Holding suppliers to the same high standards
Obviously, good quality control involves high standards. Market America not only has them, it holds its manufacturers to the same. Every health and nutrition product must be produced under Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs). GMPs are a quality system mandated by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA). GMP is a recognized standard worldwide for the control and management of manufacturing and quality control testing of dietary supplements. This quality system ensures product meets specifications, is properly tested and has complete traceability.
The FDA enforces GMP compliance, however Market America goes one step further by insisting a manufacturer be inspected for GMP complance by an independent auditor. In addition, Market America audits its manufacturers on a regular schedule. A typical audit takes two days and includes reviewing batch records, laboratory test results, training records, label control, sanitation procedures and ingredient control records.
Being GMP compliant means following Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), which provide details about keeping the manufacturing process under control to produce a consistent product that meets all specifications. SOPs ensure that everything is done exactly the same each time.
Some examples of topics that lend themselves well to the SOP format include inventory procedure for raw materials, facility security, cleaning of manufacturing equipment, vendor qualification, employee training, and so on. In general, SOPs force a person to think through a procedure step by step. The exercise of writing the SOP is valuable and the SOP itself is a useful training tool and a reminder to staff of the correct procedures.
All these steps and requirements are necessary in order to exceed customer expectations by providing the best products available.
Product Quality Control
Market America believes that quality must be built into every product as a design requirement.
Market America believes that quality must be built into every product as a design requirement. Therefore, the company’s quality control process is critical, involving dedicated scientists, strategic relationships with manufacturers, and a rock-solid commitment to customers. Product excellence is more than one department or a single step in development — quality involves every individual at Market America and all stages of the process are monitored, from product concept to manufacturing and delivery.
It starts with the ingredients, which are sourced from only the most-trustworthy suppliers that have the clinical studies and research backing up their application in a formulation. Ingredients of natural sources, such as grape seed extract and bilberry, are checked for the presence of trace contaminants like pesticides and heavy metals. Other ingredients are from synthetic or man-made sources, thus eliminating concerns of genetically modified material, allergens and microbial contamination such as salmonella and E. coli.
As a product broker, not a manufacturer, Market America acts as an independent quality inspector between the manufacturer and the customer. If something isn’t right, it’s returned to the manufacturer for replacement. Every product is scientifically engineered and must be manufactured consistently with regard to purity, performance, strength and uniformity.
Market America’s world headquarters in Greensboro, N.C. has an excellent in-house laboratory with ever-expanding capabilities that can perform such testing as microbiological contamination, isotonic range, presence of gluten allergens, pH, microscopic analysis and spectroscopic analysis. Every shipment received into the warehouse must be inspected and approved before it can go onto the shelf.