NSF
International Announces Quality Certification Program
12
February 2001
ANN
ARBOR, MI -- NSF International (NSF) today announced the implementation
of a new dietary supplement certification program. NSF seeks to
offer a unique, independent, third party, product evaluation services
to the dietary supplements industry.
According
to Dennis R. Mangino, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer
of NSF, "In the past several years, the dietary supplement industry
has experienced very rapid growth. With that growth has come questions
from consumers and from government regarding the public health safety
and consistency of these products. Our new program is designed to
assist manufacturers in answering those questions."
NSF
has global experience in certification
NSF
International tests and certifies more than 130,000 products worldwide.
With global expertise in standards development, product certification,
management systems registration and educational services, NSF is
the only organization designated as a Collaborating Centre by the
World Health Organization for both food safety and for drinking
water safety and treatment. Founded in 1944, NSF is an independent,
not-for-profit organization, with offices and laboratories throughout
the world.
Plant
inspections and product testing
Verification
of ingredients listed on product labels and contaminant testing
are the centerpiece of the NSF program, along with independent plant
inspections. Contaminant testing will be used to check for the presence
of heavy metals, pesticides, and mycotoxins (poisons produced by
fungi). Testing of ingredients also includes checking for marker
compounds.
Website
listings and NSF marks
To
help consumers identify NSF certified products, dietary supplements
receiving certification will be allowed to display the NSF mark.
Also,
all certified products will be listed on the NSF International website,
www.nsf.org -- which gives consumers
free access to this information.
Industry
views NSF certification in positive light
"The
Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) and its members want to
draw a sharper dividing line between products that are properly
manufactured and meet label claims -- and those that are not," said
John Cardellina, CRN Vice President for Botanical Science. "The
program outlined by NSF International certainly is poised to shine
a bright light on products manufactured to high standards of quality."
"Any
program that is able to assure consumers they are getting quality
products is a valuable service to the industry," according to Joseph
Betz, PhD, Vice President for Scientific and Technical Affairs,
American Herbal Products Association (AHPA). "NSF has the infrastructure
and the expertise to implement such a program."
Certification
program a plus for consumers
According
to the NSF, consumers can be assured that products with the NSF
mark are well made (are produced with solid GMP practices), contain
the ingredients listed on the label in the potencies shown, and
are contaminant free. The NSF mark joins several other quality seals
available to help consumers choose quality products and buy with
confidence.
Sources
NSF
International. "NSF International Announces Dietary Supplements
Certification Program." Press release, NSF International, Ann
Arbor MI, 12 February 2001.
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