What the NASC means to us

NASC Seal of Approval

Why is it so important that Sustenance Herbs™ products carry the NASC Quality Seal? It shows you, the consumer, that we are an audited company of the NASC.

NASC  (National Animal Supplement Council) is a non-profit industry group dedicated to protecting and enhancing the health of companion animals and horses throughout the United States. NASC was formed in 2001 when the multibillion dollar animal health supplement industry was threatened by a complicated and erratic regulatory environment.

As part of its ongoing effort to improve and standardize the animal health supplement industry, NASC initiated its Quality Seal Program. The Seal is a way for consumers to know that when they buy a product, they buy from a reputable company that has successfully completed a facility audit. Different from the NASC logo, use of the Seal is a privilege for members and signifies that the company has been audited for implementation of specific standards.

NASC members must agree to adhere to NASC’s quality standards which include submitting to an independent audit to ensure conformance with quality system requirements.

NASC member companies are required to demonstrate compliance with the following criteria before they are granted permission to display the Seal on their products, websites, product literature and advertisements:

• The company must have a Quality Control Manual in place that provides written Standard Operating Procedures for production process control. This helps ensure the company is providing a consistent and quality product.
• The company must have an Adverse Event Reporting/Complaint System in place to continually monitor and evaluate products and ingredients.
• The company must follow proper Label Guidelines for all products and all forms of labeling.
• The company’s product labels must include any specific Warning and Caution Statements recommended by the Food & Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine and the NASC Scientific Advisory Committee for particular ingredients.

The importance of NASC and its comprehensive audit program is to help minimize and control risk, statistically track all product information, keep the consumer educated with correct labeling information, and make the consumer aware of any possible ingredient complexities with caution and warning statements. Ultimately, the entire program is designed to help elevate the quality of the animal health supplement industry for the benefit of all stakeholders including consumers and, more importantly, the animals themselves.

Consumers should look for the NASC Quality Seal. Purchasing products from NASC members is the best way consumers can support efforts to improve the quality of animal health supplements and ensure the continued availability of these products in the US market.

Learn more about NASC.