NSP Quality 3: Quality Through Testing; Purity, Safety and Potency

by Linda Hammons and Courtney Hammond

Nature's Sunshine produces the highest quality natural supplements. But, what does quality really mean? Our quality boils down to three things: purity, safety and potency. We can proclaim our products' purity, safety and potency with confidence because we test ~or these things every step along the way. In fact, we have over 600 tests at our disposal to ensure that our customers get the very best.

NSP Products Are Pure

Purity testing is absolutely critical. One aspect of purity testing includes making sure that we obtain and offer the correct species and part of the plant that offers the most health benefits. A few years ago, NSP tested a sample of St. John's Wort that was purchased from a large national retail store. Our testing revealed that it was the wrong species of St. John's Wort. That particular bottle may have been inexpensive, but it was also an ineffective product! Nature's Sunshine has the labs, and we test every lot of material. You can be 100% assured that you will get the correct species and the correct part of the plant. 

Purity testing also guarantees that you get what is listed on the label and nothing else. What else might you get with lower quality brands? Try dirt, rock or insects. NSP's suppliers tell us that if they can meet our standards, they can meet any standards because ours are the highest in the industry. We pay more to our suppliers because we require our raw materials to be cleaned. This is an extra step in the harvesting process, but we aren't looking for the cheapest raw materials, we're looking for the purest raw materials. 

Did You Know?

Raw botanical materials are paidfor by weight. Some suppliers will grind up dirt, stems and rocks that are attached to the botanicals because it adds weight. It also lowers the amount of beneficial active ingredients. NSP routinely rejects these adulterated raw materials.

NSP Products Are Safe

Our customers are concerned about their health. Many have compromised immune systems. Offering safe products is essential, and we have built our reputation on that. NSP tests for foreign materials and for micro-contamination, such as salmonella and E. coli. When harvested, botanicals need to dry properly; if they are milled while wet they are susceptible to yeast and mold. We test for these too. NSP also tests for heavy metal contamination, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and PCB.  

Testing Is the Only Guarantee

Organic growers strive to offer crops free of chemical additives. But even organic material requires extensive testing because pesticides can travel in the air. The recent E. coli outbreak ill Germany that killed over 20 people came from an organic sprout farm. An organic label isn't a guarantee of safety. An NSP label, backed by extensive testing is your safety guarantee.

NSP Products Are Potent

Potency testing guarantees that every lot is going to have the same beneficial active constituents in the same beneficial amounts. A potent product assures consistent results. 

What Didn't Make the Grade

One of the most common questions Lynda Hammons is asked involves rejecting material. Currently NSP rejects about two percent of raw material every year. The Quality Assurance department and the Purchasing team have worked very hard to reduce that number over the years by finding the highest quality suppliers and developing strong partnerships with them.

Some Examples of Recent Rejections:

• An incoming lot of slippery elm failed the gel test, which means it didn t meet activity criteria. The inner bark of slippery elm is the active ingredient. In this case, the inner bark was mixed with the outer bark and it didn't have the correct activity and potency levels. So it was rejected. 
• One particular lot of oat straw was rejected for mercury and dirt contamination.
• A shipment of ginseng contained the pesticide quintozene and was rejected.