested by HASTA for more than 250 substances prohibited in sport, and GRNS ingredients are tested for heavy metals and pesticides. Those are two separate processes with two different purposes, and we'll explain why that distinction matters.

The risks supplement testing is designed to catch

Different tests exist because different things can go wrong. Broadly, there are four categories.

1. Heavy metals

Lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury occur naturally in soil and water, and plants take them up as they grow. This isn't about contamination being added to a product, it's about what was in the ground the plant came from.

Some ingredients carry more risk than others. Leafy plants, algae and root crops can accumulate more, and concentrated powders concentrate whatever was in the raw material. This is why heavy metal testing matters most at the ingredient level, before anything is blended.

2. Microbial contamination

Microbial testing looks for unwanted bacteria, yeasts and moulds, including organisms like Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria, plus total counts of yeast and mould.

Agricultural raw materials, water, handling and the manufacturing environment are all potential entry points. This is standard food-safety territory, and in Australia it's governed by food safety law and the manufacturer's own controls rather than being optional.

A note that trips people up: probiotics are live bacteria, deliberately. Microbial testing looks for unwanted organisms, and the deliberate cultures are counted separately as CFU.

3. Pesticide residues

Pesticide residue testing screens for agricultural chemicals used during growing. Organic certification reduces the likelihood of residues but doesn't make testing pointless, since drift from neighbouring properties and contamination in the supply chain both happen.

Again, the useful point in the chain is at the raw ingredient stage, because that's where residues arrive.

4. Substances prohibited in sport

This is a completely different category, and it's the one most often muddled with the others.

Banned-substance testing screens a finished product against the World Anti-Doping Agency prohibited list: stimulants, anabolic agents and other compounds that would cause a drug-tested athlete to fail a test.

These substances usually aren't on the label. They get in through contaminated raw materials, shared manufacturing equipment or cross-contamination during production, and in rare cases through deliberate adulteration somewhere in the supply chain.

This testing exists for one purpose: protecting athletes competing under anti-doping rules. It says nothing about heavy metals, microbes or pesticides, and nothing about whether a product works.

Why general quality-control testing and HASTA testing are not the same thing

This is the single biggest source of confusion when people read supplement marketing, so it's worth being explicit.

Quality-control testing covers heavy metals, microbes, pesticides, ingredient identity and general product safety. It's what makes a product safe and compliant as a food product. It's typically carried out on raw materials and finished products by the manufacturer and contracted laboratories.

HASTA banned-substance testing is a separate, independent screen against the WADA prohibited list. HASTA is explicit that its testing is limited to screening for WADA-prohibited substances, and that it does not verify or endorse any other claims made on a product's packaging.

In other words, HASTA Certification does not mean "this product has been checked for heavy metals". And a clean heavy metals report does not mean a product has been screened for banned substances.

Any brand that blurs the two together, implying one certification covers everything, is either confused or hoping you are. They are different tests, at different points, for different reasons.

Where testing fits in the chain

Testing is only as good as the process around it. Here's how the stages fit together for a greens powder.

Step 1: Ingredient sourcing

Quality starts before any testing happens. Which supplier, which growing region, which species, which plant part, which form. A whole-food formula with 40+ ingredients has 40+ supply chains behind it, and a supplier that can't document what it's selling is a risk no amount of finished-product testing fully fixes.

Reputable suppliers provide documentation for each raw material, including identity and contaminant data.

Step 2: Manufacturing controls

Manufacturing is where things like cross-contamination, incorrect handling and moisture exposure either happen or don't. Good facilities run documented procedures covering equipment cleaning between production runs, segregation of ingredients, humidity control, batch records and traceability.

Traceability is the unglamorous one that matters most. If a problem is ever found, batch records are what let you trace it back to a specific raw material and a specific run.

Step 3: Finished product

Once blended, the finished powder is produced in defined batches, each with its own batch number. That number is the thread that ties a tub in your kitchen back to its production run and its records.

Step 4: Testing

Testing verifies what the earlier steps were supposed to deliver. Which tests apply, and at which stage, depends on what's being checked, as set out above.

Step 5: Batch verification

For banned-substance screening, this is the step that separates a real program from a marketing claim. Under the HASTA Certified program, every batch of a certified product must be tested, and certification also involves reviewing the product formulation and verifying quality assurance and Good Manufacturing Practice systems at the manufacturing site.

One test, once, is not a program. Ongoing per-batch verification is.

What we can tell you about GRNS

Here's what applies to GRNS, stated plainly.

Banned substances: every batch, independently, by HASTA

GRNS is HASTA Certified. HASTA independently tests every batch for more than 250 banned substances, using a NATA-accredited screening method developed for the Australian market. HASTA is a division of Racing Analytical Services Limited and is the recognised certification standard in Australia for sports drug testing.

That's the reason GRNS is trusted by Olympians and professional athletes competing under anti-doping rules. A daily product is exactly the kind of thing an athlete can't afford to be unsure about.

Heavy metals and pesticides: tested at the ingredient level

GRNS ingredients are tested for heavy metals and pesticides. This is separate from HASTA screening, and it's done where it makes the most sense, at the raw material stage, because that's where both types of contamination originate.

What we won't claim

Being transparent means being clear about the edges of what we can say:

• HASTA Certification covers banned substances only. It is not a heavy metals test, not a microbial test, and not proof that the formula works.
• No testing program can guarantee a batch is completely free from contamination. HASTA states this directly, because prohibited substances can be present at very low levels and may not be evenly distributed through a batch.
• Sport Integrity Australia's position is that no supplement is completely risk-free. Batch testing significantly reduces risk. It doesn't eliminate it, and we won't pretend otherwise.

If you're an athlete, the right habit is to verify the specific tub in front of you rather than trusting a logo. You can check certification through HASTA's certified supplement search using the brand, product or batch number, and Sport Integrity Australia recommends athletes check batch-tested supplements through their free Sport Integrity app.

If you want details about the testing behind a particular batch of GRNS, contact our team with the batch number from your tub.

How to assess any supplement brand's testing claims

Use these questions on us and on everyone else:

• Tested for what? Banned substances, heavy metals, microbes and pesticides are different tests.
• Tested by whom? In-house or an independent laboratory?
• Every batch, or once? This is the question that separates real programs from logos.
• Can you verify it yourself? A certification you can check against a public database beats a claim you can't.
• Is the language precise or vague? "Lab tested" and "clinically proven" with no detail attached are marketing, not information.

A brand that's genuinely doing the work can answer all five without getting uncomfortable.

The bottom line

Testing isn't one thing. Heavy metals, microbes and pesticides are food safety and raw material questions. Banned substances are an anti-doping question. They're screened at different points in the chain, for different reasons, and no single certification covers all of them.

For GRNS: every batch is independently screened by HASTA for 250+ banned substances, and ingredients are tested for heavy metals and pesticides. Two processes, two purposes, described separately on purpose.

FAQ

Is GRNS third-party tested?

Yes, for banned substances. HASTA, an independent Australian laboratory, tests every batch of GRNS for more than 250 WADA-prohibited substances, and certification also involves a review of the formulation and the manufacturing site's quality assurance and GMP systems.

Separately from that, GRNS ingredients are tested for heavy metals and pesticides. It's worth keeping those two things distinct, because "third-party tested" on its own doesn't tell you which of them a brand actually does.

Does HASTA certification mean GRNS has been tested for heavy metals?

No. HASTA screening is limited to substances prohibited by WADA, and HASTA states clearly that it does not verify or endorse other claims made on product packaging.

Heavy metals and pesticides are covered by separate ingredient testing, which is standard practice for plant-based ingredients because both come from the growing environment rather than the manufacturing process. Any brand implying that one banned-substance certification proves general product purity is overstating what that certification means.

How do I check whether my specific tub has been batch tested?

Start with the batch number printed on your tub, not just the product name.

• Use HASTA's certified supplement search, where you can enter a brand, product or batch number to confirm certification status.
• If you're an athlete, use the free Sport Integrity app, which Sport Integrity Australia recommends for checking batch-tested supplements before you take them.
• Or contact our team with your batch number and we'll help you confirm it.

Re-check when you open a new tub. Batch testing applies to batches, so the tub you're actually drinking is the one that matters.