Food-safety scandals and the increased number of products imported into the United States from China have required FDA to step up its presence there and enhance collaborations with local regulators.

Josh Long, Associate editorial director, Natural Products Insider

October 10, 2014

1 Min Read
Sourcing Ingredients from China: Verify and Trust

Nearly 7,000 miles from California, U.S. regulators have placed personnel on the ground to improve food safety in the world’s most populated country: China. But American companies producing and selling dietary supplements cannot rely exclusively on the U.S. and Chinese governments to ensure ingredients sourced from Asia are safe and meet specifications.

It is not enough, for instance, to rely on documents that claim an ingredient supplier in China complies with U.S. regulations. Audit your ingredient suppliers and verify documents provided from a supplier coincide with what’s actually happening on the ground. It also is important to retain local staff or consultants, if possible, and visit your vendors.

Some Chinese firms are demonstrating a commitment to meeting American standards set by FDA, as reflected by the growing number of companies that have joined NSF International’s audit program for dietary supplement cGMPs (current good manufacturing practices).

Meanwhile, U.S. and local regulators are pressuring Chinese suppliers to step up their quality control. Food-safety scandals and the increased number of products imported into the United States from China have required FDA to step up its presence there and enhance collaborations with local regulators. Complementing regulators’ efforts in China is the nearly four-year-old Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), whose provisions include a mandate to ramp up foreign inspection and a program that requires food importers to verify compliance with FDA regulations.

To read the full report, download “Sourcing Ingredients From China: ‘Verify and Trust.’"

About the Author(s)

Josh Long

Associate editorial director, Natural Products Insider, Informa Markets Health and Nutrition

Josh Long directs the online news, feature and op-ed coverage at Natural Products Insider, which targets the health and wellness industry. He has been reporting on developments in the dietary supplement industry for over a decade, with a focus on regulatory issues, including at the Food and Drug Administration.

He has moderated and/or presented at industry trade shows, including SupplySide East, SupplySide West, Natural Products Expo West, NBJ Summit and the annual Dietary Supplement Regulatory Summit.

Connect with Josh on LinkedIn and ping him with story ideas at [email protected]

Education and previous experience

Josh majored in journalism and graduated from Arizona State University the same year "Jake the Snake" Plummer led the Sun Devils to the Rose Bowl against the Ohio State Buckeyes. He also holds a J.D. from the University of Wyoming College of Law, was admitted in 2008 to practice law in the state of Colorado and spent a year clerking for a state district court judge.

Over more than a quarter century, he’s written on various topics for newspapers and business-to-business publications – from the Yavapai in Arizona and a controversial plan for a nuclear-waste incinerator in Idaho to nuanced issues, including FDA enforcement of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA).

Since the late 1990s, his articles have been published in a variety of media, including but not limited to, the Cape Cod Times (in Massachusetts), Sedona Red Rock News (in Arizona), Denver Post (in Colorado), Casper Star-Tribune (in Wyoming), now-defunct Jackson Hole Guide (in Wyoming), Colorado Lawyer (published by the Colorado Bar Association) and Nutrition Business Journal.

Subscribe and receive the latest insights on the health and nutrition industry.
Join 37,000+ members. Yes, it's completely free.

You May Also Like