05.01.05
NSF International (NSF), Ann Arbor, MI, has formed a new strategic partnership with the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia (AHP), Scotts Valley, CA. The integration of AHP’s pharmacopoeial standards with NSF’s validated methods and product certification programs will seek to boost public confidence in dietary supplements that contain botanicals, such as echinacea, St. John’s Wort and gingko biloba. The partnership will fully integrate the botanical expertise of AHP into NSF’s Dietary Supplements Program, which verifies the identity and quantity of ingredients listed on the product label and ensures the product does not contain undeclared ingredients or unacceptable levels of contaminants. Together, NSF and AHP are intent on harmonizing botanical industry standards, expediting the development of standards and monographs and helping meet consumer demand for quality and accountability. NSF and AHP will work together to implement a unified approach to develop standards specifically for the botanical products sector.