GRMA Committees and Taskforces
How to Get Involved as a GRMA Member
The GRMA could not exist without our vibrant members. Industry leaders and experts make up our Board, Committees, and Task Forces. They’re committed to advancing quality safety standards in three industries: Dietary Supplements, OTC Drugs, and Cosmetics/Personal Care.
Our members have exciting opportunities to get involved in the GRMA so they can make positive changes for years to come. Continue reading to explore more.
Learn about our Committees & Apply
The Technical Committee enables members to take an active role in advising the governance board over matters related to the stewardship of GRMA certification program. Committee members are charged with supporting the committee charter and engaging through the following activities:
- Normative Reference, Education & Grievance Oversight – Communicates updates on audit standards. Clarifies any challenges or inconsistencies affecting adherence to the standards. Oversees the resolution of any complaints from members.
- Audit Integrity & Benchmarking Requirement Management – Provides technical input to the tools and processes that the GRMA uses for consistency.
- Protocol & Guidance Document Surveillance – Manages and provides guidance on unique practices or exemptions, e.g. the virtual/remote auditing policy from 2020-2021.
To maintain balance, the GRMA seeks to have the Technical Committee co-chaired between a retailer member and manufacturer member. The co-chairs also have a place on the Governance Board. Here, they represent the Technical Committee’s interests and priorities.
Each month, on a volunteer basis, members meet to address the most pressing issues as defined by the Chair(s). Because the certification program makes such a significant impact within the industry, members of the Technical Committee are in a unique position to influence industry outcomes. While their work is largely “behind the scenes,” what they do directly impacts manufacturers, retailers, and certification bodies (CBs).
Members within the Technical Committee thrive on collaborating across functions. They’re focused on year-round partnership and continuous improvement. They look for ways to continue sharing best practices between retailers and manufacturers.
Expected Involvement & Commitment – Members will not receive compensation for involvement and are expected to be active participants in the committee or sub-committees as established by the charter. We would expect members in these (sub)committees to volunteer approximately 2-4 hours/month for projects, calls, and planning.
The Advisory Committee functions as an independent advisory group to the GRMA Board. They discuss issues or challenges within the industry as they relate to quality, regulatory, and consumer safety. They then bring those concerns to the GRMA Board to discuss and address.
Members on this committee are advocates for the organization and member community and are contributing on a voluntary basis. This committee strives to be a liaison between manufacturers, retailers, CBs, and the GRMA governing bodies. They focus on the membership community by taking a broader, more strategic view of the industry and consumer safety. Because they represent a diverse membership, they must maintain an unbiased position.
This committee is more of an issues-based group that meets as needs arise.
Expected Involvement & Commitment – Members will not receive compensation for involvement and are expected to be active participants in the committee or sub-committees as established by the charter.
Goals & Objectives:
The Product Integrity Committee is focused on developing and harmonizing to a single, voluntary standard for dietary supplement products that establishes the following:
- Product integrity and label verification requirements used to validate dietary ingredient identity, strength, and composition for retailers.
- A common requirement for qualified labs to be assessed and recognized by the GRMA.
- Method performance requirements to test for identity and claim (assay) aligning with AOAC’s Standard Method Performance Requirements (SMPR) approach.
- Recommendations for limits on contaminants.
The work product of the Product Integrity Committee will enable a centralized product testing database that is intended to minimize multiple and redundant testing requirements for manufacturers and streamline the product verification process for retailers.
Committee Participation:
Membership in the committee is on a volunteer basis, and will be open to representatives across all interested sectors including manufacturing, retail, commercial testing, product certifiers, public health and NGOs for the Product Integrity Committee. The goal is to have a diverse group of members to ensure a robust and rigorous standard rooted in science. Ideal Committee members will
- Be supportive of the Committee’s objective and agree to the governance of the Committee’s charter
- Have a strong technical background
- Thrive in a collaborative environment
- Have the ability to support positions/ideas presented to the group with technical justification
- Maintain an active Platinum membership in the GRMA
- Make a contribution to support the initiative
The GRMA will also be accepting Active Observer & Industry Leader applications organizations.
Expected Involvement & Commitment – Members will not receive compensation for involvement and are expected to be active participants in the committee or sub-committees as established by the charter.
Goals & Objectives:
The Probiotic Working Group is focused on developing a harmonized set of requirements for probiotic dietary supplement products by:
- Assessing best practice requirements within the IPA Manufacturing Guideline, NSF/ANSI 455-2 GMP standard for dietary supplements, and any additional cGMP requirements.
- Drafting an updated GMP checklist.
- Advise the GRMA Technical Committee and Board of the proposed formal changes to the GRMA Dietary Supplement Certification Program. (Formal changes may include the submission of issue paper(s) to the 455-2 Joint Committee, creating an addendum protocol, etc.)
- Establishing a Label Focus Group to review labeling practices.
Working Group Participation:
- Membership in the Working Group will be open to representatives across all interested sectors including manufacturing, retail, commercial testing, product certifiers, public health and NGOs for the Working Group. The goal is to have a diverse group of members to ensure a robust and rigorous discussions and decisions within the Working Group are rooted in science. Ideal members will:
- Be supportive of the Working Group’s objective and agree to the governance of the Working Group’s charter
- Have a strong technical background
- Thrive in a collaborative environment
- Have the ability to support positions/ideas presented to the group with technical justification
- Maintain Platinum Manufacturing Membership
- Able to volunteer approximately 2-4 hours/month for projects, calls, and planning.
Become Part of the CBD Taskforce
The CBD Taskforce is the quintessential example of how members drive change within the GRMA. Members identified an opportunity to help provide structure, guidance, and clarity in the hemp and CBD industry – both as a product and as an ingredient.
Members meet as a collective taskforce on a monthly basis and then break up into specific working groups as needed. The CBD Taskforce consists of members who focus on best practice requirements and advise the Technical Committee and Board. Below are a few ways the Taskforce does this.
- Develop Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) guidance documents that identify unique clauses beyond the NSF/ANSI 455s
- Identify a reasonable, harmonized set of voluntary best practice for retailers and manufacturer members
- Enable members to have collaborative discussions around COAs, Chain of Custody, Testing, and Labeling practices.
Members within this taskforce are driven to pave new paths, contribute, and collaborate. They recognize that industry challenges with CBD are complex and require cross-functional partnership. Because of that, they’re always on the lookout for ways to share best practices and guidance between manufacturers, retailers, and other key industry functions.
Expected Involvement & Commitment – Members will not receive compensation for involvement and are expected to be active participants in the committee or sub-committees as established by the charter. We would expect members in this Taskforce to volunteer approximately 2-4 hours/month for projects, calls, and planning.
Grab a Seat at our Retailer Roundtable
The retailer roundtable provides an opportunity for qualified retailer and distributor members to collaborate and discuss non-competitive quality and safety challenges within our industry. This group acts as a member steering committee to the GRMA. They help spot issues or challenges within the industry from a quality, regulatory, and consumer safety perspective.
Expected Involvement & Commitment – Members will not receive compensation for involvement and are expected to be active participants in the committee or sub-committees as established by the charter. We would expect members in this roundtable to volunteer approximately 2-4 hours/quarter for projects, calls, and planning.
Become a GRMA Member & Get Involved
Our members are the heartbeat of our organization. Without them, the GRMA simply wouldn’t exist. We enthusiastically welcome new members within the manufacturing, retailer, certification body, and trade association community. If you’re passionate about advancing quality and safety standards within dietary supplements, OTC drugs, and cosmetics, you have a place within the GRMA.
So, whether you’re a current member who’s not yet involved or a not-yet member who’s interested in joining the GRMA, we’d love to hear from you.
Fill out the form below, and we’ll be in touch!