A new study from NSF International suggests that U.S. consumers increasingly have the attitude that they should rely on retailers to screen out unsafe and low-quality products, with 97% of survey respondents stating that it’s important for retailers to visit and inspect manufacturing facilities that produce dietary supplements, personal care products, and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. Nearly 85% of those polled said that they expect retailers to test supplements and other health and wellness products for safety.
 
This survey comes at a time when several legacy brick-and-mortar and online retailers, including CVS and Amazon, have been among the first major retailers to announce that they would be testing dietary supplements independently of their manufacturers, breaking with the tradition in which manufacturers typically tested either in-house or through a third-party testing facility, relying on those types of certifications.
 
While the dietary supplements industry is concerned regarding the cost and logistics of getting a product tested at many or all of the retail locations in which it’s sold, each of which could have unique quality and safety standards to test for, some in the industry believe it’s achievable through cross-collaboration between retailers, manufacturers, and trade associations. Already, there exist avenues such as the Global Retailer and Manufacturer Alliance, which certifies manufacturers to NSF standards. Additionally, nutritional supplement retailers Walmart, The Vitamin Shoppe, and GNC are among those involved in a set of new guidelines established by the Supplement Safety and Compliance Initiative.
 
“We’re seeing a trend across categories in the health and wellness sector – consumers increasingly want retailers to stand behind the products they sell,” David Trosin, managing director of Health Sciences Certification at NSF International, said. “According to this research, consumers not only expect retailers to test products for safety, they want them to inspect manufacturing facilities for compliance with current good manufacturing practices.”
 
The consumers most likely to demand laboratory testing of supplements, personal care products, and OTCs are consumers with children, consumers in urban areas, consumers between the ages of 23 and 35, and men making over $90,000 per year.
 
The online survey was conducted in July 2021 on behalf of NSF International, and involved a representative sample of 1,000 Americans. The margin of error for the study is +/- 3.1%, at a 95% confidence level.
 
Notable highlights from the survey include that 95% of consumers have self-reported concerns about the quality and safety of dietary supplements, personal care products, and OTC drugs.
 
When asked what would make them trust these products more, 62% said “independent certification from a health and safety organization,” and nearly the same amount (61%) said “made in a facility that has been inspected for good manufacturing practices.” Nearly half (44%) said that lab testing by a retailer would help build their trust in supplements and personal care products.
 
While manufacturers of these products are required to adhere to a set of quality and safety standards set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration called current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs), no regulation is in place requiring the manufacturers of dietary supplements or OTC drugs to provide proof of compliance with cGMPs. However, retailers and online shopping platforms have begun requiring brands and manufacturers to provide this proof of GMP compliance, along with some of their own unique quality assurance standards.
 
NSF reports that the new study suggests consumers in the U.S. want retailers to go beyond what is required by law and conduct their own audits of manufacturing facilities.
 
“Failure to comply with GMPs can lead to a host of quality and safety issues,” Trosin said. “Everyone in the industry understands the importance of good manufacturing practices and now it’s clear consumers are concerned about this too.”
 
Another notable finding from the survey was that while consumers are highly concerned about product safety and quality, only 48% said they research dietary supplement product claims themselves, and even fewer (39%) research claims made by personal care and OTC products.
 
Some seemingly contradictory findings include that while most consumers (62%) consider national chain stores/pharmacies to be most likely to sell the highest-quality health and wellness products, only 32% of consumers think that retailers actually test the health and wellness products they sell.