La Belle is one of the pioneers in developing colostrum efficacy studies to help consumers select top quality products. Because we use only the purest colostrum straight from nature, our products offer exceptional bioavailability. If you want to feel confident that you're buying the world's best colostrum, check the label on your product for the brand name La Belle.

4. Why is colostrum from La Belle superior to colostrum from New Zealand?
New Zealand has a solid reputation for its dairy products like cheese and eggs, which is why many people believe that this extends to their colostrum too. Yet this isn't actually the case, as most colostrum from New Zealand is collected 24-48 hours after a cow gives birth. At this point, the New Zealand colostrum will have a lower amount of nutrients and immunoglobulins than colostrum that is collected earlier, as it is closer to the composition of milk.

La Belle only uses the purest colostrum straight from nature, for better bioavailability. If you're looking for a high nutrient quotient, this will make a significant difference to the quality of your supplement.

5. Why is "first-milking" colostrum so important?
Colostrum taken from first-milking is colostrum that has been taken within the first day after the mother cow has given birth. First milking colostrum is critical because the number one factor for the quality of your colostrum is bioactivity - how much of the vital nutrients are complete. After 24 hours, the nutrient levels of colostrum drop considerably, as the secretion becomes closer to the composition of milk. In order to obtain the highest quality of nutrients, you need to collect the colostrum within a very careful time frame.

At the same time, be wary of marketing claims about 6 hour colostrum - colostrum collection at dairies is a set times of the day, and stating that the colostrum is "6 hours" merely obscures the issue.
 
 
6. What are Grade "A" dairies?
Grade "A" dairies are dairy herds that follow the standards that the United States Department of Health sets down in the Milk Ordinance. Grade A dairies follow special standards in handling, processing and evaluation of their products Ü all the way from raw to final product.
 
7. Do pasture-fed dairy cattle produce inferior colostrum, when compared to cows that are fed a healthy well balanced diet?
Successful U.S. Grade A dairies supply their cows a well balanced diet that includes multiple grain sources along with vitamin and mineral supplements. These diets definitely help to ensure that the colostrum and milk that is produced is of the highest quality. On the subject of pasture-fed cattle, we have not found any research that claims that pasture-fed cattle produce inferior colostrum. It's important to note though, that with pasture-fed the possibility of environmental contaminants is a concern (such as pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides).
 
8. Is there any difference between powder and capsules?
Colostrum provides benefits whether taken in either powder or capsule form. The key is not the form that it comes in, but the bioavailability of the colostrum.
 
9. Will colostrum interfere with my other supplements or medications?
We have not uncovered any studies that show side effects with other medications. But it's always a good idea to talk with a medical professional for advice regarding your medications and any changes to your regimen.
 
10. Is La Belle a licensed and inspected food processor, specifically for colostrum products?
Yes. For colostrum destined for the human market, La Belle follows the laws, protocols and facility requirements dictated by Washington's Food Safety Program, California's food processing codes and the FDA. La Belle also uses current good manufacturing practices according to 21-CFR 110 (U.S. code), and has a well developed Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point program, following the requirements of Annex 5 of the U.S. Food Code. Also, colostrum falls under the guidelines set out in the US Code of Federal Regulations - DSHEA.

As well, on the animal feed side, La Belle maintains two USDA registered establishment licenses for the preparation of veterinary biologics. USDA registered producers are required by law to prove the efficacy of their products in actual clinical trials. These trials are run to prove that a particular product (colostrum) is actually bioactive and has a proven benefit for its intended use, helping consumers to place their confidence in tested products.
 
11. Does La Belle produce their colostrum in-house?
This is an excellent question. As one of the top colostrum ingredient suppliers in the world, La Belle processes all our liquid colostrum in our own facilities. We turn raw colostrum from U.S. farms into a finished powder that is then packaged for the wholesale human market. We manufacture and produce over 350 metric tons of colostrum a year.

Producing our product in-house from start to finish allows us to control every aspect of our process to the highest standards of quality.

Be sure to ask your supplier if they are involved in the complete cycle - from collection to processing and manufacturing. If they're not, ask who the source for their colostrum is. If Otis not La Belle, ask your supplier for our colostrum - because if it's from La Belle, you can always be sure of the highest quality supplement.
 
12. Does La Belle collect from a large number of Grade A dairy cows to ensure that the colostrum contains the widest range of immune-factors?
Absolutely! La Belle is currently approved by numerous state food and agriculture agencies to draw colostrum from a four-state region. La Belle has almost five thousand dairies, and 2.2 million head of dairy cows to draw from in these four states (which equals approximately 25% of all dairy cattle in the U.S.).

La Belle can easily be considered one of the largest and most respected producers of colostrum in the world today.
 
13. What quality control guidelines does La Belle follow for the collection and processing of colostrum?
La Belle has a complete cGMP and HACCP program, which applies stringent controls on the dairies from which we collect our colostrum. CGMP (current Good Manufacturing Practice) and HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Plan) are systems to help guarantee the safety of products. For more details, read about our quality control in Quality Processing.
 
14. Do I have to worry about possible pesticide or antibiotic contamination of the colostrum?
No, we are fortunate to draw all of our colostrum from U.S. dairies, whose safety and product quality are models for the rest of the world. Pesticide contamination of Grade A dairy cattle feed is tightly monitored and is not an issue for colostrum produced in the U.S. (Pesticide contaminated colostrum may be a concern for products produced outside the US). Antibiotic usage, especially beta-lactam usage (a form of antibiotics), is also tightly monitored. Beta-lactams are not allowed into the human milk supply, and hence not allowed in the human colostrum supply.
 
15. What is the difference between low fat colostrum versus whole?
Both whole and low fat colostrum contain the immune and growth factors so beneficial to humans - such as immunoglobulins, IgF-1, lactoferrin, and cytokines. With whole colostrum, you get the added benefits of the lipoproteins ? including CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid), sphingomyelin, butyric acid, ether lipids, beta-carotene, and vitamins A and D that have anticancer potential (see Parodi, P.W., 1998, J Dairy Sci 82: 1339-1349). The benefit of a low fat colostrum is that gram/gram you get a higher level of immune factors. For instance, typical whole colostrum (first & second milking) has an immunoglobulin content of 15 to 18% IgG wt/wt. Low fat colostrum has an immunoglobulin content of 19 to 22% IgG wt/wt. La Belle produces both of these products, along with other concentrated colostrum products.