NSF International Announces Dietary Supplements Certification Program

ANN ARBOR, MI, February 12, 2001—NSF International, The Public Health and Safety Company (TM), (www.nsf.org) today announced the implementation of a new Dietary Supplements Certification Program. NSF is offering unique, independent, third party, product evaluation services to the rapidly growing dietary supplements industry. Verification of ingredients listed on product labels and contaminant testing are the basis of the program.

According to Dennis R. Mangino, Ph.D., 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."

The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA) defines "dietary supplement" as any product (except tobacco) containing at least one of the following: vitamin, mineral, herb or botanical, amino acid and/or dietary substance to supplement diet, or any concentrate, metabolite, constituent, or extract.

NSF’s Dietary Supplements Certification Program includes product testing, independent plant inspections and ongoing surveillance to ensure continued protection. Testing for active ingredients, marker compounds and contaminants such as heavy metals, pesticides and mycotoxins are key to the program.

"The Council for Responsible Nutrition and its members want to draw a sharper dividing line between products that are properly manufactured and meeting 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."

To help consumers differentiate between NSF certified products and those not certified, dietary supplements receiving certification will display the NSF Mark. All certified products will be listed at www.nsf.org. Consumers will have direct and free access to this information.

"Any program that is able to assure consumers they are getting quality products is a valuable service to the industry," according to Joseph Betz, Ph.D., Vice President for Scientific and Technical Affairs, American Herbal Products Association. "NSF has the infrastructure and the expertise to implement such a program."

NSF International, The Public Health and Safety Company™, tests and certifies more than 130,000 products worldwide. A global leader 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 Drinking Water Safety and Treatment. Founded in 1944, NSF is an independent, not-for-profit organization, with offices and laboratories around the world.

For more information on product certification, contact Kathleen Pompliano, Business Development Manager, at (800) NSF-MARK, or Pompliano@nsf.org.