You may have noticed that collagen is still very much a trending ingredient these days. I’m still seeing it pop up all over my news feed! There’s a lot of great content out there with creative ways to include collagen in food, drinks, smoothies etc. It’s often promoted as a gut healing supplement, and I have to agree with those claims – it’s done wonders for me! I have been taking collagen for nearly 4 years now, and I am so passionate about it. Not only because of the health benefits for skin and digestion, but also for the culinary aspect of collagen as well. I often use collagen in my recipes because it adds a delectable creaminess and frothiness that can take a normal recipe and make it taste so delicious. Have you ever tried hot chocolate or bulletproof coffee made with collagen? It’s honestly amazing and you will probably fall in love with it like I have!

But the reason I am exploring the topic of collagen powder further, is because Mitzi from @reallydelish sent me the following message:

“Seriously stop with promoting Gelatin made from toxic hides from burnt out Amazonian rainforest - if you know better do better. Promote responsibility raised preferably US raised gelatin. Most collagen including all your top favorite brands are from burnt out Amazon rainforest fed on toxic grass- awful. I am not a vegan FYI and buy collagen and whey from US organic etc sources. @perfectsupplements you recommend says right out there it’s collagen from Brazil- the forest is burning and this is part of the why!!! I’m shocked to hear you aren’t aware of this feel free to google away plenty of information out there for you. Good place to start is Greenpeace did a fantastic undercover story on this, Rainforest action network and on and on. Brazil is one of the most corrupt governments in the world and take bribes and lie in their documentation of what they say the do vs what actually is happening . the rainforest gets burnt, they plant non native toxic grass for cattle to feed on and the hides that collagen is made from is so toxic. I could list so many studies and articles but I would ask you do your own research. Google “affects of the cattle industry on the Amazon rainforest” many references will pop up. Look forward to hearing back from you after your research.”

I completely agree with Mitzi. Do the best you can, until you know better. When you know better, do better! This is me right now trying to do better, as I learn more about the topic of collagen powders. I’ve dived into the research over the last few days, and I learned a lot from it. I felt it was incredibly important to share this information with you.

Collagen Powder: what you need to know

Up until recently, I didn’t know that most collagen supplements on the market come from blended grass and grain-fed South American cows that have been treated with unknown and undisclosed substances. This practice has caused devastating damage to the environment, and if it continues, it will continue to destroy the Amazon rainforest. You can read more information about the deforestation HERE.

Unfortunately, the dietary supplement industry is rife with misrepresentations and sometimes, outright fraud. Companies will say anything to make a buck, even if it means deceiving their customers. As a result, consumers have difficulty making the right decisions that are best for their health.

Grain Fed vs. Grass Fed Collagen

There are many companies who source collagen from Brazil (if the label does not identify the source, most likely it’s coming from Brazil). Despite their claims of being "grass fed", my findings revealed that their products may actually be made from a blend of grass fed and grain fed cattle. Furthermore, antibiotics are regularly used on their herds. This raw material is plentiful and easily accessible to the manufacturers at very low cost, which is why you can find many low priced "grass fed" (but not really) collagen products on the market.

Many companies source their collagen from Brazil due to its readily available supply. Brazil has the world's second largest cattle herd, and is the world's largest exporter of beef. Due to the ample supply, collagen from Brazil has a lower price point and is easy to import into the USA.

Brazilian cattle are primarily raised on pasture. For animal health, pasture raised cattle is far better than factory farms where most USA cattle are raised. However, some Brazilian herds are grain finished, meaning they are fed grains for three to four months before slaughter. Supplement manufacturers still use "grass fed" as a buzzword, because they know it helps sell products. Conveniently, they leave out the fact that their collagen may come from grain finished cattle.

How do companies get away with this type of deception about collagen?

The Food and Drug Administration has the authority to remove supplements from the market that they deem unsafe, misbranded, or mislabeled. However, the FDA doesn't have the resources to thoroughly regulate the industry due to the sheer number of supplements on the market. Therefore, consumers have to take responsibility for themselves and research what they buy and consume.

In the message from Mitzi, she made the suggestion to “promote responsibly raised, preferably US raised gelatin.” However, I’m living in NZ, so I don’t have access to many of the US raised gelatin and collagen brands. Instead, I have researched to find trustworthy collagen brands in New Zealand and Australia and I’m happy to share them with you!

New Zealand has one of the cleanest environments on earth with super rich soil and lush greenery. Additionally, New Zealand's strict regulations prohibiting the use of artificial chemicals and other potentially dangerous substances, and high standards surrounding the production and processing of food products has created the ultimate origin for health and nutrition supplements.

Here are my recommendations for collagen brands you can trust:

GELATIN AUSTRALIA

I’ve been using this brand for years with great results. It was one of the very first collagen powders to be 100% sourced and made in Australia and New Zealand. Their website confirms their collagen to be sourced in Australia and New Zealand exclusively. If you’d like a discount, you can use THIS LINK with my code “**LIFEOFPIE10**” for 10% off your entire order

Screen+Shot+2020-09-16+at+7.54.30+am.jpg — HOME GROWN PRIMAL (capsules)

Their product is 100% grass-fed beef collagen from New Zealand. Their website is clear and transparent about how and where their products are sourced. You can **CLICK HERE** to learn more about their products.

The Way Up Collagen

*Since this post, Rebecca from The Way Up has replied to my email, and advised the following: “Our Collagen is sourced from healthy, pasture raised, grass fed, hormone free Australian cows. Mostly from the Darling Downs Area, Northern NSW and Southern NSW. The cows are mainly fed on grass. Sometimes (because of the drought) they are topped up with clover. And no - we do not source any collagen from overseas.” You can find out more about their collagen HERE.

If you’re in the US, I came across two companies who were both very clear and transparent about their collagen and where it’s sourced from. Antler Farms collagen protein comes from 100% grass fed and pasture raised cows. Their cattle are raised without the use of hormones, antibiotics, chemicals and GMOs. They conduct physical, chemical, and bacteriological testing during all stages of processing, and it’s a clean source of collagen produced in New Zealand. The company was created to bring NZ sourced products to North America. They import raw materials from NZ and package in the USA, all of their inventory is in the USA. Unfortunately for my NZ audience, you would have to pay international shipping. And they do not ship to AU as customs have started blocking shipments, so they had to stop completely.

ANTLER FARMS

I reached out and was able to get a discount code for anyone interested in trying Antler Farms. Use the code ***JORDIEPIE* to save *10% off*** and **CLICK HERE** to learn more about their Company.

SPROOS GRASS-FED COLLAGENE

Sproos have sourced their bovine collagen from grass-fed (and finished) cattle from the US. Sproos wanted to support the humane raising of animals in pastures rather than factory cattle farming. It’s the highest quality, most sustainable and reliable source of collagen they could find. You can read more information about them **HERE**.

Marine Collagen

I know many prefer to use marine collagen, for various reasons. From my understanding, the reason the following collagen options only works as capsules is due to the taste not being great as a powder. Below are my recommendations for marine collagen brands, there are several clean and trustworthy brands based in New Zealand.

RARE BY NATURE (capsules)

This brand contains 100% New Zealand wild sourced marine collagen with no additives. Their production process is simple and natural. The fish cartilage is boiled, gently air-dried and ground into a collagen powder before being encapsulated. More information can be found here.

NEW ZEALAND PURE HEALTH COLLAGEN (capsules)

Premium grade hydrolysed marine collagen is sourced from the cartilage, scales, and skin of by-product fish species found in New Zealand waters such as Hoki and Elephant fish. A natural and trustworthy brand. More information can be found here.

NUTRI NZ COLLAGEN (capsules)

Another natural and trustworthy brand that sources their collagen from the pristine waters of New Zealand. As always, this company is monitored and regulated by the New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF) to ensure the industry is not only sustainable, but also environmentally responsible. More information on NutriNZ Collagen can be found here.

What I found interesting, is that collagen tissues such as skin, bone and scales constitute about 30 percent of marine fish processing waste. I learned that utilising this aspect of marine fish, helps to offset what is perceived as waste in the fishing industry through marine collagen capsules.

What about Marine Collagen from France?

As you begin to look for marine collagen supplements, you will likely begin to notice many brands source their marine collagen from France. Sourcing marine collagen from France itself is not inherently bad, however, as someone based in New Zealand, that is a lot of food miles to bring something from France to New Zealand. Food miles have an impact on our environment. Looking at where something is sourced, is a great way to look at the environmental impact of foods we eat on a regular basis. It is more sustainable to eat and source ingredients locally. I can only imagine the carbon cost of sourcing marine collagen from France, and bringing it all the way to New Zealand!

I’ve compiled a list of New Zealand Collagen companies that source their marine collagen from France below:

Simply Collagen
Be Bare Collagen
Jeuneora Collagen (marine collagen sourced from both France and Norway)
Two Islands
BePure Collagen - marine collagen is sourced from France + it contains added ‘flavours’, and if you’ve been following me for awhile, will no I don’t recommend flavours (read more here) as they can contain up to (or more than) 50 chemical ingredients!
The Healthy Chef - I emailed them and they’ve replied with the following: Our marine collagen is sourced from fish in the waters of Indonesia, however is then processed in Japan. It’s not from France, but again, huge food miles.

**After trying to uncover the truth about collagen, there were some brands that I personally will not be buying or consuming:**

DOSE & CO

On their main page they state “our collagen products are made with premium, high quality, locally sourced ingredients.” But on the individual product descriptions, they state “our bovine collagen is sustainably sourced from Brazil. It is non-GMO. Our marine collagen is sustainably sourced from France.”

This description begs the question: how is sourcing collagen from Brazil and France considered local, when Dose & Co is a New Zealand based company? The information Dose & Co is providing on their website is inconsistent. I emailed them weeks ago asking questions about the quality of their collagen powder, however, they still haven’t responded.

GREAT LAKES

The website states their collagen and beef gelatin products are sourced from cattle raised in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, and the United States. I could not find any information stating it’s grass-finished, meaning it could be made from a blend of grass fed and grain fed cattle.

ANCIENT NUTRITION

I don’t recommend most of their flavoured Bone Broth Protein Powders because they contain many additives. Here’s a list of the ingredients to one of their products: “Citric acid, natural strawberry flavour, natural lemon flavour, beet juice (colour), stevia leaf extract”. A 'flavour' can be made of up to 48 different chemical ingredients, and this product has two of them.

I’ve also emailed the following companies to find out more about their collagen, but am still waiting for their responses:

Kissed Earth
Puraz New Zealand Raw Collagen Powder
Way Up Nutrition
Dose & Co
Nothing Naughty
Bulletproof

Nutra Organics

Since this post, Jemma from Nutra Organics reached out to me via email, and advised the following: "Just reaching out to provide a little more information about our collagen supplier, Gelita, who source the raw bovine materials from Brazil and Germany. Gelita are the leading collagen manufacturer in the world and are unparalleled in terms of safety, sustainability and ethical sourcing.”

They advised in the email, that the company has full traceability of their supply chain, and they only source from farms that meet the highest animal welfare standards. According to the company representative, due to droughts in Brazil and snow in Germany, they at times supplement with grain, though their cattle are primarily grass-fed. For transparency, I felt it was important for you to have this information, which may help when deciding which products to purchase.

Perfect Supplements Response

We believe that an educated consumer is our best customer. We love it when people do research because we also do all the research before we put our name on a superfood ingredient. Our collagen supplier provides statements about “cows pastured their entire lives, and no damage to the rainforest”. We also provide unbiased 3rd Party Testing for Heavy Metals and Glyphosate-Free certification and post all the test results on our website - we believe in transparency. And if you are in New Zealand, I fully support finding local, grass-fed suppliers of Collagen with 3rd party testing - local is better for the environment 🌎❤️

*Please note: I will continue to update this section as I here back from these companies

Taking collagen supplements has some incredible health benefits. However, this experience has been truly eye-opening. I am so grateful I was called in to this important discussion. The truth about collagen powders is that they are not all created equal. Doing your research thoroughly before purchasing will ensure the collagen you purchase is produced sustainably, and contains the ingredients you thought it would.

What are your favourite collagen brands? Let me know in the comments below - I’d love to share them!

UPDATE

Last week, I shared the above information about Collagen; it talked about the good, the bad, and the unsustainable practices that are involved in the sale of collagen powders. I shared it after learning about some of the devastating effects it can have on the environment. It was a real eye-opener for me, and I honestly didn’t expect it to be somewhat controversial!

I always strive to give tangible information that can help others make informed decisions about their health. It was certainly not my intention to bad mouth certain companies by any means! Rather, I wanted to highlight the fact that some companies use a mixture of grass-fed and grain-fed collagen sourced from Brazil, and what the research revealed about those practices. Some of the marketing information on these websites was unclear, even contradictory at times. Based on the information I uncovered through my research, I identified which companies I personally would and would not purchase from. Of course – this was just my personal opinion based on the information I have right now. Ultimately, the practices adopted by many collagen companies, can negatively affect the environment, causing lasting, irreversible damage. Because of this, I felt it was necessary to shed light on this area so we can all make our own informed decisions, and carefully consider our purchases in future.

After my post, I received some important questions that I thought deserved more attention, so here is an update for you.

Collagen Processing/ Manufacturing - High Food Miles

I received one comment that said my promotion of Gelatin Australia’s Peptipro Collagen is no better than any other brand, as it's still high food miles because it's manufactured overseas (not in Australia). I asked Gelatin Australia about this.

Me: “[Re: manufacturing outside of Aus]: What's the reason for this? Is it because Australia doesn't have any manufacturers that have the right machines or technology to create the collagen?”
Anthony, one of the co-owners of Gelatin Australia: “Exactly Jordie. We can’t get it manufactured in Australia as those large companies who own the technology are not willing to make Collagen with it. The Spray Drying machine used, is often tied up making the very profitable milk/dairy powders, eg. baby formula etc. We are continually trying to gain access to the necessary equipment. At the moment we use a facility in the USA but we would be happy to change if we could do it locally in AU or NZ.”

From this, I learned that there may be no such thing as “low food mileage” when it comes to collagen in Australia or New Zealand. I still personally choose to buy PeptiPro, as they support local regions committed to sustainable farm practices and thereby, supporting local jobs.

The Grass-fed Vs. Grain-fed Debate

After my initial post, I had the pleasure of speaking with Elza Bevilacqua. She is one talented lady! Elza is a food technician, has a BPhEd, and is currently studying Naturopathy. She is also completing a PHD in collagen. Needless to say, Elza has done extensive research on collagen.

I had a few more questions myself that I wanted to explore further, and I always turn to someone who is smarter than I am to get more answers!

Does grass-fed actually matter, considering collagen is so highly processed?

Two people sent me a podcast from ATP Science, as it was all about collagen. Apparently, the podcast claims that the grass-fed vs. grain-fed debate is irrelevant when it comes to gelatin/collagen. The reason? It’s so heavily processed, that in the end it’s just protein, peptides, and amino acids. According to ATP, the gelatin or collagen produced from a grass-fed cow would be exactly the same as grain-fed so nutritionally, there is no difference.

I asked Elza what her thoughts were on this and if this theory applied to store bought bone broths as well as they can also be quite processed. This is her response:

Elza: Yes, I believe that most collagen powders are so “processed/refined” to the specific protein only, that it could not matter that much. I do believe ATP Science being more focused on the fitness industry rather than “longevity” has a point and that Gelita company/collagen seems to be pretty legit (their studies backing mostly joint health are pretty solid). Apparently, there is some muscle/ body composition focused studies coming up.

However, I find there are three issues we are not considering when thinking this way:

1. Environmental | Animal Cruelty

Grass-fed and grass-finished, is undoubtedly the best practice when it comes to farming animals in an environmentally sustainable, ethical way. Grass-fed animals most often live with more space to exercise, resulting in a reduced risk of infections and can gain weight in a healthy manner (rather than the most rapid way possible). Grain-feeding, (in my opinion) is a practice used to fatten animals up quickly for sale, in the cheapest way possible. There is an environmental, ethical component to consider here. I personally do not agree with grain-feeding. I only buy grass-fed, organic meat. Anyone who has seen me as a practitioner, knows this is always my advice for a multitude of reasons!

2. Grain Fed Animals Are Sick Animals (often)

Collagen comes from cartilage and bones, primarily. Just like adipose tissue stores toxins and “chemicals” (like antibiotics), bone tissue also stores many substances such as vitamins, and lipids. It is an active organ that produces red blood cells and white blood cells (immune cells). If an animal is constantly sick or on medication to prevent them from getting sick, how is that not affecting the composition of the bone?

So even though I cannot find black-and-white evidence supporting my opinion on this, I find it very narrow to think grass-fed “doesn’t matter”. I believe collagen powder from grain-fed can be good, but can it be as good or better than grass fed? I do not think so.

3. Fatty Acid Profile

An important consideration when looking at the benefits of grass-fed vs. grain-fed is to consider the fatty acid profile. When tested, CLA is not found in grain-fed animals. Or, if it is, the amounts are miniscule. You might be familiar with Bulletproof coffee, and why they add grass-fed and organic butter rather than grain-fed or any other type of butter. The difference in the fatty acid profile between grass-fed vs. grain-fed is noticeable.

*It is worth mentioning that different types of collagen sources are better suited for different functions within the body. For example, collagen from bone (bovine) is best for skin regeneration and elasticity. It does not promote amTOR response (or very minimal, especially when compared to whey protein) which means it might not be the best protein source for muscle synthesis, but for skin – Yes!

Bone Broth: Is bone broth made from grain-fed animals the same as grass-fed and grass-finished

Absolutely not! Bone broth is a food. Good bone broth has or should have LOTS of collagen (which makes sense since that’s the whole point in consuming broth).

Rather than being a “processed and single nutrient” product, bone broth requires little processing. It shouldn’t have to go through excessive heat or dehydration processes, as that could completely change the amino acid/protein profile of the final product. I get that dehydrated broth can be good for traveling, camping etc. but, it is not a superior product in any way, shape or form.

Why do you choose Gevity Rx for bone broth?

There is a reason why I have been a HUGE fan of Gevity for years, and it’s this: their broth is made from bones and salt – that’s literally it! There is no meat in the product. Some companies add meat to offer “more” protein and amino acids; in my opinion, this is unnecessary and takes up space in each serving. With this product, you get exactly what you want - amino acids from collagen (including glycine, hydroxyproline and proline) which are not present in any source of protein.

A huge huge huge plus when it comes to Gevity broth is the Lysine content. Lysine is an amino acid necessary for the production of collagen. So not only does Gevity provide 10x more collagen (I have seen the independent lab report myself), but it also has the supportive amino acids necessary for the “rebuild” of the collagen protein after hydrolysis breaks it all up for absorption.

My Affiliation with Collagen Companies

A comment came up after my last post that I felt was important to address. Essentially, the comment stated that I was only sharing this information on collagen because I was an affiliate with these companies, and I had “vested interest”.

Firstly, it is important to know that this blog post is not sponsored in any way. I was not paid by any company to say anything that I’ve said in this post. I am an affiliate with one of the companies I have recommended - Gelatin Australia. I became an affiliate with this company years ago because I personally use many of their products, and I truly love them and would recommend them to my closest friends and family. I only support brands I truly believe in and would never endorse a product or service I wouldn’t purchase myself!

If you’re not familiar with what it means to be an affiliate, it means that if you click on one of my affiliate links and purchase a product, I receive a small commission. Partnering with brands I love, allows me to keep Life Of Pie running. There are many expenses associated with managing Life Of Pie, from technical fees for maintaining the blog and monthly newsletter, to ingredients costs and recipe testing etc. In order to continue, I do team up with companies I support, such as Gelatin Australia.

At the end of the day my goal is to share resources and information with you, to help you make informed, balanced decisions for you and your family. There are so many resources out there, and I know it’s a challenge weeding through it all! Elza was incredibly helpful in helping me navigate the abundance of research on this topic. If you would love to follow Elza, her Instagram handle is @sciencebased_elzabevi and her website is www.elzabevilaqua.com.

I hope this helped clarify some of your questions, and shed more light on this area! If you’re still interested in learning more, I have compiled extra resources that you may find helpful when researching this topic, below: