If you are thinking about taking hoodia diet pills to help you with your weight loss, you probably know that CITES certificates differentiate pure hoodia gordonii from inferior hoodia products. Yet, I wonder how many people truly understand what the CITES certificate really is and why it's so important. As a consumer I want you to know what the certificate is and what it means within the hoodia market.
As you probably already know, the hoodia gordonii plant is in high demand. But, did you know that it is a protected species and it's in limited supply? Until recent years the cactus like plant only grew in the wild in South Africa. But, due to the increased demand for the plants weight loss effects, many people have taken to farming the plant. In order to protect the plant and the San people who have an interest in their native plant, the South African government has put regulations on the hoodia gordonii plant. This means there are licenses, regulations and controls for the growing, harvesting and exportation of the plant.
CITES certificates are one of the basic controls put in place to protect the endangered hoodia plant. There are other documents that are required as well, but for the purposes of this article I'll only address the CITES certificate. CITES refers to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and is an international agreement between governments. Their goal is to ensure that international trade does not threaten the survival of endangered species.
For hoodia gordonii to be exported from South Africa by a company, they must first obtain an export permit from CITES. There is no getting around it. Any shipments of hoodia gordonii out of South Africa must have these CITES permits. These permits are valid for six months. This means someone who has obtained a CITES permit has six months to get their shipment of hoodia gordonii exported. If they fail to get their shipment out within six months, they must reapply and ask for a new permit.
A lot of people are confused about the dates on these CITES permits. Some people think if they are viewing a CITES permit and the date is old, this automatically means something underhanded or shady is going on with a company. All it really means is the expiration date for exportation has passed.
Suppose a supplier exports several thousand kilograms of hoodia on one permit, and that inventory of hoodia gordonii doesn't actually sell out for eight or nine months. The original CITES permit, along with the original issue date shown on the permit, will always be attached to that inventory. Even though the date on the CITES permit will be older than six months, that CITES permit is still valid and still provides proof that the hoodia gordonii used is authentic. Keep that in mind as you are looking at CITES certificates from companies you are considering buying from. An older date doesn't necessarily mean the CITES permit is invalid and the hoodia gordonii used isn't real.
It is also fairly common to see a name other than the company you are purchasing hoodia products from on the CITES permit. For instance, you may purchase your hoodia products from Company A, but Company B may be listed on their CITES permit. This is completely normal and it shouldn't make you question the integrity of a company.
Supplement companies get their hoodia from supply companies. Suppliers are the companies that actually go in, obtain the CITES permits and export the hoodia gordonii out of South Africa. The country is selective on giving out CITES permits and they limit the number of exports. It only makes sense that supplement companies would use a supplier to obtain their hoodia gordonii. That is why you may see a name other that the company you are purchasing your products from listed on the CITES permit.
It's important that you understand that just because a website display a CITES certificate isn't a guarantee that the company is packaging pure hoodia gordonii into their products. As you probably know, there are no regulations on supplements, so companies can make claims about their products, even if they may not be true.
All the CITES permit is meant to convey is the supplier had permission to export a certain amount of hoodia gordonii out of South Africa by a certain date. Once it arrives at the companies that are packaging hoodia products, they can do whatever they want with it. They can claim they are selling a pill that is 500 mg of pure hoodia gordonii, but it may only contain 150mg or 250mg.
I hope you now understand the importance of CITES certificates. Understanding what they are, and what they aren't, should help you when you go to purchase pure hoodia gordonii.
As you probably already know, the hoodia gordonii plant is in high demand. But, did you know that it is a protected species and it's in limited supply? Until recent years the cactus like plant only grew in the wild in South Africa. But, due to the increased demand for the plants weight loss effects, many people have taken to farming the plant. In order to protect the plant and the San people who have an interest in their native plant, the South African government has put regulations on the hoodia gordonii plant. This means there are licenses, regulations and controls for the growing, harvesting and exportation of the plant.
CITES certificates are one of the basic controls put in place to protect the endangered hoodia plant. There are other documents that are required as well, but for the purposes of this article I'll only address the CITES certificate. CITES refers to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and is an international agreement between governments. Their goal is to ensure that international trade does not threaten the survival of endangered species.
For hoodia gordonii to be exported from South Africa by a company, they must first obtain an export permit from CITES. There is no getting around it. Any shipments of hoodia gordonii out of South Africa must have these CITES permits. These permits are valid for six months. This means someone who has obtained a CITES permit has six months to get their shipment of hoodia gordonii exported. If they fail to get their shipment out within six months, they must reapply and ask for a new permit.
A lot of people are confused about the dates on these CITES permits. Some people think if they are viewing a CITES permit and the date is old, this automatically means something underhanded or shady is going on with a company. All it really means is the expiration date for exportation has passed.
Suppose a supplier exports several thousand kilograms of hoodia on one permit, and that inventory of hoodia gordonii doesn't actually sell out for eight or nine months. The original CITES permit, along with the original issue date shown on the permit, will always be attached to that inventory. Even though the date on the CITES permit will be older than six months, that CITES permit is still valid and still provides proof that the hoodia gordonii used is authentic. Keep that in mind as you are looking at CITES certificates from companies you are considering buying from. An older date doesn't necessarily mean the CITES permit is invalid and the hoodia gordonii used isn't real.
It is also fairly common to see a name other than the company you are purchasing hoodia products from on the CITES permit. For instance, you may purchase your hoodia products from Company A, but Company B may be listed on their CITES permit. This is completely normal and it shouldn't make you question the integrity of a company.
Supplement companies get their hoodia from supply companies. Suppliers are the companies that actually go in, obtain the CITES permits and export the hoodia gordonii out of South Africa. The country is selective on giving out CITES permits and they limit the number of exports. It only makes sense that supplement companies would use a supplier to obtain their hoodia gordonii. That is why you may see a name other that the company you are purchasing your products from listed on the CITES permit.
It's important that you understand that just because a website display a CITES certificate isn't a guarantee that the company is packaging pure hoodia gordonii into their products. As you probably know, there are no regulations on supplements, so companies can make claims about their products, even if they may not be true.
All the CITES permit is meant to convey is the supplier had permission to export a certain amount of hoodia gordonii out of South Africa by a certain date. Once it arrives at the companies that are packaging hoodia products, they can do whatever they want with it. They can claim they are selling a pill that is 500 mg of pure hoodia gordonii, but it may only contain 150mg or 250mg.
I hope you now understand the importance of CITES certificates. Understanding what they are, and what they aren't, should help you when you go to purchase pure hoodia gordonii.
About the Author:
Did you know that the CITES certificate is just one of 13 items to be aware of when you purchase hoodia pills? Get the full list of what to be aware of and read reviews of the best hoodia here.
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment