By Carey Rossi on February 22, 2012 in
Bottles of vitamins, minerals and herbs line the aisles of grocery, drug and health food stores, but determining which brand to reach for can be nerve wracking. In an industry that doesn't have direct oversight by the Food and Drug Administration, knowing that you're purchasing a quality dietary supplement requires some diligence. Here's how to insure that the bottle you take home is as safe as possible.
Vetting the manufacturer
The thing about supplement manufacturers is that there are three types: Those that make their own nutritional products in-house; those that contract other companies to make their products; and those that use a third party to do everything -- manufacturing, order processing and shipping.
As a consumer, you want to deal with the first two types of companies because they determine formulations, hold inventory, do quality control, provide customer service, handle shipping (to customers, distributors or point-of-puchase), and provide technical support for their product lines.
And how do you know whether the label on the bottle names a company you can trust?
Check the bottle. Look for:
- Address (no P.O. Box)
- Phone number
- Website address
- Lot number
Then, contact the company and inquire about manufacturing processes and facilities with the lot number and name of the product. A good company will respond to emails and other written correspondence in a month or two with photos and an explanation, as well as agree to a tour of their processing facilities when asked. An open-door policy reveals a commitment to satisfying customer concerns.
Company control
As we mentioned before, the FDA doesn't directly oversee the safety of dietary supplements so product quality falls directly on the shoulders of the manufacturers. However, the FDA monitors all larger supplement companies because of their depth and breath in the marketplace--think, larger product lines. Another thing about larger companies is that they must abide by the same Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) that food products do, which include but are not limited to clean facilities and unspoiled ingredients.
What's more: An increasing number of supplement companies are adopting pharmaceutical GMPs. Those who do may qualify for licensing and inspection from the FDA. How can you tell if the company whose bottle you hold in your hand follows the pharma GMPs? Look for the USP (U.S. Pharmacopeia) on the label; it denotes quality, purity and potency. Another clue is the certification of a third party testing organization, such as USP, Natural Products Association (NPA) and ConsumerLab.com. For more on USP verification and a list of USP-verified products, see USP Dietary Supplements. In addition, the NPA provides GMP certification to companies that request it; they're listed here. ConsumerLab.com performs similar independent testing and verification of dietary supplements.
In the raw
Part of quality control is a company's openness about the ingredients they use. Do they reveal their quality control measures? This includes providing a Certificate of Analysis from their wholesalers, holding raw ingredients in quarantine until purity testing can be completed, and the production.
For insight on this, look for "cold-process" on the label of vegetable extracts and digestive enzymes. On these products, this is especially important since heat destroys the antioxidants and vitamins, specifically vitamin C and folic acid.
On the outside
The condition of the bottle is the most important clue to the safety of your supplement. If the container isn't well-sealed then the active ingredients inside may be compromised rendering them useless, or worse, contaminated. A supplement bottle should have seal on the outside of the container, such as shrink wrap -- if not, don't purchase it. There should also be an internal seal or a seal that is well affixed to the bottle's mouth--if not, return it.
Use these tips to insure piece of mind when buying any type of dietary supplement.