ANAB Launches Accreditation Program for Global Retail and Manufacturer Alliance Certification

ANAB has launched a new pilot accreditation program for the Global Retail and Manufacturer Alliance (GRMA) certification scheme. The scheme focuses on a wide range of non-food product categories, including dietary supplements, consumer products, over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, cosmetics, and personal care products.

ANAB’s accreditation program will operate in accordance with ISO/IEC 17065, General requirements for bodies operating product certification systems, and the GRMA’s certification scheme, which incorporates the following American National Standards (ANS) developed by NSF International:

• For Dietary Supplements: NSF/ANSI 455-2-2018, Good Manufacturing Practices for Dietary Supplements.
• For Cosmetics: NSF/ANSI 455-3-2018, Good Manufacturing Practices for Cosmetics.
• For OTC Drugs: NSF/ANSI 455-4-2018, Good Manufacturing Practices for Over-the-Counter Drugs. The standard applies to OTC drugs based on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) for manufacturing, processing, packing, or holding drugs for finished pharmaceuticals (21 CFR Parts 210 and 211).

These auditing standards are intended to:

• Protect consumer health and safety
• Provide better risk-management programs and protect store brand integrity
• Improve the efficiency of retailer-to-manufacturer interactions
• Create a single audit report accepted by all participating retailers
• Create consistency through auditor qualification, training, and calibration requirements
• Reduce the number of audits required by retailers
• Reduce manufacturer audit costs in terms of time and money
• Give manufacturers time to address continuous improvement

“Having a single standard for each product category for use by all certification bodies will allow those in industry to use their certification to meet multiple customer and retailer needs,” said R. Douglas Leonard, ANAB vice president for product, inspection, laboratory, and related activities. “Retailers and manufacturers can reference the ANSI-approved Good Manufacturing Practices standards as evidence of their commitment to quality, safety, transparency, and regulatory compliance.”

ANAB will accept applications for the pilot accreditation program from February 12, 2020, through April 12, 2020.