The FDA regulates the manufacture of vitamins with the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) establishes and enforces the quality standards for the manufacture of drugs and supplements in the U.S. Vitamin companies are subject to the current Good (GMP), regulations that ensure manufacturing conditions meet a minimum standard. The FDA conducts pharmaceutical manufacture inspections and responds to public feedback in determining sites for investigation. Facilities, equipment, materials and qualification status of employees comprise some of the categories in which the FDA imposes minimum standards.
USP Verification
The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) is a non--governmental, official public standards-setting authority for prescription and over-the-counter medicines and other health-care products manufactured or sold in the United States. USP sets widely recognized standards for the quality, purity, strength and consistency of dietary supplements in more than 130 countries. The USP program audits manufacturers for compliance with USP standards and FDA cGMP standards. The USP verified mark found on a product's label indicates the product contains the ingredients listed on the label, in the declared potency and amounts, will break down and release into the body within a specified amount of time and does not contain harmful levels of specified contaminants. USP verification assures that products have been made according to FDA current GMP's using sanitary and well-controlled procedures.
Relevance
The FDA states the purpose of GMP regulations is the implementation of systems that assure proper design, monitoring and control of manufacturing processes and facilities. A pharmaceutical company that uses this system of controls, if adequately implemented, will help prevent instances of contamination, mix-ups, deviations, failures and errors. These controls extend to practices utilized for packaging, labeling, storage and distribution facilities of vitamin companies. A vitamin or dietary supplement company that achieves GMP certification has demonstrated a commitment to the quality and safety of its product and carries legitimacy in the consumer's view. Often, companies will exceed GMP minimum standards to promote the value of its product.
GMP Certified Vitamin Companies
The following vitamin companies are GMP certified, according to the Natural Products Association: American Health, American Supplement Technologies, Anabolic Laboratories, Inc., Bactolac Pharmaceutical, Inc., Best Formulations Inc., Biholon Inc., BIOSINT USA, Body Fortress, CAPCO Labs, Capsuleworks, Captek Softgel Intl Inc., CC Pollen Company, Century Systems, Inc., Country Life, Creation's Garden Natural Products, Inc., Cyanotech Corporation, Cyvex Nutrition Inc., Earthrise Nutritionals, FoodScience Corporation, GMP Laboratories of America, Inc., Good 'N Natural, Hamida Pharma, Inc., Healthsmart, Herbal Authority, HerbaSway Laboratories, LLC., Highland Laboratories, Inc., Home Health, J and D Laboratories Inc., J.R. Carlson Laboratories Inc., Knox, Life Sciences Laboratories, LLC, M & L Pharmaceutical, Inc., Metabolic Maintenance Products Inc., MET-Rx, Metagenics, Inc., National Vitamin Company, Natrol, Inc., Natural Wealth, Naturalist, Nature's Bounty, Nature's Products, Nature's Way, NatureSmart, NBTY Inc., NHK Laboratories, NOW Foods, NutraMed Inc., Nutrition Now Inc., Nutritional Engineering, Inc., Organic By Nature Inc., Pacific Nutritionals Inc., Paragon Laboratories, Pharmline Inc., Physiologics, Precision Engineered, Protech Nutraceuticals Inc., Pro-X Nutraceuticals, Puritan's Pride, Radiance, Reliance Vitamin Company Inc., Robinson Pharma, Shandong Zhongyuan Greentech Co., Ltd., SIRIO Pharma Co., Ltd., Soft Gel Technology/Optipure, Specialty Enzymes, Tishcon Corporation, Trace Minerals Research, U.S. Nutrition,Valentine Enterprise, Inc., VitaCeutical Labs, Vital Nutrients, Vitamer Labs, Vitamin World, VitaRich Laboratories, Inc., VitaTech, Wellington Foods, Inc., WePackItAll and Worldwide Sports Nutrition.
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