Anurag Agarwal, CEO of the Bangalore, India-based supplier Natural Remedies, recently announced the company’s launch of HerbSecure, a new program that promotes transparency and sustainability which comes in tandem with the company obtaining four Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) certifications.
 
Natural Remedies was found to be in compliance with the requirements of the Voluntary Certification Scheme for Medicinal Plant Produce, of the National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB), implemented by the Quality Council of India. The company has received Level 1, Option 2 GAP certifications for four of its botanicals – Ocimum sanctum, Withania somnifera, Andrographis paniculate, and Bacopa monnieri. The NMPB and Department of AYUSH have created India-specific guidelines on GAPs based on the pattern of Good Agriculture and Field Collection Practices (GACPs) which were developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) for medicinal plants.
 
The herbs are utilized for the manufacturing of four clinically-tested extracts – Bacopa for BacoMind, Andrographis for AP-Bio, and Ocimum for Ocibest.
 
“Since our inception in the 1950s, responsible management of natural resources has been inherent in how we do business,” Agarwal said. “We operate our company with the aspirational goal of becoming fully sustainable, ensuring that all areas in which we come into contact are anchored by caring for the environment we share, the communities we work in, and the herbs we tend.”
 
Natural Remedies’ HerbSecure program is made up of five main components related to sustainable sourcing and good control over quality and the company’s supply chain. The first is Good Agricultural Practices, which entails training partner farmers in safe, clean-label, eco-friendly, and sustainable farming practices to optimize herbs’ active constituents. Good Collection Practices entails taking care to harvest at the right time using methods that reduce carbon footprints and protect herbs from contamination. Good Manufacturing Practices entail processing and extracting herbs in the company’s GMP-certified manufacturing plant, which is powered mainly by hydro and solar energy and is surrounded by a greenbelt of trees. Good Laboratory Practices entails that the company will subject its herbs to rigorous lab testing for identity, purity, and potency. Good Quality Practices involves the inspection of crops throughout planting, irrigation, weed management, harvesting, and packing.
 
“Sustainable development is defined as conscious development of product that not only meets present needs but that does so without compromising or impairing the ability of future generations to meet their needs,” Agarwal said. “The GAP certifications for the four herbs is an important step in our journey to become fully sustainable.”
 
Natural Remedies is ISO 14001 certified, and has also won the CII-ITC Sustainability Award in Biodiversity from the Center of Excellence for Sustainable Development in recognition of the company’s commitment to biodiversity, conservation, and sustainable business practices.
 
“Accountability, transparency and precision in testing and recordkeeping are all components of creating safe, efficacious herbal health products. More new consumers are using our products and trust that they are safe and effective. These attributes start with us, the grower and supplier,” Agarwal said. “The GAP certifications help propel this mission and the HerbSecure program – both critical factors in our road to full sustainability.”