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Watch "Choosing a Dietary Supplement"
Choosing Dietary Supplements

View USP's interactive presentation and learn how to choose supplements wisely.

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See a list of USP Verified dietary supplements.

New USP Dietary Supplements Compendium

Related Resources

View and download additional resources and participant manuals for all USP Verified services.

Contact Information

To learn more about USP Verified dietary supplements or how you can join the program, email or call +1-301-816-8273.

The USP Dietary Supplement Verification Program

Program Overview

The USP Dietary Supplement Verification Program is a voluntary testing and auditing program that helps dietary supplement manufactures ensure the production of quality products for consumers. Available worldwide, the program verifies the quality, purity, and potency of dietary supplement finished products through the following processes:

comprehensive laboratory testing of dietary supplement products and their ingredients against dietary supplement standards found in The United States Pharmacopeia and The National Formulary (USP–NF)
a thorough manufacturing and quality control document review
an on-site manufacturing facility audit for compliance with USP standards and FDA current Good Manufacturing Practices (21 CFR Part 111)
random off-the-shelf testing to confirm that USP Verified products continue to meet USP's strict standards

Learn more about the USP Verification Process.

The USP Verified Dietary Supplement Mark

The USP Verified Mark and what it means

Products that meet the program's stringent criteria are awarded the distinctive USP Verified Mark for use on labels, packaging, and promotional materials. The Mark makes it easy for customers, healthcare practitioners, and retailers to identify USP Verified products. Seeing the USP Verified Mark on a label indicates that the dietary supplement product inside

Contains the ingredients listed on the label, in the declared potency and amounts. Tests have shown that contents of some supplements don't match the label and some contain significantly less or more than the claimed amount of key ingredients. There may be health risks when supplements taken for a specific health condition do not contain ingredients in appropriate quantities. USP Dietary Supplement Verification helps assure customers that they are getting the value they expect from a product they are purchasing.
Does not contain harmful levels of specified contaminants. Some supplements have been shown to contain harmful levels of certain heavy metals (e.g., lead and mercury), pesticides, bacteria, molds, toxins, or other contaminants. At specific levels these contaminants can pose serious risks to one's health.
Will break down and release into the body within a specified amount of time If a supplement does not break down properly to allow its ingredients to dissolve in the body, the consumer will not get the full benefit of its contents. USP Dietary Supplement Verification tests products against federally-recognized dissolution standards.
Has been made according to FDA current GMPs using sanitary and well-controlled procedures. Assurance of safe, sanitary, well-controlled, and well-documented manufacturing and monitoring processes indicates that a supplement manufacturer is quality-conscious and concerned for public well-being.

Where you can find the Mark

The USP Verified Mark can be found on dietary supplement products stocked in U.S. pharmacies, wholesale clubs, groceries, and other retail outlets. (See a complete list of current USP Verified products.) The USP Verified Mark also appears next to verified products featured on several professional and consumer heath databases: Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database—www.naturaldatabase.com, ConsumerReportsHealth.org, and PogoHealth.com. (A subscription may be necessary to view site information.)

What makes the program unique

A nonprofit federally recognized standards-setting organization, USP is the only such organization that also offers voluntary verification services. USP's expertise in the field stems from its nearly 200 years of experience establishing standards of quality for medications and, more recently, dietary supplements and food ingredients. USP standards are use in more than 130 countries and are federally recognized per the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act.

Learn more about USP Dietary Supplement Verification and USP Verified products through our resources section. Or, find out how you can participate in the program.