GMP Certification

Good Manufacturing Practice certification -- a quality and safety standard a facility can be audited and certified against.

GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) is a quality assurance framework covering how a facility handles manufacturing, testing, labeling, and record-keeping for dietary supplements. In the United States, dietary supplement manufacturers are required to follow GMP regulations under FDA rules (21 CFR Part 111); third-party GMP certification means an outside auditor has independently verified a facility's compliance with these standards.

GMP certification is a baseline quality signal, not a guarantee of any specific health claim or product efficacy. It speaks to manufacturing process and quality control, not to marketing claims made about a finished product.

Example

Before listing a supplier, a buyer asks for the name of the third-party body that certified the facility and the certificate's expiration date, rather than accepting a "GMP certified" claim at face value.

Worth Knowing

Ask a supplier which specific facility is certified (not just the parent company) and request documentation. Certification can be facility-specific and can lapse.