Paleo Foundation FAQ: Certifications, Standards, and Heavy Metal Testing
Frequently Asked Questions About the Paleo Foundation What is the Paleo Foundation? The Paleo Foundation is a third-party certification organization founded in 2010 that operates four certification programs: Certified Paleo, Keto Certified, Grain-Free Certified, and Heavy Metal Tested & Certified...
Frequently Asked Questions
About the Paleo Foundation
What is the Paleo Foundation?
The Paleo Foundation is a third-party certification organization founded in 2010 that operates four certification programs: Certified Paleo, Keto Certified, Grain-Free Certified, and Heavy Metal Tested & Certified (HMTc). The Foundation audits food products, supplements, and consumer goods against published standards and licenses qualifying products to display its certification marks. The Paleo Foundation is led by CEO Karen Pendergrass and operates globally from its base in the United States.
How long has the Paleo Foundation been operating?
The Paleo Foundation has been operating continuously since 2010, making it one of the longest-running diet-specific certification organizations in the world. Over that time it has certified thousands of products across hundreds of brands in every major retail channel.
Is the Paleo Foundation a government agency?
No. The Paleo Foundation is an independent, private certification organization. Its certification marks are federally registered trademarks with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, but it is not a government entity. This is the same model used by other well-known certification programs like UL (Underwriters Laboratories) and the Non-GMO Project.
Certified Paleo
What does Certified Paleo mean?
Certified Paleo means a product has been independently audited by the Paleo Foundation and verified to comply with the Certified Paleo Standards. Specifically, the product contains no grains, no legumes, no dairy, and no artificial additives, and has been laboratory tested to confirm gluten and gliadin levels below 10 parts per million. See our full guide: What Does Certified Paleo Mean?
How do I get my product Certified Paleo?
The certification process involves three rounds: ingredient audit, documentation review, and laboratory testing. The process typically takes 4 to 8 weeks from application to approval. See How to Get Paleo Certified for a complete walkthrough, or apply directly.
What ingredients are not allowed in Certified Paleo products?
Certified Paleo products may not contain any grains or pseudograins (wheat, corn, rice, oats, quinoa, etc.), legumes (soybeans, peanuts, lentils, chickpeas, etc.), dairy (milk, cheese, butter, whey, casein), artificial colorings, artificial preservatives, artificial sweeteners, or artificial flavor enhancers. For a complete list of grains and pseudograins, see Are Grains and Pseudograins Healthy?.
What is the gluten testing threshold for Certified Paleo?
Certified Paleo products must test below 10 parts per million (ppm) for both gluten and gliadin. This is stricter than the FDA's 20 ppm threshold for gluten-free claims. Testing is conducted by ISO-accredited laboratories using competitive assay methods.
Keto Certified
What does Keto Certified mean?
Keto Certified means a product has been independently verified to meet the Paleo Foundation's ketogenic diet standards, including category-specific net carbohydrate thresholds and a defined list of disallowed ingredients. Unlike the unregulated term "keto-friendly," Keto Certified is a third-party verified claim backed by published standards. See the Keto Certification Guide.
What are the net carb limits for Keto Certified products?
Net carbohydrate limits vary by product category. Snack products must contain no more than 6 grams of net carbohydrates per serving. Meals, condiments, and auxiliary products have their own category-specific thresholds. The standards also account for ingredients with reduced digestibility, such as prebiotic fiber.
Can a product be both Certified Paleo and Keto Certified?
Yes. Many products qualify for multiple Paleo Foundation certifications. A product that meets both the Certified Paleo Standards and the Keto Certified Standards can display both marks. Brands like Chomps carry multiple certifications.
How is Keto Certified different from other keto certifications?
The Paleo Foundation's Keto Certified program is distinguished by its published, transparent standards with category-specific thresholds, its defined disallowed ingredients list, its federal trademark registration, and its 15-year organizational track record. See the Keto Certification Guide for a detailed comparison.
Grain-Free Certified
What is Grain-Free Certified?
Grain-Free Certified means a product has been verified to contain no grains or pseudograins of any kind, including wheat, corn, rice, oats, sorghum, millet, teff, quinoa, buckwheat, and amaranth. It also requires testing below 10 ppm for gluten and gliadin.
What is the difference between grain-free and gluten-free?
Gluten-free means a product does not contain gluten (found in wheat, barley, rye, and debatably oats). A gluten-free product can still contain corn, rice, and other non-glutenous grains. Grain-free means no grains at all. Every grain-free product is inherently gluten-free, but not every gluten-free product is grain-free. See Grain-Free vs Gluten-Free for a detailed explanation.
Heavy Metal Tested & Certified (HMTc)
What is HMTc?
HMTc stands for Heavy Metal Tested & Certified. It is a certification program operated by the Paleo Foundation through heavymetaltested.com that verifies food products, supplements, and consumer goods have been tested for eight toxic heavy metals (lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury, nickel, aluminum, chromium, and tin) and meet published safety thresholds.
What heavy metals does HMTc test for?
HMTc tests for all eight metals of primary concern in food: lead (Pb), arsenic (As) with speciation for inorganic arsenic, cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni), aluminum (Al), chromium (Cr), and tin (Sn). See the Heavy Metal Testing Guide for details on each metal.
Why does heavy metal testing matter for food?
Toxic heavy metals are found in many common foods due to environmental contamination, agricultural practices, and manufacturing processes. Lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury are particularly dangerous because they accumulate in the body over time and can cause neurological damage, kidney disease, cancer, and developmental harm in children. There are no federal requirements to test most food products for heavy metals in the United States, which means consumers have no way of knowing what's in their food unless the product has been independently tested and certified. See our research on heavy metal contamination as a systemic enterprise risk.
Is HMTc the same as "heavy metal free"?
No. No food product is completely free of heavy metals because trace amounts exist naturally in soil and water. HMTc certifies that products have been tested and meet defined safety thresholds for each metal, category by category. The HMTc standards are designed to keep brands continuously improving without turning normal variability into a commercial catastrophe, while ensuring any product bearing the mark is supported by evidence under a defined surveillance protocol.
For Brands
How much does certification cost?
Certification pricing varies based on the number of SKUs, the certification program(s) selected, and the complexity of the product line. Visit the pricing page or contact us for a quote.
How long does the certification process take?
The typical timeline from application to approval is 4 to 8 weeks. Timeline depends on the complexity of the product formulation, the responsiveness of documentation submissions, and laboratory testing schedules.
Can I certify products internationally?
Yes. The Paleo Foundation certifies products from brands worldwide. For information on keto labeling regulations in specific markets, see the International Keto Labeling Regulations guide.