“We should be more cognizant of the fact some products may not always be found in abundance and that quality is not evident.”

Our system is really fragile as far as supply and demand is concerned—this includes perishable foods and other essentials. In 2012 UN estimated world food reserves to last 74 days but now with Covid-19 we would see supplies depleted within 30 days. According to an Insider article from 2019, “grocery stores would run out of food in just 3 days if long-haul truckers stopped working”[1] since truckers move 71% of the freight in the US.

The distribution by truckers is based on shipping which could be delayed as we saw it in March, when a container ship blocked the Suez Canal and stopped the transporting value 10 billion dollars per day. This effected the transportation of food, water, oil and most consumable commodities. Besides the previously mentioned ones, there are also other factors e.g. extreme weather conditions and current heat waves that are contributing to food shortages as well.

Growing up in the West, it is reasonable to assume we have abundance of most items. When entering most grocery stores we are fully expecting to see multiple choices for ketchup, isles full of cereals, bread of every shade texture and variety and meat coolers full in every cut. The same is true for produce of local and exotic fruit and vegetables. The world is at our finger tips with the belief this will always be the case. Reality strikes when traveling. I recall visiting Cuba where, as a tourist, you are encouraged to stay in the hotel region or to take carefully planned excursions to give the impression that everything is in order and just like home. A side trip to Havana quickly changed my impression: the shelves were empty, meat coolers were sparse, and variety was nil. The same thing happened while visiting Russia, Africa and Central America when venturing outside the tourist zones.

Quality Concerns

Now with Covid-19, quality raw materials are also in short supply. I must clarify this is for USP grade raw materials, not feed grade and food grade. To give you an example, our branded fermented amino acids L- Tryptophan, L-Threonine, L-Arginine and L-Glycine are on backorder for six or more months. It is maddening because the chemically extracted amino acids are readily available from China and they are 90% cheaper. The problem is that they do not work.  Another troublesome supply shortage is for our New Zealand glands. We have been waiting over nine months for thyroid gland, six months for adrenal and thymus is becoming very scarce as well. If you have watched my videos and read our newsletters on thymus gland, you will know that it is one of the most powerful immune builders in the world. Unfortunately, pharma has discovered thymus gland for immunity. Wouldn’t you know it, they are using thymus in the Covid vaccines in an effort to lessen the side effects of the jab. Although we are temporarily out of stock, we hope to have thymus inventory within 6 weeks.

Melatonin: An Example How Quality Matters

All things are not created equally. Most consumers think all products are the same which makes it really hard for quality products to compete when the pharma run companies are using cheap feed grade raw materials from China. Melatonin is a great example. It has become one of the most popular health products over the last decade, and the global market of melatonin has increased extremely yet the quality of the products available on the market varies a lot both in strength and purity which influences not only the products’ effectiveness but also their safety. Another important factor of melatonin production is whether the melatonin is natural sourced or synthetic. Natural form, which comes from the pineal gland of animals (it can be contaminated with animal viruses or environmental toxins), can be mixed with unknown synthetic material. The lower grades of raw materials can be also mixed with fillers and the amount put in the capsule can vary. The USP standard raw material on the other hand is tested and it must be pure and exact.

Why Is Melapure™ Melatonin Different?

While there are many melatonin’s on the market, it is important to point out that not all of them work the same way. Synthetically-sourced, Melapure® Melatonin is safer to use than the natural sourced ones because it is free from all biological contaminants. It is derived synthetically from 5-Methoxytryptamine (tryptophan pathway); it is synthesized through a chemical pathway and produces a number of important chemicals, including serotonin. Why is this important? You can find many comments on melatonin’s side effects e.g. vivid nightmares, clenching of the teeth, muscle spasms or anxiety that are results of the quality of the material used, not the melatonin itself. Experiencing the side effects is many times the price you pay for purchasing a cheaper, low quality product.

In reality our Melapure Melatonin has been on a waiting list for 6 months—this applies for our raw materials coming from Europe. To give some added perspective: Chinese melatonin sells for 140 USD per kilogram while for the vegan USP grade patented melatonin we pay 2,100 USD per kilogram. The price difference is worth every penny because it works without shutting down your own serotonin production.

The therapeutic value of a supplement is only as good as its raw materials. Unfortunately, we have become too reliant on importation and questionable quality since we closed production to save money. Buying from the Asian market was rational thinking from an economical stand point but from a sustainability point-of-view we have lost the ability of being self-reliant and yet most people do not have a clue. Quality is a huge concern as well since many are still not aware of the differences between the products. We should be more cognizant of the fact some products may not always be found in abundance and that quality is not evident.

References:

[1] Premack, Rachel. 2019.