Washington, D.C.—Industry has a new tool for tracking regulatory enforcement actions, courtesy of theNatural Products Association(NPA).

NPA is debuting a free database that its members can use to see information and create reports about companies’ GMP-related violations, labeling issues, unauthorized product claims and other actions that regulatory agencies made against natural products companies. The association hopes the tool will help industry members better “monitor and track the top GMP violations by year and see how those trends are changing,” the group said in a press statement. NPA also believes the information will help companies avoid making illegal marketing claims and help retailers research finished products and their manufacturers.

Said NPA CEO and Executive Director Daniel Fabricant, Ph.D., “NPA is proud to announce a database for the industry that is more than just warning letters,” pointing out that data comprises that from several agencies (like the Department of Justice, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission), including warning letters, seizures, injunctions, forfeitures and criminal actions going back to 2008. It is searchable by disease claims/claim categories, misbrandings and other metrics.

Added Dr. Fabricant, “The benefit to industry is to learn, grow, and mature as a collective whole by correcting any mistakes or oversights now that someone else may be doing.”

NPA plans to update the database weekly.

 

Published on WholeFoods Magazine Online, 7/26/16