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I Got My Product In The Mail And The Smell, Taste, Texture, Or Color Is Different From Other Batches I Have Received. Is There Something Wrong With It?

This is one of the most common questions and there seems to be a lot of confusion so we would like to clear this up. Mother nature provides us with these wonderful herbs and Superfoods and because these are natural foods and not sprayed with synthetic chemicals and pesticides and they are not made in a lab (like synthetic vitamins and drugs) there will be natural differences from harvest to harvest and batch to batch. Variance from batch to batch can be caused by many factors, including the time of year it was harvested, farming techniques, the climate (especially rainfall), how quickly it was dried and milled into a powder after it was harvested, the drying temperature/technique, how fine the powder is milled, soil conditions and quality, time of year, how much moisture still remains in the dried powder (yes, dry powder still contains some moisture), how fresh it is, how it was stored after it was milled into a powder and various other factors. Beyond that powders will drastically vary if they are whole food powders, juice powders, or extract powders, each of which may be freeze dried, low temperature dried, or high temperature dried (see question 3 below for more details).

Alfalfa is a great example. We carry an alfalfa juice powder and a whole food alfalfa powder, each of which are 100% pure and low temperature dried. Alfalfa is usually grown and harvested 3 times a year and each season the taste, smell, color, and texture is slightly different due to multiple factors mentioned above. Both types of alfalfa are still 100% pure and dense in nutrients, but they will appear different depending on which harvest they come from.

Another example is our premium maca vs. our regular maca. Both types come from the same maca root, but there is a significant difference in smell and taste. The premium maca is harvested and immediately ground into a pulp without being dried first, while it is still fresh. The regular maca is first dried and then ground into a powder. Because both types of maca are dried in a different way the smell and taste is much different between the two types.

Milk thistle is a powder that we carry in both extract and whole food powder form. Both powders look and taste totally different and the extract powder is water soluble while the whole food powder will not totally dissolve in water. Both powders are excellent quality, but they taste and look totally different from each other even though they are both 100% pure with nothing else added.

Over the years we have seen thousands of different batches of different powders from all over the world. We are very familiar with the variance of each powder so you can rest assured that even if the powder looks different from what you are expecting we will not sell any product unless it meets our high quality standards and has passed laboratory testing.

What is the best way to take powders?

Probably the easiest way to take most powders is to mix the powders with a little juice or water in a shaker cup. The shaker cup makes it easy to mix the powder and drink quickly. Different powders have different tastes and some can be pretty strong. Despite this, strong tastes can usually be covered up pretty well with a little trial and error. Powders are often incorporated into teas, smoothies, yogurts, salads, soups, fruit juices, or other foods etc. It may take some experimentation to find what works best for you.

In general the flavor of most of the vegetable, herb, root, leaf, and grass powders can be covered up pretty well using a vegetable juice like V8 which you can find in almost any grocery store. Grapefruit juice can be good for covering up strong tastes of some bitter tasting powders. You may also try some sweet juices to cover up other powder flavors. And if you make a smoothie in the blender with frozen fruit or ice cubes you can mask the flavor of many powders pretty well. Using cacao powder to make a chocolate drink can also be helpful. For instance, Reishi mushroom, Mucuna pruriens seed and make powders are well masked by the flavor of chocolate.

If you still don't like the taste of a powder you can try getting empty capsules and putting the powder in capsules.

What Is The Difference Between A Whole Food Powder, An Extract, And A Juice Powder?

For each of these types of powders there can be dramatic differences in smell, taste, appearance, consistency, and cost between the 3 different types of powders.

Juice powders are water soluble because they are made up of the juice and do not contain other parts of the fruit so they will fully dissolve in water, or other liquids. A whole fruit powder is not water soluble because it contains the entire fruit which may include the fiber, cellulose, seeds, and sometimes skin of the fruit. An extract is usually water soluble and contains specific, concentrated nutrients from the botanical that have been extracted. While extracts may concentrate certain components of a botanical, some constituents may be destroyed or left out by the process. For this reason, extract powders may work differently in the body than their whole fruit or herb counterparts.

How Many Servings Do I Get Per Lb Of Powder?

Each powder is a little bit different and some are more voluminous than others, but for most powders the measurements below are good approximations: 1 lb of powder = 50 tablespoons
1 lb of powder = 150 teaspoons
1 teaspoon = 3 grams (3000 mg)
1 tablespoon = 9 grams (9000 mg)
1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons
1 lb - 454 grams (45,360 mg)
1 kg = 2.2 lbs

0 size empty capsules hold - 408 mg - 816 mg
00 size empty capsules hold - 546 mg - 1092 mg
000 size empty capsules hold - 822 mg - 1644 mg

Why Do Some Products Say Organic And Others Don't?

If a product says organic in its name, then it has been certified organic under the USDA National Organic Program (NOP). All of the products we carry are grown organically without chemicals or pesticides, but some do not carry the USDA certification. These products are either certified in other countries, wildcrafted, or cultivated without chemicals, pesticides, genetic modification or radiation treatment. While we prefer USDA certified organic products, obtaining the USDA certification can be a lengthy and costly process for many suppliers that already practice organic farming and offer excellent quality products. We conduct additionally testing on products that have not been certified organic to ensure that they are free from chemicals, heavy metals and other contaminants.

Why Are Some Products Freeze Dried And Others Are Not?

Certain products must be freeze dried to preserve their nutrients and prevent them from spoiling. But the nutrients in most products can be preserved through low temperature drying. So when possible we use low temperature drying which means the product is still raw and retains all of the vital nutrients and enzymes.

How Can I Pay For My Order?

We accept Visa/MasterCard/Amex/Discover, PayPal, and Money Orders. Just select your method of payment when placing an order. If you are sending a money order please print out a copy of your order and make your money order payable to:

Z Natural Foods
5407 N Haverhill Rd #336
West Palm Beach, FL 33407

We recommend that any funds sent to our office are sent in a way that you can track. We will ship your order upon receipt of the funds.

Is It Safe To Use My Credit Card?

Absolutely. Z Natural Foods is hosted on a secure server and uses 256-bit Secure Socket Layer technology to process orders. SSL is the industry standard today for secure commerce transactions. All of your personal information, including credit card number, name, and address, is encrypted so that it cannot be read as the information travels over the Internet. Also, submitting your credit card information simply places a “hold“ on your account for the funds required; your credit card is not actually billed until your order is shipped.

Will I Be Charged Sales Tax?

We are required to charge Sales Tax of 6% on taxable items shipped within the state of Florida. However, most food products are exempt from sales tax. Our shopping cart will automatically calculate any necessary tax.

Do You Ship Orders On Account?

No. We require all orders to be paid prior to shipping.

What If You Don't Have All Of The Items In Stock?

If an item you ordered is out of stock, we will e-mail you to see if you want a substitution (if one is available) and/or if you want the remainder of the order sent without the out-of-stock item. If we do not receive a reply to our email by the above-noted cutoff time, we will hold your order until we receive the item in stock or a response to our email.

How Do You Handle My Private Information?

At Z Natural Foods, LLC we protect your privacy as if it were our own. We dislike junk mail, spam and telemarketers as much as you do, so when you order from Z Natural Foods, LLC all of your information is kept in complete confidence. We use the information you provide to us for the following purposes only: to process your order(s), to reply to your questions, provide our newsletter via email, and to incorporate your feedback into improvements to our Website. We will not give, sell, or rent your personal information, including email address, or specific account activity to anyone for any reason without your prior consent except as required by law and when we believe that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights and/or to comply with a judicial proceeding, court order, or legal process served on our Website. See our full Privacy Notice for more information.

Do You Accept Returns?

Because of the perishable nature of the products we sell, we cannot accept returns on many items. However, if there is a problem with your order, please let us know and we will do what we can to make it right. Customer satisfaction is very important to us.

Have Questions We Didn't Answer?

If you have additional questions, please contact us or give us a call at 1-888-ZNFoods (1-888-963-6637). We always appreciate your thoughts and suggestions on how we can make our site more helpful for you.

What Are Your Shipping Methods And Transit Times?

All orders ship from South Florida, USA.

Our domestic shipping methods available are:

FedEx:
FedEx Priority Overnight - Next Day (Morning)
FedEx Standard Overnight - Next Day (Afternoon)
FedEx 2Day - 2 Days
FedEx Express Saver - 3 Days
FedEx Ground - Varies by location.

United States Postal Service (USPS):
Priority Mail - 2 to 3 Days, sometimes longer.

Transit times are estimates only. We encourage you to order with enough time to avoid any possible delays. If you are shipping to a P.O. Box or a military address your order will have to be sent using the United States Postal Service.

Our international shipping methods available are:

FedEx:
FedEx International Economy
FedEx International Priority

USPS:
USPS Priority Mail

Do You Accept Returns?

Products may be returned up to 30 days after purchase if they are unopened and in resellable condition. Opened food items and powders cannot normally be returned. However, if there is a problem with your order, please let us know and we will do what we can to make it right. Customer satisfaction is very important to us.
Some of our supplements in capsules including products like Peak Male and EmpowHER may be returned up to 120 days after purchase.

How Do I Qualify For Free Shipping?

Orders with a product total exceeding $75 (after any applied discounts) shipped to the continental USA will qualify for free standard shipping. We will either ship your order FedEx Ground or USPS Priority; whichever is most appropriate. Unfortunately, we cannot extend this offer to our international customers. The extra expense, paperwork, and risk involved with international shipping just doesn't make it feasible.

Is There A Cut-Off Time For Orders To Ship The Same Day?

Yes, generally FedEx Ground orders placed before 12:00 pm EST and FedEx Express orders placed before 3:00 pm EST are shipped the same day. Orders placed using the United States Postal Service before 12:00 pm EST are shipped the same day. For an order that comes in after the cutoff, we will try our best to get it out the same day, but it may not ship until the following business day.

Can My Order Be Shipped On My Shipping Account?

If you have an account with FedEx or UPS and would like your shipping fees to be charged to your shipping account, please call us and we can do that for you over the phone.

When Will My Order Ship?

We typically ship orders within 1 day after the payment is received excluding holidays and weekends.
Most orders will be shipped via FedEx or USPS.

Have Questions We Didn't Answer?

If you have any other questions, please get in touch with us by going to Contact Us link at the bottom of this page.

Purchasing Gift Certificates

To send a Gift Certificate you need to go to our Send Gift Certificate Page. You can find the link to this page in the Shopping Cart Box in the right hand column of each page. When you send a Gift Certificate, you need to specify the following. The name of the person you are sending the Gift Certificate to. The email address of the person you are sending the Gift Certificate to. The amount you want to send. (Note you don't have to send the full amount that is in your Gift Certificate Account.) A short message which will appear in the email. Please ensure that you have entered all of the information correctly, although you will be given the opportunity to change this as much as you want before the email is actually sent.

When Will My Order Ship?