Purity, Safety And Potency
Nature’s Sunshine produces the highest-quality supplements. But, what does
quality really mean? We perform ingredient and supplement testing to ensure this
holds true. Our quality boils down to three things: purity, safety and potency.
We can proclaim our products’ purity, safety and potency with confidence because
we test for these things every step along the way. In fact, we have over 600
ingredient and supplement tests at our disposal to ensure that our customers get
the very highest-quality supplements available.
NSP Products Are Pure
Purity testing for supplements and their ingredients is absolutely critical.
One aspect of purity testing includes making sure that we obtain and offer the
correct species and part of the plant that offers the most health benefits. A
few years ago, NSP tested a sample of St. John’s Wort that was purchased from a
large national retail store. Our testing revealed that it was the wrong species
of St. John’s Wort. That particular bottle may have been inexpensive, but it was
also an ineffective product! Nature’s Sunshine has the labs, and we perform
supplement testing on every ingredient so we can provide high-quality
supplements. You can be 100% assured that you will get the correct species and
the correct part of the plant.
Purity testing also guarantees that you get
what is listed on the label and nothing else. What else might you get with lower
quality brands? Try dirt, rock or insects. NSP’s suppliers tell us that if they
can meet our standards, they can meet any standards because ours are the highest
in the industry. We pay more to our suppliers because we require our raw
materials to be cleaned. This is an extra step in the harvesting process, but we
aren’t looking for the cheapest raw materials, we’re looking for the purest raw
materials.
Did You Know?
Raw botanical materials are paid for by weight. Some suppliers will grind up
dirt, stems and rocks that are attached to the botanicals because it adds
weight. It also lowers the amount of beneficial active ingredients. NSP
routinely rejects these adulterated raw materials.
NSP’s High-quality Products Are Safe
Our customers are concerned about their health. Many have compromised immune
systems. Offering safe products is essential, and we have built our reputation
on that. NSP tests for foreign materials and for micro-contamination, such as
salmonella and E. Coli. When harvested, botanicals need to dry properly; if they
are milled while wet they are susceptible to yeast and mold. We run ingredient
and supplement tests for these too. NSP also tests for heavy metal
contamination, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and PCB.
Ingredient and Supplement Testing Is the Only Guarantee
Organic growers strive to offer crops free of chemical additives. But even
organic material requires extensive ingredient testing because pesticides can
travel in the air. The recent E. Coli outbreak in Germany that killed over 20
people came from an organic sprout farm. An organic label isn’t a guarantee of
safety. An NSP label, backed by extensive ingredient testing, is your safety
guarantee.
NSP Products Are Potent
Potency ingredient testing
guarantees that every lot is going to have the
same beneficial active constituents in the same beneficial amounts. A potent
product assures consistent results from high-quality products.
What Didn’t Make the Grade
One of the most common questions Lynda Hammons is asked involves rejecting
material. Currently NSP rejects about two percent of raw material every year
after supplement testing. The Quality Assurance department and the Purchasing
team have worked very hard to reduce that number over the years by finding the
highest quality suppliers and developing strong partnerships with them.
Some Examples of Recent Rejections:
-
An incoming lot of
slippery elm failed the gel test, which means it
didn’t meet activity criteria. The inner bark of slippery elm is the active
ingredient. In this case, the inner bark was mixed with the outer bark and
it didn’t have the correct activity and potency levels. So it was rejected.
- One particular lot of oat straw was rejected for mercury and dirt
contamination
- A shipment of ginseng
contained the pesticide quintozene and was
rejected.
Hallmarks of High-quality Supplements
International Compliance
NSP is fully compliant with all FDA regulations and international
regulations. That means you can be assured that as you grow a global business,
Nature’s Sunshine meets all regulations.
Innovation
NSP works continually to develop and improve products, equipment and
processes. Over 10 years ago, we used a piece of equipment called a DCP for
ingredient testing determining mineral purity. The DCP could detect contaminants
down to parts per million. We subsequently upgraded to an ICP that could test
for parts per billion. Today we use an ICP mass spectrometer that can test for
parts per trillion, which is the equivalent of one drop of water in five
Olympic-size swimming pools!
Responsibility
NSP always pays its bills on time. This not only makes us a good company with
which to work, but it assures quality. For example, if a crop is limited one
year, our suppliers come to us first with their best materials.
NSF Certified
In 2009, NSP received the prestigious NSF certification. NSF is an
independent international certification company. They visit twice a year to
inspect and audit Nature’s Sunshine’s manufacturing facility, procedures and
high-quality products.