Rainforest Foods Organic New Zealand Barley Grass is an excellent natural source of minerals. As well as the Magnesium in its chlorophyll, it contains Calcium, Copper, Iron, Manganese, Phosphorus, and Potassium. These are all essential to our diets, and can be lacking in modern, processed foods. A signature component of barley is the green pigment chlorophyll, which allows plants to convert light into energy via photosynthesis. Chlorophyll is high in Magnesium. Barley grass is rich in protein, which has 18 of the 22 amino acids - including all of the eight essential amino acids that the body cant make for itself. Barley grass is thus an excellent source of protein for vegans, who often lack it in their diets. The vitamin content of Barley grass is also significant. It provides 30 times more Vitamin B1 than cows milk, plus Vitamin B2, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B9, Vitamin B12 and antioxidant Vitamin C. Production Rainforest Foods Barley Grass is from an organic farm in Canterbury, New Zealand. It is harvested while the plant is still young, below 30 cm tall. Within 1-6 hours of harvest the Barley grass is transported to an organically certified dehydrating company, where the moisture content is reduced to approximately 4% by air dryers. The drying process takes between 20 and 25 minutes. Samples are taken hourly for daily quality assurance testing. Once dried, the powder is milled, to particles first of approximately 150 - 200 microns, then 50 microns. It is then packaged, awaiting transport to the UK. The powder is encapsulated in the UK by a leading GMP (Good Marketing Practice)-registered pharmaceutical manufacturer. GMP registration requires rigorous inspection by the MHRA (Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency), the government agency responsible for ensuring that medicines and medical devices work and are safe. Regular GMP audits enforce optimum quality standards in the encapsulation process. Rainforest Foods capsule casings are made from HPMC, a plant-based cellulose material approved for vegetarian and vegan use by the Vegetarian Society, and Halal and Kosher-certified. HPMC is about as biologically neutral a foodstuff as it is possible to find, and the only other ingredient in the casings is water. Read our blog article on the subject for more information. The capsules are 100% pure, using no fillers, binders or bulking agents. Each capsule contains 500mg of powder. Organic Certification Certified by the Soil Association, one of a handful of organic certification bodies in the UK. These are regulated in their turn by DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs). The role of the Soil Association is to ensure that all foods sold as organic are definably so. It does this by auditing every stage of the supply chain, through growth, export and processing. Soil Association certification - indicated by the Soil Association logo and the EU organic leaf symbol on our packaging - is a guarantee that our customers are purchasing an organic product. All organically-certified products must also carry a certification code on their packaging. For UK companies such as Rainforest Foods this has the format GB-ORG-XX, XX indicating the certifying body. If this is not present, a product is not organic. The Soil Association code on our products is GB-ORG-05. About Rainforest Foods Rainforest Foods purpose is to help people combine good nutrition with modern living. They source a range of whole foods with exceptional nutritional richness. Rainforest Foods believe that man and nature are forever bound together in a symbiotic relationship, and that we all share a responsibility to protect the earth and to improve the lives of those who need a helping hand. Most of their farmers live in the developing world. By sourcing organically grown superfoods from them, Rainforest Foods helps sustain their livelihoods and allows them to continue farming in an environmentally sustainable manner. All Rainforest Foods products are certified organic by the Soil Association and registered with the Vegan Society. Rainforest Foods Organic New Zealand Barley Grass is an excellent source of protein for vegans. Provides 30 times more Vitamin B1 than cows milk, plus Vitamin B2, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B9, Vitamin B12 and antioxidant Vitamin C.