NSF International, a global independent public health organization that provides training, writes standards, and tests and certifies products for the health sciences, water, food, and consumer goods industries, has awarded Nutritional Laboratories International (NLI) Director of Quality Assurance Jera’le Smith the first Dietary Supplement Quality Professional (DSQP) certificate. The DSQP training program educates dietary supplement quality and technical professionals on compliance to 21 CFR 111 requirements, providing them with the knowledge to deliver safer, higher-quality, reliable products.

Affiliated with the University of Mississippi, the DSQP training program teaches participants technical, scientific and regulatory knowledge, as well as the skills and confidence to make successful business decisions. The training is designed for quality leaders and technical professionals, such as Jera’le Smith, as well as manufacturing, engineering, regulatory affairs, and research and development professionals.

“The extensive industry experience of NSF’s instructors helps provide real-world case studies of workplace situations and one-on-one interaction,” said Jera’le Smith. “I would recommend this series of courses to all professionals who want to establish their leadership in the dietary supplement field and assist with the compliance and success of their organizations.”

“The industry is in great need of this program. The DSQP courses have been very valuable to Nutritional Laboratories and are something that all manufacturers should take advantage of,” said Terry Benishek, president and CEO of Nutritional Laboratories, an NSF GMP registered facility.

Based on the requirements set forth in 21 CFR 111, the DSQP program includes 12 modules offered during a one-year period. The modules educate professionals on the requirements such as cleaning, process definition and control, documentation management, stability, laboratory controls and ensuring methods are fit for purpose. Additionally, professionals learn current FDA principles including risk assessment, vendor qualification and supply chain management.

The modules can be taken individually or participants can choose to enter the program at any point and take all 12 modules to earn DSQP certification from NSF International and the University of Mississippi.

NLI Director of Quality Assurance Jera’le Smith has more than 25 years of experience in quality assurance management in the manufacturing environment, providing NLI with in-depth regulatory knowledge and the understanding of how to implement industry requirements. She has been with NLI since its inception in 1997 and under her direction NLI has earned NSF Dietary Supplement Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) registration and certification for the production of USDA organic, kosher and halal products.

NSF International partnered with the United Natural Products Alliance (UNPA), an association of dietary supplement and functional food companies, and the National Center for Natural Products Research (NCNPR) at the University of Mississippi to launch the DSQP training program. NCNPR is an alliance of academia, government and the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries focused on integrating research, development and commercialization of natural products.

Courses are offered by UNPA in Salt Lake City, Utah; NSF International in Ann Arbor, Mich.; NCNPR in Oxford, Miss.; and in conjunction with industry events.