Two weeks out from launching our Monk Cacao Superfood Wellness Blend, everything was coming together. Packaging was nearly done, production ready to roll, and excitement was in the air.
Then - we found out one of our key ingredients was essentially illegal. 😳
Here’s what happened.
A Wake-Up Call from a Gummy Gone Wrong
You may have heard about an incident involving Uncle Frog’s Mushroom Gummies that made headlines recently. Several Australians were hospitalised after consuming their Cordyceps and Lion’s Mane varieties. The incident prompted an urgent product recall and health warnings due to reports of “unexpected toxicity.”
Although the cause of the illness wasn’t Lion’s Mane itself, but more likely contamination from other ingredients, the spotlight turned firmly on this popular functional mushroom. That scrutiny quickly uncovered something most people - ourselves included - had no idea about:
Lion’s Mane is classified as a novel food by FSANZ, meaning it can’t legally be sold as a food or food ingredient in Australia or New Zealand without formal approval.
What Does ‘Novel Food’ Actually Mean?
According to Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ):
“A novel food cannot be a food for retail sale or an ingredient in a food for retail sale unless it is listed in the table to section S25–2 (Sale of Novel Foods) of the Code.”
In short, if it’s not listed in that table, you can’t legally include it in a product for sale. Anyone wanting to use it must submit a full application for safety assessment and approval - a process that can take years.
So there we were. Days away from launch with a product we’d spent months perfecting... that we could no longer legally sell.
The Pivot (and the Upgrade)
We’ve used Lion’s Mane personally in powder form and never had any issues. In fact, we loved it. Whether it’s cognitive enhancement or just the placebo effect, we were all in - happy to be our own test subjects in the name of mesearch.
But we knew we couldn’t move forward selling something that didn’t meet FSANZ standards. So we did what many small businesses have to learn to do - pivot, quickly and decisively.
We reworked the formula, and in the process:
- Increased the protein content
- Boosted the MCT oil (great for brain fuel!)
- And ended up with what we genuinely believe is an even better tasting product.
It All Happens for a Reason
At the time, it felt like the world was caving in on us. But looking back now, we see it for what it was - a blessing in disguise. We created something that we feel even more confident about.
We’re proud of our product. We consume it daily in our own household - because we feel the benefits and believe deeply in what we’ve created. And we want it to benefit the lives of others - you and your loved ones.
To celebrate doing things the right (and legal!) way, we’re offering a special discount this week (ends midnight 30th of March).
🎉 Use code LEGAL15 at checkout for 15% off – feel free to pass it on.
Thanks for being part of the journey - and for choosing the long game, just like we did.