By Sean Moloughney, Editor09.07.17
It’s certainly no secret that the dietary supplement industry has historically had problem categories and ingredients that have been the subject of economically motivated adulteration. For example, the FDA, FTC, and industry trade groups have all acknowledged issues with weight loss, bodybuilding, and sexual enhancement products, calling out bad actors and prosecuting criminals when warranted.
Meanwhile, over the past two-plus years since the New York Attorney General essentially force-fed DNA barcode testing to the supplement industry, testing labs and experts have worked hard to educate companies about the technology, its limitations and issues, and how it can be properly implemented within a broader testing plan. Just as there’s no single, magic bullet solution to weight loss, there’s no single test method that can ensure quality, safety, and efficacy of every product every time.
By law, companies are required to test products using scientifically valid methods that are specific to their intended purpose. Steven Dentali, PhD, botanical sciences expert, noted that analytical methods are simply tools that can be applied within a quality control/assurance program. “Testing is integral to ensuring that established specifications are met. A test, whereby a method is followed and results reported and compared to a specification, is basic quality control. The value of a test derives from its place in a quality program and the understanding that it helps assure the practices and procedures of a quality program are working. It’s not of value on its own, which is why it’s appropriately said that you can’t ‘test in’ quality. It has to be built from the ground up.”
With more than 2 billion people overweight or obese around the world, there’s an excess of opportunities in the multi-billion-dollar market for weight management/wellness products. These opportunities apply to responsible companies that build their products on foundations of quality, but also the fly-by-night types that are looking to turn a quick profit.
With proper quality control systems in place, your company will be on firm footing. Appropriate application of validated testing methods can help to keep your company on the right path.
Meanwhile, over the past two-plus years since the New York Attorney General essentially force-fed DNA barcode testing to the supplement industry, testing labs and experts have worked hard to educate companies about the technology, its limitations and issues, and how it can be properly implemented within a broader testing plan. Just as there’s no single, magic bullet solution to weight loss, there’s no single test method that can ensure quality, safety, and efficacy of every product every time.
By law, companies are required to test products using scientifically valid methods that are specific to their intended purpose. Steven Dentali, PhD, botanical sciences expert, noted that analytical methods are simply tools that can be applied within a quality control/assurance program. “Testing is integral to ensuring that established specifications are met. A test, whereby a method is followed and results reported and compared to a specification, is basic quality control. The value of a test derives from its place in a quality program and the understanding that it helps assure the practices and procedures of a quality program are working. It’s not of value on its own, which is why it’s appropriately said that you can’t ‘test in’ quality. It has to be built from the ground up.”
With more than 2 billion people overweight or obese around the world, there’s an excess of opportunities in the multi-billion-dollar market for weight management/wellness products. These opportunities apply to responsible companies that build their products on foundations of quality, but also the fly-by-night types that are looking to turn a quick profit.
With proper quality control systems in place, your company will be on firm footing. Appropriate application of validated testing methods can help to keep your company on the right path.
