by Stephen Daniells
NutraIngredients-USA is pleased to announce the finalists for the NutraIngredients-USA Awards 2019… the winners will be announced at our awards evening in New Orleans on June 3rd.
by Brad Kelechava
Many Americans depend upon dietary supplements to fortify their nutritional intake. According to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), “3 out of every 4 American consumers take a dietary supplement on a regular basis.” Unfortunately, the connection between the consumer and the benefits of dietary supplements isn’t always clear. In some cases, supplements have been found to contain ingredients that are harmful to consumers and in others unsubstantiated claims have been made about their ability to treat health conditions. All of this erodes consumer confidence in the dietary supplements market.
Voluntary consensus standards and related conformance systems help to assure safety and quality in dietary supplements as a component of industry self-regulation and an adjunct to the regulatory framework. As the voice of the US voluntary consensus standards system, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is playing a key role in bringing together stakeholders to dialogue on this issue. In December 2018, ANSI and the Global Retailer and Manufacturer Alliance (GRMA) hosted a Dietary Supplements Stakeholder Meeting in Washington, D.C. on how to advance the quality and safety of products marketed in the United States.
ANSI is convening a follow-up Dietary Supplements Standardization Coordination Meeting to continue this discussion on May 13, 2019. Any interested stakeholder (e.g., manufacturers, retailers, government agencies, trade and professional associations, and consumer advocates) can attend. Read more at the ANSI Blog: Dietary Supplements Standardization – How ANSI is Striving for Safety and Quality
by Hank Schultz
Manufacturers can now get a gap assessment as to where they stand under the new GRMA standards, which apply to dietary supplements and other product categories. Read more.
by NSF International
NSF International now providing interim gap audits to new GRMA standards while working toward accreditation to provide official GRMA certification for dietary supplements, cosmetics/personal care products and OTC drugs. Read more.
Contact: Randall G. Slikkers, MBA
202-587-5647
rslikkers@grmalliance.org
Newly-developed audit integrity program aims to help eliminate “audit fatigue,” redundancy and associated costs in the areas of Cosmetics/Personal Care, Dietary Supplements and Over-the-Counter Drugs
WASHINGTON D.C. – The Global Retailer and Manufacturer Alliance (GRMA) received notification of ANSI-accreditation (American National Standards Institute) on the newly-developed 455 standards for Cosmetics/Personal Care, Dietary Supplements and Over-the-Counter Drugs.
“These standards are an integral part of a ground-breaking audit system. They are the first of their kind in the industry,” stated Randy Slikkers, CEO of GRMA. “It is our intention that the standards adoption in these three key high-risk product categories will advance product quality and safety for consumers while improving the audit process.”
Established in 2014 by a robust group of retailers, manufacturers and certifying bodies, the GRMA membership collaborated on the creation of the standards for the audit process.
“The inherent credibility of an ANSI standard and related audit scheme will provide for the elimination of the expense, time and interruption caused by redundant audits faced by all manufacturers. This will allow manufacturers to redirect those efforts into improving quality systems,” explained Mike Finamore, CEO, Gemini Pharmaceuticals, Inc and GRMA Board Chair. “This needed adjustment to a broken system promises to provide efficiencies and improvements to all parts of the manufacturer/retailer relationship.”
Christine Summers, Assistant General Manager over product safety and quality and environmental compliance for Costco and GRMA Board Vice President, believes that ANSI accreditation was a critical part of the process. “Having NSF and GRMA utilize the ANSI open and transparent consensus-building process ensured that all stakeholders were a part of building the standard. Everyone had buy-in and as a result the standard is very robust and will appeal to consumers, manufacturers, and retailers looking to ensure the highest product safety and quality.”
Several pilot audits were completed in Q4, 2018 and the first certification audits will begin in February 2019. “The feedback and contributions of the certifying bodies, retailers and manufacturers who participated in the training and pilots were invaluable to this initiative,” commented Slikkers.
The GRMA is in the process of identifying future consumer product categories for standards development.
Retailers, manufacturers and other industry stakeholders interested in learning more about GRMA membership may contact: kathyking@grmalliance.org
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The Global Retailer and Manufacturer Alliance (GRMA) is a 501 (c)(6) nonprofit collaboration led by major retailers, manufacturers, certification bodies and industry stakeholders. The alliance was formed in 2014 to develop consensus-based auditing standards for cosmetics/personal care, dietary supplements, over-the-counter drugs and other consumer products.
by Jennifer Grebow
In Nutritional Outlook‘s 2018 Best of the Industry Awards, we are recognizing individuals, groups, and companies whose initiatives today may help shape, for the better, the state of the dietary supplement and food and beverage industries for years to come.
by Stephen Daniells
Consensus-based standards for dietary supplements developed by the Global Retailer and Manufacturer Alliance (GRMA) will be published very soon, says the alliance’s president.