Kratom has become very popular over the last few years, and there are more and more merchants popping up online.
When you visit these merchant’s websites, you may discover that some of them are offering Kratom powder and Kratom tea products at extremely low price points.
The reason these merchants are able to offer Kratom at such low prices compared to merchants like us that are more established and reputable is that those merchants are ignoring quality control, and disregarding the safety of their customers. Cheap Kratom can put you at risk of some serious complications.
How Do Merchants Sell Kratom For So Cheap?
Kratom prices vary from one merchant to another for a number of reasons, but when a new merchant is suddenly offering Kratom tea supplies at prices significantly lower than every other store on the market, it should be an immediate red flag to the consumer.
As mentioned earlier, these merchants are likely cutting corners when it comes to ensuring customer safety. While it’s possible that you may enjoy Kratom from these merchants with no complications, you would be doing so while putting your health at risk.
While it’s near impossible to know for sure, it’s likely that they bypassing essential steps of the supply and sale chain:
• Supplier monitoring and quality checks
• Regular product testing for pathogens, contaminants and heavy metals
• Critical facility sanitation measures
• Random quality control checks
Monitoring these aspects of the Kratom sales process can be expensive and time consuming. To reduce costs, some merchants skip them altogether, but doing that creates many potential risk areas, as well as undermines the legitimacy of responsible merchants.
Let’s review some risk areas in more detail to fully inform you of the dangers are out there.
Adulterants & Contaminants
Reputable Kratom suppliers only sell products that are 100% pure, organic Kratom. The Kratom is free of other dried products mixed in to bulk it up; there are no chemicals used in the harvesting or drying process to replicate or alter the naturally occurring alkaloids of the Kratom.
That said, some Kratom suppliers out there are not honest or reliable. Contrary to following Good Manufacturing Practices, they use potentially dangerous chemicals to process their Kratom, their manufacturing equipment is not kept in a clean environment, or (most importantly) they do not routinely test for contaminants.
If a Kratom merchant willingly and knowingly sells a product made with sub-standard quality assurance, they’re going to be able to save some on costs. But the risks are irresponsible.
When you are choosing a Kratom supplier, ensure that they have a good relationship with their suppliers and are aware of the manufacturing processes being used. Also make certain that they are performing proper mixing and testing of their lots, and that lot numbers are included on each product advertised so they can be cross referenced back to the correct testing results.
E.Coli & Other Pathogens
The primary reason testing Kratom is so important is that there is the possibility for e. Coli, molds, or other pathogens to build up in Kratom if it is not handled properly throughout manufacturing, shipping or packaging.
Similar to other dried products, Kratom tea leaves and Kratom powders run the risk of being contaminated by these pathogens. All it takes is one honest mistake by the supplier (or a dishonest oversight), and a contamination can occur.
Kratom suppliers protect their customers through properly mixing lots and testing their products regularly!
At Kratom Virtue we ensure proper testing of our products for all of the following:
• Quality
• Identification
• Salmonella [AOAC-RI 050701]
• Heavy metals content ([AOAC 2013.06]
Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead, Mercury, Nickel)
• Microbial safety (Aerobic Plate Count [AOAC 990.12]
• Yeast and Mold [AOAC 997.02]
• Coliforms and E. Coli [AOAC 991.4]
We regularly mix and run our lots through all of these tests to ensure that we are providing only quality, safe products to you.
Testing matters. We’re committed to doing it right.
GMP Compliance
GMP stands for Good Manufacturing Practice. GMP is promulgated by FDA regulations, and compliance is required to market dietary supplements. These regulations provide a quality control framework for manufacturers and merchants to follow. While these regulations do not explicitly tell businesses how to operate (all businesses have unique ways of doing things) they do provide clear guidelines to follow.
By implementing GMP processes, Kratom suppliers ensure the quality and safety of their products. This is especially important because Kratom that is imported to the United States is delivered in a raw form that does not meet modern food safety standards.
You want a reliable, safe source of Kratom; we want to be that for you. To ensure that we do just that, we comply with all of the best practices for importing, testing, storing, and selling our Kratom products.
We’re here for you
While we hope every Kratom merchant out there will embrace preventative measures to ensure the quality of their products and the safety of their customers, as a customer, it’s your right to know how reliable the products that you are purchasing are, and it’s up to the supplier to tell you.
If you have additional questions about our testing practices, lot testing, or supply chain, feel free to reach out to us. Kratom suppliers that put the time and energy into selling safe products will be happy to explain exactly what they are doing to ensure your safety, so make certain you get the answers you are looking for before purchasing cheap product from an unknown vendor.
Cheap Kratom tea leaves and powders might sound appealing, but there can be hidden dangers in only purchasing something for a low price. Make sure you aren’t purchasing any potentially dangerous products!