The June issue of Nutrition Industry Executive (NIE) magazine included the feature article “The Food Safety Fight: Industry leaders weigh in on the current state of food safety in the natural products industry.” Below is an extension of the article.
The participants are:
• Stan Hazan
Senior Director of Regulatory Affairs and Associate Programs
NSF International
Ann Arbor, MI
•George Pontiakos
CEO & President
BI Nutraceuticals
Long Beach, CA
• Margaret Lawson
Vice President, Regulatory & Scientific Affairs Liaison
D.D. Williamson
Louisville, KY
• Jen Johansen
Vice President of Quality & Regulatory Affairs
Nutrex Hawaii
Kailua-Kona, HI
NIE: Where can industry members get training on ensuring food safety and testing methodology?
Stan Hazan: [The] industry should look for experts in food safety and regulatory compliance either at their trade group or independent third party organizations such as NSF International, which has been providing food safety training for more than 20 years. NSF offers several courses and related training to help industry prepare for, and comply with, FSMA regulations. NSF courses are taught by seasoned subject matter experts who utilize real-world experience to educate professionals on HACCP-based food safety practices.
George Pontiakos: Industry associations and organizations offer several educational resources including seminars, webinars, etc. on ensuring food safety and testing methodology.
Jen Johansen: Training in Food Safety can be obtained locally through State branches of the Food Institute of Technology. NSF and NPA (Natural Products Association) provide quality GMP training opportunities. Certifying organizations (Non-GMO Project, Gluten Intolerance Group) can steer you toward a better understanding of appropriate test methods. Utilize FCC (Food Chemical Codex) and USP (U.S. Pharmacopeia) Monographs for dietary supplement identity and contaminant testing standards.
NIE: How do suppliers and manufacturers ensure that they comply with government regulations in regard to foods safety?
Hazan: By implementing food safety plans that incorporate effective prerequisite programs and HACCP-based food safety management plans, food processors can increase the likelihood of compliance with the new food safety rules. However, third-party audits and consulting are powerful tools in helping companies identify shortcomings from a risk assessment and risk management standpoint.
Pontiakos: The most important thing suppliers and manufacturers can do is to completely understand the government regulations; they can get convoluted with amendments, exemptions, etc. Once they are understood, suppliers and manufacturers can determine whether or not action needs to be taken to comply.
Margaret Lawson: Most suppliers and manufacturers have a regulatory staff that monitors and interprets the government regulations; working closely with the quality and formulation scientists to ensure compliance. Trade associations are essential to provide guidance on existing and new regulations to the industry.
Johansen: To keep your quality and compliance at a gold standard level train, invest, utilize a robust active internal GMP audit system, obtain third-party certifications through NPA or NSF, and participate in trade organization such as the United Natural Products Alliance and Council for Responsible Nutrition.
NIE: What can the industry do to put consumers at ease when buying supplements?
Hazan: NSF International developed the NSF Dietary Supplement and Certified for Sport® programs to address the concerns of consumers and athletes about the safety of dietary supplements and sports nutrition products. Companies that wish to demonstrate their commitment to safety and quality to their customers and consumers can earn NSF certification for their products to these programs.
The NSF Dietary Supplement Certification program is based on the American National Standard for nutritional supplements – NSF/ANSI Standard 173. The program includes:
- Label claim review: to verify what’s on the label is in the bottle
- Toxicology review: to verify product formulation and label claims
- Contaminant review: testing to verify there are no harmful levels of specific contaminants in the product.
- Facility Inspection: two good manufacturing practice audits of the plant annually to assure the product produced has the identity, strength, composition, quality and purity that it is represented to possess.
- Ongoing monitoring: to verify compliance through periodic auditing and testing
The NSF Certified for Sport product certification program goes a step further by screening products for nearly 200 banned or prohibited substances. The NSF product certification mark on product labels is the ultimate testament to the products’ compliance with GMPs.
Pontiakos: Educate. The supplement industry is already complex for those of us in the industry; imagine being a consumer with no prior knowledge—it can be overwhelming. Also, as stated above, providing safe product is both an individual and team effort. Each organization must do their own part to build a quality supply chain. One bad link disrupts the whole chain.
Johansen: [The] industry can gain consumer confidence by being transparent, by providing scientific substantiation and full disclosure of ingredients on labeling.
NIE: Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Hazan:The deadlines for publication of the final FSMA rules has been extended and therefore compliance requirements deadlines have been extended. If FDA’s implementation of previous rulings is any indication, many of the requirements based on FSMA rules will not be required before 2016 or 2017. At this point, training and education is crucial in laying the foundation for successful FSMA compliance for the future.
