In an effort to ensure quality dietary supplements and enhance consumer trust, Amazon recently announced that USP has been selected as a participating certifier in Amazon’s Compliance Fast-Track Program.
This means that supplements bearing the USP Verified Mark are automatically recognised as meeting Amazon’s enhanced safety and quality requirements, eliminating the need for manual submission of documentation and enabling faster, seamless access to Amazon’s market.
“Seventy-five per cent of American consumers use dietary supplements and these consumers are increasingly turning to online marketplaces to purchase products that support their health and well-being."
"However, not all dietary supplements are created equal,” explained Holly Chang, Vice President of Verification Technical Services at USP.
“Many consumers are unaware that dietary supplements are not bound by the same stringent regulations as pharmaceutical products, making it all the more important for marketplaces such as Amazon to take an active role in preventing substandard products from reaching their customers.”
“Amazon’s decision to strengthen quality oversight for dietary supplements sold on the platform is a positive step for the entire industry,” said Emily Rose Britton, PhD, Senior Manager of Market Development, Dietary Supplement & Ingredient Verification Programs at USP.
“USP’s recognition as a participating certifier reflects the programme’s rigorous standards and supports a broader effort to improve product quality and transparency for consumers, manufacturers and retailers alike.”
USP’s Dietary Supplement Verification Program is a voluntary offering that's to manufacturers of dietary supplement finished products from around the world.
Products in this programme are verified through a comprehensive and rigorous testing and evaluation process, which recurs annually, helping to ensure that USP Verified products continue to meet quality standards.
The USP Verified Mark serves as a universal seal of quality, which is recognisable to retailers/consumers and indicates that a dietary supplement
- contains the ingredients listed on the label in the declared strength and amounts
- does not contain harmful levels of specified contaminants, such as heavy metals and pesticides
- complies with FDA Good Manufacturing Practices using sanitary and well-controlled processes
- will break down and dissolve within a specified amount of time so the dietary ingredients can be released and absorbed by the body.
More than 160 dietary supplements have received the USP Verified Mark, including multivitamins, single vitamins such as B, C, and D, minerals including iron and magnesium, and other supplements such as probiotics, botanicals and melatonin.
The USP Verified Mark confirms that what’s on the label is what’s in the bottle — demonstrating trusted quality to consumers and healthcare practitioners, differentiating products from others on the market and helping brands to comply with retailer quality requirements, such as those from Amazon.