NSF® Certification Explained

The quality and purity of our supplements have always been of paramount importance and we are ecstatic to announce that all Primal Pharm supplements are NSF Certified. For those of you that may not be familiar with NSF certification, we wanted to take a minute to educate you on who NSF is, what it means and why it's important to see that certification on your supplements.

Who is NSF?

Founded in 1944, the mission of NSF is to protect and improve global human health. As an independent, accredited organization, NSF tests, audits and certifies products and systems while additionally providing education and risk management across many industries from the aerospace industry to consumer products to big pharma and biotech.

Why dietary Supplements?

While the FDA does regulate the dietary supplement industry, enforcement of these regulations is difficult as the supplement industry has grown tremendously. Additionally, the fact that dietary supplements are not regulated to the degree of prescription or over-the-counter drugs is concerning for many. Consumers are concerned over what they see as both a lack of enforcement and regulation. And rightly so, a 2018 study in the JAMA Network Open journal determined that 776 supplements contained “unauthorized pharmaceutical ingredients” with 97% of these ‘ingredients’ not listed on product labels.

What does NSF certification mean?

The NSF dietary supplement certification program protects consumers by testing for harmful levels of contaminants and certifying that supplements contain the ingredients listed on the label and nothing else. NSF conducts product testing in accredited laboratories to confirm that the actual contents of a supplement product match those printed on the label. NSF also checks to make sure no unlisted ingredients or potentially harmful levels of impurities are present in products that carry NSF certification.

Look for the NSF badge on your dietary supplements or sports nutrition products. Typically the badge is found on the front label giving consumers confidence that the product has passed third party testing for both label claims and contaminants like microbes, heavy metals, and pesticides.

NSF certification is a badge of quality and safety.

In summary, there are three main components of the NSF dietary supplements certification program:

  • Label claim testing to verify that the amount of each ingredient listed is actually in the product
  • Toxicology review to certify product formulation
  • Contaminant review to ensure the product contains no undeclared ingredients or unacceptable levels of contaminants

What does this all mean for you?

You can count on the fact that Primal Pharm products contain only the ingredients listed on the label and in the quantities specified for each ingredient. Additionally, you can be confident that Primal Pharm products are third-party tested for contaminants, including microbes, heavy metals, and pesticides.

This empowers you as a consumer to choose quality products that are safe and effective.

While supplement manufacturing and labeling are regulated by the FDA, there is a stigma of mistrust attached to the supplement industry. Our purpose in seeking NSF certification for Primal Pharm products is to start rebuilding consumer trust and validate the effort and resources we’ve invested in creating high-quality and effective products. This is the reason we made the choice to pursue NSF Certification and we are so excited to bring this to our loyal customers.

Visit NSF® for more information