The NSF audit evaluated the firm’s plant, equipment, production process, control systems, documentation and personnel.
The contract manufacturer said its facility was found to meet NSF/ANSI Standard 173 GMP requirements, which are consistent with the US Food and Drug Administration’s GMP regulation for dietary supplements.
The GMP rules, instigated in June, 2007, pertain only to dietary supplement manufacturers, but by implication are passed all the way down the supply chain, and those suppliers that cannot deliver quality products, ingredients and raw materials backed with full traceability and quality paperwork will face an increasingly difficult task to earn business from the mainstream supplements industry.
FDA’s current Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) regulation is being phased in over the period of three years: Last June, dietary supplement companies with over 500 employees became compliant; last month, the majority of players (over 20 employees) were required to meet the new regulations; and as of next June, GMPs will also spread to small firms.