Understanding the CITES Certificate and Its Role in the Hoodia Trade

In one of my previous articles I outlined the thirteen things to look for when you buy hoodia to prevent getting scammed. One of the important things I highlighted in that article was the CITES certificate. If you do any research online you’ll read about the importance of the CITES certificate and how this simple document can go a long way in proving that what you are buying is authentic.

You probably know that looking for a CITES certificate is important, but do
you really understand what it is and why looking for one is so critical?

To help me with this article, I turned to the good folks from Hoodia Hoodia. As one of the largest importers of hoodia gordonii in the world, they have the inside track and a full understanding of the CITES. They were kind enough to give me the information I needed to put this article together.

The hoodia gordonii plant is currently found in only five countries: South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and parts of North America (California and Arizona). The only international markets that have been open to buyers and exporters, however, have been South Africa and Namibia (as of 2007). The hoodia gordonii plant is scarce - so much so that it is classified as an endangered species. In an effort to protect the plant from extinction, various controls and regulations were put in place regarding the harvesting and exporting of hoodia gordonii.

On of those controls was the CITES certificate. CITES, which stand for, “Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora,” is an international agreement between governments. The aim of this agreement is to protect endangered species and to ensure that international trade does not threaten their survival.

Before any company can export hoodia gordonii from South Africa they must obtain a CITES certificate. These certificates are valid for six months. If the hoodia gordonii isn’t exported within that time frame, the company must reapply for another one before it can legally export the hoodia gordonii from South Africa. Every shipment of hoodia gordonii that leaves the ports in South Africa must be accompanied by a CITES.

The date shown on the CITES only reflects when it
was issued to the exporting company.

This is an important point to remember because some consumers make the mistake of assuming that in order for a CITES to be valid, the date shown on the certificate must be current. If the date on the CITES is several months old, that doesn’t necessarily mean it is invalid or “fake.” It could simply mean that the company exporting the hoodia was slow to get it shipped and brought to market, or had a large shipment that will last many months - or a combination of both. Let me explain:

Remember I said that every shipment of hoodia gordonii from South Africa must be accompanied by a CITES. Furthermore, I said that companies have six months from the time they are issued a CITES to export their shipment. Some companies may wait until the sixth month before they ship their hoodia. In this case, the CITES certificate would already be “six months old” before the hoodia gordonii leaves the ports! In addition, a shipment may contain several thousand kilograms of hoodia gordonii that may take several months to sell. Since the CITES stays with the original shipment, the date on the CITES certificate could be a year old or more!

As you spot CITES certificates on the websites of companies selling hoodia, keep these points in mind. The date on the certificate may be several months old but that doesn’t mean anything. In most instances, the CITES is still valid and still provides concrete proof that the company uses authentic hoodia gordonii in their product. Now, how much they specifically use in their products is another issue all together, but nonetheless, it still proves they use at least some authentic hoodia gordonii.

The company name shown on the CITES certificate isn’t always the same
name of the company selling the end product.

For example, you may be interested in buying a hoodia supplement from “Harry’s Hoodia.” You go to their website and you view their CITES certificate. Everything checks out except you notice the company name shown on the CITES is a company called, “Hoodia Brokers Inc.” You immediately start to question the validity of the CITES because after all, shouldn’t the company listed on the CITES be Harry’s Hoodia? Not necessarily.

There are only a handful of companies that are issued CITES to export hoodia gordonii from South Africa. Some of these companies are raw materials suppliers. All they do is export raw material, such as hoodia gordonii, and then resell it to supplement companies who use the materials in their products. In my example, Hoodia Brokers Inc. would be a raw materials supplier. They were the company that applied for the CITES and actually exported the hoodia from South Africa. They in turn sold their shipment of hoodia to Harry’s Hoodia. That is why the name on the CITES certificate isn’t the same name as the company actually selling the end product.

It is very common in the supplement industry to have raw material suppliers who buy raw material and then resell it to supplement companies. Don’t assume that a CITES is pirated or fake if the name listed on it isn’t the same as the name of the company selling the end product. The company you are buying from in most instances is just displaying the CITES that was issued to the raw materials supplier they purchased their hoodia from.

Finally, a CITES certificate doesn’t prove how much authentic hoodia gordonii is actually used in a given hoodia supplement.

Since hoodia diet pills are classified as supplements, they are not regulated. Companies have a lot of leeway in what claims they can make. For example, you may be interested in a hoodia diet pill that supposedly contains 500mg of authentic hoodia gordonii per capsule. You go to the company’s website and sure enough, they display a CITES certificate. You assume their hoodia supplement contains 500mg of authentic hoodia gordonii. That would be great if that were true all the time, but it might not necessarily be the case.

The only thing a CITES certificate proves is that a company was given the right to export “X amount” of hoodia gordonii from South Africa.

Once the supply is exported, the supplier and any company purchasing hoodia from the supplier can do what they want with the hoodia gordonii. A company can claim they sell an authentic 500mg hoodia gordonii capsule supplement. They may even have a CITES to prove they use authentic hoodia gordonii. However, how much hoodia gordonii is actually used in the product is totally up to the company’s discretion. It is for this reason alone you also want to look for independent lab test results. Only a scientific test can determine how much authentic hoodia gordonii is actually used in a given hoodia supplement.

This article gives a basic understanding of the CITES and its role in the hoodia trade. You now know why they are important to look for when buying hoodia to avoid being scammed!