Yes, each batch is tested and confirmed gluten free prior to releasing the product for sale to the market. The Real Thing Barley Grass consists of the leaf portion of freshly harvested Barley Leaf (Hordeum vulgare) which has been cut, washed, dried, sorted and milled. The Real Thing Wheat Grass is harvested from the young tips of the wheat plant before ‘jointing’ or reproductive phase in the growing cycle, ensuring the product is gluten free.

Grasses are cultivated, fertilised, irrigated and grown in harvest bins. The grasses are then harvested and transported to the processing facility where the materials are received via incoming quality control inspection. Grasses are washed with treated water, dried and classified according to size. During the sifting process, grasses are subjected to metal detection to ensure no metal contaminants, from processing (sieve shards) are present in the grasses. Grasses that have passed the metal detection is filled into bags. Samples are taken and tested for microbial, mycotoxin and heavy metals. Grasses that have passed the quality control tests are passed through a second metal detection and only grasses that pass this are palletised and shipped to our Warehouse.

Our grasses are not organic or pesticide free. Pesticides are not applied directly to the crops of grasses but are applied to the soil, between crops to control weeds, which may result in residual pesticides being present in the ground when new crops are grown. It is therefore not possible to guarantee the absence of pesticides in the grasses, however test results show that the grasses are well below the maximum permitted levels as required by the New Zealand Regulatory Authority.

Remember that Barley Grass Powder and Wheat Grass Powder are grasses, therefore natural seasonal variation exists, and may differ in colour, taste and odour from batch to batch.