ANAB Completes Global Retail and Manufacturer Alliance Pilot Accreditation Program

The ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the American National Standards Institute, has completed the highly-anticipated Global Retail and Manufacturer Alliance (GRMA) pilot accreditation program. Launched last February, the pilot focused on providing accreditation to third-party certification bodies to the GRMA Master Certification Program Document.

The GRMA certification program uses consensus-based quality system standards for good manufacturing practices (GMP) to strengthen safety, quality, and trust throughout the supply chain for several non-food related industries. Operating in accordance with ISO/IEC 17065, General requirements for bodies operating product certification systems, and the GRMA’s certification scheme, the scope(s) of accreditation extends to the following health and wellness product categories and incorporates American National Standards:

• Dietary Supplements: NSF/ANSI 455-2-2018, Good Manufacturing Practices for Dietary Supplements

• Cosmetics: NSF/ANSI 455-3-2018, Good Manufacturing Practices for Cosmetics

• Over-the-Counter (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)

The certification bodies participating in the pilot – NSF International, Perry Johnson Registrars Food Safety Inc., and UL-Verification Services Inc. – earned ANAB accreditation to the GRMA Certification Program – Version 1 across all three scopes and GMP standards. ANAB’s accreditation signifies that the certification body operates in accordance with internationally accepted criteria, maintains an unbiased adherence to rigorous auditing standards, and is competent to perform the necessary evaluations.

“This is an exciting achievement for each of our certification bodies,” said Allyn Shultis, executive director of GRMA, an independent certification program owner focused on strengthening safety, quality, and trust in the health and wellness category. “ANAB’s accreditation is an indication of trust and quality that provides confidence to regulators, members, and retailers on a global scale that each of the approved certification bodies are competent and impartial in their execution of a GRMA GMP certification audit.”

“This effort represents an important step forward in protecting consumer health and safety, while also improving efficiencies and risk management programs for retailers and manufacturers alike,” said Lane Hallenbeck, executive director of ANAB. “The ANSI-approved Good Manufacturing Practices standards reflect quality, safety, and transparency. And by having a single standard for each product category for use by all certification bodies, industry can use the certification to meet multiple customer and retailer needs.”

About ANAB
The ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) is the largest multi-disciplinary ISO/IEC 17011 accreditation body in North America, with comprehensive signatory status across the multilateral recognition arrangements of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC). The ANAB accreditation portfolio includes management systems certification bodies, calibration and testing labs, product certification bodies, personnel credentialing organizations, forensic test and calibration service providers, inspection bodies, police crime units, greenhouse gas validation and verification bodies, reference material producers, and proficiency test providers.  

ANAB is a wholly owned subsidiary of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), a private, not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting the U.S. voluntary standards and conformity assessment system and strengthening its impact, both domestically and internationally.          

About ANSI
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance both the global competitiveness of U.S. business and the U.S. quality of life by promoting, facilitating, and safeguarding the integrity of the voluntary standardization and conformity assessment systems. Its membership is comprised of businesses, professional societies and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations.

The Institute represents and serves the diverse interests of more than 270,000 companies and organizations and 30 million professionals worldwide. ANSI is the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). For more information, visit www.ansi.org.

About GRMA
The Global Retail and Manufacturer Alliance (GRMA) is a member-based non-profit organization comprised of retailers, manufacturers, trade associations, certification bodies, and other key stakeholders. They are committed to advancing global quality and safety standards. They focus on several non-food industries, including dietary supplements, over-the-counter drug products, and cosmetics/personal care products. To learn more, visit https://grmalliance.org/ or contact: Allyn Shultis, (610) 945-1797, generalinquiries@grmalliance.org.