NOW Foods Sodium Ascorbate Powder 3 lbs

What it is

NOW Foods Sodium Ascorbate Powder is a buffered vitamin C powder sold in a 3 lb jar holding 1361 grams of net weight. The front of the jar describes it as "Pure, Buffered" and as a Vitamin C Powder, and it is labeled as a dietary supplement that is vegetarian and vegan, with a Non-GMO mark beside the net weight statement. One serving is a 1/2 level teaspoon, roughly 1.9 grams of powder, and the panel counts about 716 servings in the jar.

The whole formula is a single compound. Both rows of the Supplement Facts panel — the vitamin C and the sodium — are drawn from sodium ascorbate, and under the panel the label states "Other ingredients: None." What is in the jar is the salt and nothing else. You will find it alongside the rest of our Supplements range.

What's inside

Sodium ascorbate is the sodium salt of ascorbic acid, which is the chemical name for vitamin C. Plain ascorbic acid carries an acidic hydrogen; in the salt, that hydrogen has been replaced by sodium. That single substitution is what the word "buffered" on the front of the jar is pointing at, and it is also why the label prints two nutrient rows instead of one. Sodium is a nutrient with its own established Daily Value, so when it arrives as part of the vitamin C compound rather than as an added ingredient, it has to be declared in its own right.

The numbers on the panel bear that out. A 1.9 gram serving is declared as 1,670 mg of vitamin C plus 210 mg of sodium — 1,880 mg between them, which is the serving weight to within rounding. Their ratio is about 7.95 to 1, and the ratio you would predict from the molecular weights of ascorbic acid and sodium is about 7.66 to 1. The panel's arithmetic is consistent with a jar of sodium ascorbate and very little room for anything else, which is the same thing the "Other ingredients: None" line says in words.

The side panel also describes the powder in physical terms: non-bitter, non-acidic, and highly soluble. Ascorbate is a water-soluble nutrient, which is why it dissolves readily and why vitamin C is normally taken on a regular basis rather than banked. The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements publishes a consumer fact sheet on vitamin C covering the nutrient in general terms, and the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database holds label records for products in this category. Neither agency reviews, tests or endorses this product.

Reading the asterisk. The front of this jar carries a short phrase marked with an asterisk, and the side panel carries a longer paragraph with several more. That mark is a labeling convention rather than decoration: the FDA explains what a structure/function claim is, and why a manufacturer who makes one must also print the disclaimer that appears at the foot of this page.

Supplement Facts

The 1856% figure is the vitamin C amount measured against the 90 mg adult Daily Value used on current US nutrition labels, and the 9% figure is the 210 mg of sodium measured against the 2,300 mg Daily Value. Both are label arithmetic rather than a recommendation.

How to use it

The label's suggested usage is one 1/2 level teaspoon daily. A standard measuring half-teaspoon, leveled off, is what matches the panel figure of approximately 1.9 grams.

Storage is equally brief: store in a cool, dry place after opening. A further printed line tells you that natural color variation may occur in this product, so a jar that is slightly off-white from the one before it is within what the manufacturer expects. The jar is marked "Please Recycle".

Why the 3 lb jar

This is the bulk format of the powder, and the arithmetic is the reason to choose it. At a 1/2 teaspoon serving, 1361 grams works out at about 716 servings — a supply measured in months rather than weeks, and close to two years at one serving a day. If you already know this is the form of vitamin C you use, the jar removes the reordering cycle almost entirely.

That horizon changes which of the label's lines actually matter. "Store in a cool, dry place after opening" reads like a throwaway instruction on a small bottle finished in a few weeks; on a jar that may stay open for a year or more it is the instruction that governs how the powder behaves at the end. Fine powders of this kind take up moisture from humid air, and a wide-mouth jar opened daily sees more of that air than a narrow bottle does. Decanting a few weeks' worth into a smaller sealed container and leaving the main jar shut is a reasonable way to handle a pack this size.

The label's "sold by weight not volume" line also lands hardest here. On a 3 lb jar the headroom above the powder can look substantial; fine powders settle in transit, and the label says in advance that the jar is filled to a weight rather than to a line.

Who it's for

This jar suits an adult who already takes vitamin C in powder form and wants the largest pack of it. Powder appeals to people who would rather measure a nutrient than swallow a capsule, and the buffered salt form appeals to people who specifically want the non-acidic, non-bitter version described on the side panel rather than plain ascorbic acid. Browse the wider Antioxidants and Health & Wellness categories if you are still comparing formats.

One label figure deserves a second look before you commit to a pack this size: each serving also carries 210 mg of sodium, 9% of the Daily Value, so anyone counting sodium in their diet should read that row rather than only the vitamin C one.

Good to know

• Allergen statement: not manufactured with wheat, gluten, soy, milk, egg, fish, shellfish or tree nut ingredients. The panel adds that it is produced in a GMP facility that processes other ingredients containing these allergens — a distinction that matters if your sensitivity is severe.
• Dietary marks: the front of the jar is marked Vegetarian/Vegan and carries a Non-GMO mark.
• Manufacturing: the jar panel carries a "GMP Quality Assured" roundel. A separate NOW information card in this listing's gallery shows the Intertek GMP certification mark; that mark appears on the card, not on the jar itself.
• Company: the panel reads "Family owned since 1968" and gives NOW Foods, 395 S. Glen Ellyn Rd., Bloomingdale, IL 60108, USA.
• General safety background: NCCIH publishes an overview of dietary and herbal supplements and what to discuss with a clinician before starting one.
• Printed caution: for adults only. Consult a physician if pregnant or nursing, taking medication, or managing a medical condition. Keep out of reach of children.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much vitamin C is in one serving of this powder?

One serving supplies 1,670 mg of vitamin C, listed on the panel as 1.67 g and as 1856% of the Daily Value.

Does this jar contain anything besides sodium ascorbate?

No — the panel's Other Ingredients line reads "None." No filler, flow agent, sweetener or flavoring is listed, and the two nutrient rows on the panel both come from the same sodium ascorbate.

Why does the label list sodium as well as vitamin C?

Sodium is declared because it is part of the vitamin C compound itself, not an added ingredient. Sodium ascorbate is the sodium salt of ascorbic acid, so each 1.9 gram serving carries 210 mg of sodium — 9% of the Daily Value — alongside the 1,670 mg of vitamin C.

How is this order packaged and shipped?

Orders ship in plain, unmarked outer packaging. It will not show the Gear Isle name.

Product information compiled and reviewed by the Gear Isle product team. We transcribe supplement facts directly from manufacturer packaging. Found an error? Tell us.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Dietary supplement for adults 18 and over. Consult a licensed healthcare professional before use, especially if you have a medical condition, heart concerns, or take prescription medication (including nitrates). Keep out of reach of children.