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GFSI recognition of GRMA dietary supplement program reflects collective commitment to safety of consumers worldwide

The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), The Consumer Goods Forum’s Coalition of Action on food safety, and Global Retailer & Manufacturer Alliance (GRMA) recently announced that the GRMA Certification Program v1.2, NSF/ANSI 455-2 Dietary Supplements has successfully achieved recognition against GFSI Benchmarking Requirements v2020.

• The recognition encompasses GFSI Scope K – Production of (Bio) Chemicals and Bio-Cultures Used as Food Ingredients or Processing Aids in Food Production. 

The big picture: This recognition means that GRMA's dietary supplements certification program meets the strict, rigorous standards governing the content and management of third-party food safety certification programs.

Why it matters: CRN President & CEO Steve Mister noted in a recent announcement, “Years ago, we recognized the important role retailers play in ensuring the safety of dietary supplements, but also saw the potential issues with each retailer having their own standards for determining quality and safety of the supplements they sell. This could lead to unnecessary duplication and confusion. GRMA's efforts to create one coordinated GMP audit standard help reduce costs, avoid inconsistencies, and ensure better protection for consumers." CRN is a proud founding supporter and continuing member of GRMA.

The GFSI certification process addresses several issues within the dietary supplement industry by: 

• Establishing harmonized standards for third-party audits, helping to replace inconsistent and conflicting quality and safety requirements and audit standards from multiple stakeholders. 

• Reducing “audit fatigue”—where companies are strained from undergoing multiple, overlapping audits to satisfy different retailer requirements—by consolidating these audits into a unified approach.

• Aiding in regulatory compliance, mitigating the risk of non-compliance and associated penalties. 

• Providing a competitive edge, facilitating market access and acceptance globally by demonstrating adherence to internationally recognized standards. 

How we got here: GRMA has been focused on meeting the global benchmark (GFSI Scope K) for dietary supplements for several years, according to Allyn Shultis, executive director of the nonprofit, member-driven organization. “Achieving this milestone significantly enhances our Dietary Supplement GMP certification program, benefiting our members, auditees, and advancing our mission to elevate quality standards in the health and wellness industry,” said Shultis. “This recognition is more than a testament to the integrity of our program; it embodies our collective commitment to the safety and well-being of consumers worldwide.” 

What’s next: This recognition paves the way for even broader adoption of the GRMA standards by retailers looking to underscore their commitment to providing quality dietary supplements. This third-party GMP audit standard will also help ensure dietary supplement manufacturing facilities meet the stringent legal and regulatory requirements required to produce quality, safe dietary supplements for the U.S. market.