 Don't buy this for it's taste - Not for the Faint of Heart |
| Review Date: February 27, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Amazon Gal, USA |
I've been drinking Spirulina in my smoothies for over 17 years. It tastes like seaweed (salty and fishy). At home I mix this with frozen fruit and water. It will take overpowere ANYTHING that it is mixed with.
Over time you can acquire the taste. It is lauded having excellent health benefits such as promoting a healthy immune system.
I feel better after drinking it. It does leave an after taste.
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The Best Spirulina... So Far
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| Review Date: March 12, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Andrey Shavlovskiy, Tampa, FL USA |
| Well, got this spirulina about 1 year ago and I almost finish this bag. Before i used NOW Spirulina, i didn't like that much. I was surprised how much better tastes this one. It came to me in "metallic" Zip Bag - every time i open the bag it smells like fresh spirulina. And i think the price is competitive as well. |
Spirolina review
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| Review Date: April 24, 2009 |
| Reviewer: T. Kiehnau, |
| The product seems to be just fine and arrived within days of placing the order. I would definitely buy from this vendor again. |
Origin China
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| Review Date: July 10, 2009 |
| Reviewer: red mark, |
I bought it when I saw USDA Organic on the picture.
The item I received has no USDA logo , and it say origin : China.
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Lack of Labeling & Information
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| Review Date: July 27, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Qtpiebme, |
Spirulina is great, however, ordering this 1 pound bag has me questioning the company and their marketing tricks. The picture is of powder with a USDA organic label. The actual bag will arrive in a silver package, with a crooked sticker on it stating what it is, where it came from (China) and the company info: Starwest Botanicals. There is no other information on the package. No USDA Organic sticker/label. No Nutritional Information. No Serving Size. No FDA approvals of any sort. I think this is meant to be a fertilizer for my plants. The package and sticker look just like some Botanical flower pot fertilizer that I use....
But besides the package and lack of FDA and USDA approval. I did open the package to see what it looked like, smelled like, and tasted like. The powder mixes and tastes fine to me. I would have liked to see some Nutritional information.
I will continue to order spirulina, however, I WILL NOT be using this bag or Starwest Botanicals.
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MADE IN CHINA, so I threw it away.
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| Review Date: March 16, 2010 |
| Reviewer: L. M. L. Wilson, Marin County, CA USA |
I threw out this product as soon as I saw on the package that it was MADE IN CHINA.
After the recent, tragic food contamination events in China (contaminated milk that resulted in infant deaths, contaminated pet food that killed hundreds of pets) and the shocking revelation that the USDA rarely and superficially inspects imported foods for possible contamination, I throw out anything edible that comes from China. It makes no difference to me that it bears the USDA Organic stamp, and I'll explain this below.
I need to see dependable evidence that the Chinese are taking measures to clean up their end of food inspection, analysis, and production before I trust food grown/manufactured in China.
NEWS: Since October 2005, most of "organic" spirulina was from the USA. Two major USA companies have both ceased production of "organic spirulina" due to the USDA terminating the use of a fertilizer (sodium bicarbonate extracted from sea water) which was originally permitted as an "organic" feed for the growth of spirulina. Since sodium bicarbonate is extracted and made to be used in chemical form, it cannot pass the USDA test as an "organic" substance.
I could have sent a letter of complaint to the seller. I could have sent back the product. That's not the point.
I want sellers of food or anything I put into my body and on my skin to tell me, the consumer-customer, where the product is grown and where it is processed and packaged.
My consumer reviews on Amazon are my way of alerting other consumers about product issues and concerns. Remember, the consumer-customer is king. If we don't buy, they don't stay in business.
I now purchase the more expensive spirulina that is grown, processed, and packed in vacuum packed bottles in Hawaii. It's not the cheapest spirulina available. I'll pay more for safety and quality for things I put into my body that affect my health.
Two other sources of spirulina I would trust are (1) Earthrise Farms in California's Sonoran Desert, [...]; and (2) Australian Spirulina, Product of Australia in Darwin, Australia on Australia's tropical northern-central coastal area, [...]. The Austrailian government' stringent controls over food quality would put our USDA to shame.
Hawaii grown spirulina is sold under the brand, Nutrex Hawaii, Hawaii Spirulina Pacifica. I phoned their offices in Kailua-Kona Hawaii and asked about their products which are grown, processed, and packaged in glass bottles in Hawaii. They use Kona deep sea (2000 ft depth) water. This information is also on their website. You can call them yourself toll free at 1-800-453-1187, or write to them: Nutrex Hawaii 73-4460 Queen Kaahumanu Hwy, Suite 102, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii 96740.
Spirulina is grown in tropical climates because it needs maximum sunshine. You can buy spirulina products grown in India, China (southern areas) Taiwan, Thailand and Mexico (the Mexican facility may no longer exist). Japan is too cold to grow its own spirulina products, so I assume Japanese companies source their spirulina from other countries. There is a grower of spirulina in Okinawa but it is for research purposes only and not for commercial production.
CONCLUSION: Always ask the seller where, exactly, your food/spirulina is grown. Always seek food grown in the cleanest environment (pollution free air, water, and soil). Become a food detective. Most people research the car they want to buy more thoroughly than the food they put into their children's mouths.
TEST: Of these five things, which would you least want to have destroyed or eliminated: (1) Your car (2) Your TV (3) Your house (4) Your job (5) Your body and health. There is only one correct answer. Nothing else matters if you die prematurely from slow food poisoning.
Keep well. You only have one body to live in.
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Poor customer service
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| Review Date: May 14, 2010 |
| Reviewer: N. Aronson, |
| I previously bought the spirulina and the product itself was great, so I ordered it again. However a month after the shipping was said confirmed, I still have not received the product. I have sent emails to both Amazon and HerbsPro and HerbsPro gave me a phone number to call and the name of someone to speak to. However, I have called numerous times only to be put on hold for over 30 minutes each time, so I had to hang up. This was very disheartening, and while I do think the StarWest Botanicals company makes great products, I am very unhappy that the company could not reimburse me or send me a duplicate. |
Cautions! Buying Organic Product From China...
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| Review Date: June 7, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Kino Master, Arlington, TX |
| When I bought this Spirulina powder I was not aware that its from China, where there is no Organic standard nor any food standard. This was not disclosed until I received the shipment. |
Chinese powders CANNOT be trusted
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| Review Date: July 4, 2010 |
| Reviewer: J. Williams, Philadelphia |
I was EXTREMELY disappointed to see the following text on the product label: "Origin: CHINA"
NOWHERE in the Amazon listing for this item does it disclose this information.
I used to think Starwest Botanicals was a trustworthy brand, but I will never blindly trust them again.
I'm not a fanatic when it comes to products from China but, when it comes to a powdered food item, there is no room for uncertainty. It would be incredibly easy to add any kind of filler to this product, toxic or innocuous. I do not trust the Chinese merchants or authorities to ensure quality and I know the US inspectors do not do enough to verify the purity of imported products.
Demand quality. Find a product that does not come from China (or any other dubious region). Force Starwest to become a reputable merchant again. |
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