Growing, Harvesting and Selection
Since many ingredients used in vitamins and nutrients are natural products such as herbs, they are of course grown.  A quality nutritional company should be fully vested and involved in the growing, harvesting and selection process.

This involves making sure that the correct percentage of the active ingredient is obtained, the correct part of the plant is used, and even the correct plant is used.  This last point might seem like a “no-brainer”, but there have been instances a lot of counterfeit products flooding the nutritional market.
Due to growing and harvesting methods of a plant, mineral content can vary by over 900%, likewise its phytochemical nutrients can range from very potent to virtually inactive.
A quality nutritional company should be fully active in this process due to the fact that in sourcing raw materials, a nutrient wholesaler can provide a Certificate of Analysis that does not tell the whole story, thus leaving the door open for inadequate and sometimes dangerous product.