Ann Arbor, Michigan—Wegmans Food Markets has announced its new Verified with Confidence program, with the aim of providing quality and consistency to storefronts that consumers can trust and recognize. This initiative will implement testing and review of all of Wegmans Food Markets products at 106 store locations, according to a press release.

The products include dietary supplements, probiotics, herbals, and products containing cannabidiol (CBD) sold by the brand. This collaboration is with NSF Internaitonal, which will provide auditing services, product testing, label review accuracy, and claims substantiation. The program will utilize current ANSI-accredited Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) standards (NSF/ANSI 455-2 for Dietary Supplements and NSF/ANSI 455-3 for Cosmetics/Personal Care Products). These are based off of the current regulations listed in 21 CFR 111 and 117, according to the release. 

Surveys suggest that consumers want to see such action. In an online survey of 1,000 Americans conducted inJuly 2021 on behalf of NSF, 97% of consumers said it’s important for retailers to visit and inspect manufacturing facilities that produce dietary supplements, personal care products, and OTC drugs, and nearly 85% said they expect retailers to test supplements and other health and wellness products for safety.

"We worked with NSF to launch this program knowing this is the right thing to do for our customers," said Betsy Crater, Non-food Quality Assurance Manager at Wegmans Food Markets, in the release. "We are excited to be a leader in this initiative and help inspire others in the industry to get on board as well."

Karen Shadders, Wegmans Vice President of Health and Wellbeing, added, "We have been concerned about inconsistent requirements in testing standards in the supplement industry. Our Verified with Confidence program allows us to ensure the products on our shelves contain the ingredients stated on the bottle." 

David Trosin, Managing Director of Health Sciences Certification at NSF, noted, "Consumers want to know what's in the products they buy and more and more they are expecting retailers to play an active role in quality assurance and product safety. We envision a future when most major retailers will require brands to show proof of product quality in some form or another, whether through independent assurance of GMP compliance, independent laboratory testing of products, or both."
Related: Building Trust: Third-Party Lab Testing and Certifications 3 Must-Dos for 2022 Study: Most Americans Hold Retailers Responsible for Quality, Safety of Supps