ANAB completes GRMA pilot accreditation program

Photo © iStockphoto.com/volk65

The Global Retail and Manufacturing Alliance (GRMA) announced the successful completion of the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) pilot accreditation program. The pilot program, which concluded at the end of February, was focused on providing accreditation to third-party certification bodies to the GRMA Master Certification Program Document. The certification bodies, which included NSF International, Perry Johnson Registrars Food Safety Inc., and UL-Verification Services Inc., received accreditation to the GRMA Certification Program – Version 1 across three scopes and GMP standards.

These scopes and standards of accreditation extend to the following health and wellness categories:

• Dietary Supplements - NSF/ANSI 455-2-2018 Good Manufacturing Practices for Dietary Supplements
• Cosmetics / Personal Care Products - NSF/ANSI 455-3-2018 Good Manufacturing Practices for Cosmetics
• Over-the-Counter Drugs - NSF/ANSI 455-4-2018 Good Manufacturing Practices Over-the-Counter Drugs

“This is an exciting achievement for each of our certification bodies and we should applaud each of them for their commitment to the GRMA’s mission,” said Allyn Shultis, GRMA executive director, in a press release.

“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,” added Lane Hallenbeck, executive director of ANAB.

Accreditation by ANAB assures manufacturers, retailers, and the public 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.

“We’ve been involved with the GRMA since its inception and we are very excited to see the harmonization of quality standards and regulatory requirements for greater consumer safety,” said Katie Fillinger, certification program manager at NSF International, in a press release. “Whether you are making supplements, personal care products or OTC drugs, independent certification to NSF/ANSI 455 GMP is the best way to demonstrate your commitment to quality and Good Manufacturing Practices.”

Both manufacturers and retailers are applauding the completion of the pilot program.

“As a strong supporter of the GRMA, Wegmans is happy to see the certifiers achieve ANAB accreditation to the GRMA GMP program because it further strengthens and provides confidence in the GRMA,” said Betsy Crater, Wegmans non-food quality assurance manager and GRMA board secretary, in a press release. “The new GMP program will continue to help the industry by raising the bar on quality for consumers while reducing the costs of multiple retailer-specific audits.”

“Compliance is not competitive. ANAB accreditation to the GRMA GMP Audit Scheme is a critical step needed in raising the quality bar throughout our industry,” added Mike Finamore, CEO of Gemini Pharmaceuticals, and GRMA board chairman. “The GRMA’s audit program with the published, public ANSI standards, enables the industry to harmonize to a common set of requirements and end audit fatigue and confusion from private audit programs.”

UPDATED 3/26/21 at 9:45 AM