Emerson Quality Program (EQP) Provides Quality and Safety Assurance of Nutritional Supplements to Healthcare Practitioners and their Patients
BEDFORD, NH, MARCH 22, 2012 ‐‐ Emerson Ecologics, LLC, the leading provider of professional‐grade nutritional supplements to the healthcare practitioner market, today announced that the Emerson Quality Program℠ (EQP) has been adopted by the National College of Natural Medicine in Portland, Ore. as its premier supplier qualification program. The EQP, a one-of-a-kind quality assurance program for the nutritional supplement industry, emphasizes compliance to FDA Dietary Supplement cGMPs (current Good Manufacturing Processes), thorough raw material supplier and contract manufacturer qualification, and comprehensive raw material and finished product testing using the most trusted and dependable methodologies.
The National College of Natural Medicine (NCNM), a leader in natural medicine and the oldest accredited naturopathic medical college in North America, is implementing a new Quality Assurance Program (QAP) to assess and qualify suppliers of dietary supplements for use in its NCNM Clinic Medicinary; the first of two tiers contains EQP Partners, who will not need to undergo additional quality evaluation from NCNM’s QAP. EQP, EQP Silver, and EQP Gold Partners are Emerson-distributed brands that have met the Emerson Quality Program’s stringent quality standards.
“As part of NCNM’s ongoing commitment to quality, the NCNM Medicinary has adopted the use of the Emerson Quality Program to verify the quality of many of the dietary supplements that we provide to our patients,” said Jennifer Brusewitz, ND, NCNM Medicinary Development Supervisor. “The EQP is a rigorous supplier qualification program which relies upon documentation audits, on-site audits and product testing in order to qualify its participating brands. The dedication to quality exemplified in the EQP is a shared value between NCNM and Emerson Ecologics.”
The transparency and validity of quality for nutritional supplements is becoming increasingly important to healthcare practitioners and their patients. Dateline NBC’s investigative report regarding the testing of dietary supplements illustrates that consumers need additional verification to ensure them of the quality and safety of the brands they take. The nutritional supplement industry is taking measures of its own to validate the efficacy and safety standards of products. The Emerson Quality Program is an example of the industry’s efforts. Emerson Ecologics is a one-stop shop for practitioners offering the most comprehensive range of high-quality dietary supplement brands, with thousands of products from over 250 of the world’s top manufacturers.
“It is the goal of the EQP to provide quality assurance to practitioners and their patients. NCNM’s adoption of Emerson’s EQP demonstrates its confidence in the program. That’s exactly the kind of reassurance we want to provide to the industry,” said Emerson Ecologics Vice President of Quality and Education Lise Alschuler, ND, FABNO. “We look forward to continuing our collaboration with students and faculty about quality in the industry.”
About Emerson Ecologics
Emerson Ecologics, LLC is the leading provider of products and services to the professional integrative healthcare community servicing Naturopathic, Chiropractic and Medical Doctors, Licensed Acupuncturists, Dieticians, Nurses, and more. The company distributes over 20,000 products from hundreds of industry-leading manufacturers. As a result of their broad product offering, e‐commerce capabilities, and commitment to the industry’s focus on safety and quality, Emerson Ecologics serves as the one‐stop source of products, services and educational solutions for the integrative healthcare practitioner. Emerson Ecologics is GMP registered by NSF. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.emersonecologics.com.
About NCNM
Founded in Portland in 1956, NCNM is the oldest accredited naturopathic medical school in North America and an educational leader in classical Chinese medicine and CAM research. NCNM offers four-year graduate medical degree programs in naturopathic medicine and classical Chinese medicine, and a Master of Science in Integrative Medicine Research degree. Its community clinics offer low-cost or free medical care throughout the Portland metropolitan area. NCNM’s Helfgott Research Institute conducts rigorous evidence-based research to advance the science of natural medicine and improve clinical practice. Until July 2006, NCNM was known as the National College of Naturopathic Medicine. Additional information is available at www.ncnm.edu.
