The move comes hot on the heels recent endorsement of the product label registry by the American Botanical Council and the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA). The registry is being spearheaded by the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN).
“This is another example of the industry working together to give consumers what they deserve: confidence to know the products they take each and every day are safe and beneficial. As part of our commitment to supporting the suppliers, manufacturers, consumers and regulators of the natural products industry, NPA offers our full support for this new and exciting initiative,” said NPA Executive Director & CEO Daniel Fabricant, Ph.D.
“This is a project that NPA Chairman Mark LeDoux and I have been discussing since I was still at the FDA. We are already receiving positive feedback from early participants in the program, and we urge the rest of our members to get on board. The success of this initiative depends on strong participation from all corners of the natural products market and we expect the program to be a tremendous benefit to everyone involved.”
Access
The Supplement OWL will be live later in April with the release of the public interface of the registry. The Supplement OWL allows users to access the registry through the internet and to search product entries by brand name, ingredient, health category and a host of other options. The registry provides ingredient listings, serving sizes, a copy of the Supplement Facts box, and other information about the supplements.
A second tier includes additional information that may be voluntarily submitted by each dietary supplement manufacturer. For example, manufacturers may choose to include information such as third-party cGMP certifications, product specifications, documentation of supply-chain and/or production sustainability programs, or other product credentials. Manufacturers have the option to determine who will have access permission to view the information submitted in Tier 2. This section will include a nominal charge.
“The Supplement OWL is the result of a great deal of bold initiative, forethought and creative thinking by many in the industry. We appreciate that leaders at NPA and its members, like GNC, were involved early in the brainstorming process of what an industry-run registry might entail. Working with our partner, UL, and many others in the industry, these leaders helped craft the early framework for the Supplement OWL,” said Steve Mister, CRN’s President & CEO. “We are delighted that NPA is urging its membership to participate in this effort.”
TruLabel
“NPA was one of the early pioneers in assembling its members’ labels through its TruLabel Program going back to the 1990s,” Mister acknowledged. “Even before the online access and search capabilities offered by today’s technology, the TruLabel program captured basic product details for NPA’s members. Today, the Supplement OWL offers sort and search abilities and full online access for retailers and consumers to complete images of product labels.”
Fabricant added: “NPA will soon be announcing details of its new TruLabel testing program. This component of TruLabel will strengthen the program and provide even more details and resources to increase the accuracy of product labeling and ingredient authenticity. As the Supplement OWL expands, we are hopeful that these test results can also be made part of the registry and help to inform retailers and consumers about products in the marketplace.”