During a climate of increased government scrutiny and consumer concerns about the quality of dietary supplements, the USP Dietary Supplement Verification Program can help enhance a manufacturer's competitive position and brand recognition by promoting the manufacturer's commitment to produce quality products for consumers.
Seeing the USP Verified Mark on a dietary supplement label indicates that the product:
- Contains the ingredients listed on the label, in the declared potency and amounts. Tests have shown that contents of some supplements don't match the label and some contain significantly less or more than the claimed amount of key ingredients. USP Dietary Supplement Verification helps assure customers that they are getting the value they expect from a product they are purchasing.
- Does not contain harmful levels of specified contaminants. Some supplements have been shown to contain harmful levels of certain heavy metals (e.g., lead and mercury), microbes, pesticides, or other contaminants. At specific levels these contaminants can pose serious risks to one's health.
- Will break down and release into the body within a specified amount of time. If a supplement does not break down properly to allow its ingredients to be available for absorption in the body, the consumer will not get the full benefit of its contents. USP Dietary Supplement Verification tests products against performance standards.
- Has been made according to FDA current Good Manufacturing Practices using sanitary and well-controlled procedures. Assurance of safe, sanitary, well-controlled, and well-documented manufacturing and monitoring processes indicates that a supplement manufacturer is quality-conscious, and that the supplement will be manufactured with consistent quality from batch to batch.
How do I obtain the USP Verification Mark?
Dietary supplement products that meet the program's strict testing and evaluation criteria are awarded the distinctive USP Verified Mark. The Mark can be used on product labeling, packaging, and promotional materials to help distinguish USP Verified products in the marketplace and aid consumers in their decision-making process. Since the program's inception, the USP Verified Mark has appeared on more than 700 million labels/packages of dietary supplements.
To obtain the USP Verification Mark, manufacturers must undergo:
- Manufacturing facility audit for compliance with USP General Chapter <2750> Manufacturing Practices for Dietary Supplements and FDA current Good Manufacturing Practices (21 CFR Part 111)
- Review of manufacturing and quality control product documentation;
- Laboratory testing of samples of dietary supplements for conformance to standards of quality found in the USP–NF, or to appropriate pharmacopeial or manufacturer specifications and
- Off-the-shelf testing of USP Verified dietary supplements to confirm that the product continues to meet science-based quality standards.