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NOW Foods, a manufacturer of dietary supplements, foods, personal care and sports products operates a 263,000-sq.-ft. facility in Bloomingdale, IL. With more than 1,500 SKUs of its own and additional private label operations, the facility offers a temperature- and pressure-controlled warehouse, storage and refrigeration areas, and several in-house laboratories. In this one facility, NOW's products start from ideas and move through R&D to raw materials, samples and finished products. NOW says this efficiency allows the company to reduce costs, and encourage innovation and quality.

NOW was GMP (good manufacturing practice) certified by the Natural Products Association (NPA)  in 2000, and was recertified by NPA in 2009. Additionally, FDA inspected the facility in 2010 and found no violations.

Aaron Secrist, quality and regulatory manager, who once inspected NOW's facility when he worked for NPA, and Neil Levin, nutrition educator, NOW Foods, gave INSIDER a behind-the-scenes look at the accomplished facility.