The Emerson Quality ProgramTM
Emerson Ecologics recognizes that quality manufacturing practices are essential to the integrity of professionally oriented natural products. The EQPTM is designed to distribute information about the quality manufacturing practices of our brand and their participation in the program is voluntary.
Participating brand must complete a quality application that details their current manufacturing processes, including cGMP processes, raw material testing and final product testing. These applications are reviewed and summarized by the Emerson Quality department.
The next phase of the EQP is a verification phase. Emerson Quality conducts a document audit by requiring the Brand to provide all requested manufacturing and analytical documentation for specific lots of particular products.
The documentation audit is followed by verification product testing where certain tests for selected products are conducted by an Emerson Ecologics qualified independent laboratory. These test results must be consistent with the product specifications and standards of the EQP.
An on-site audit is then completed by Emerson Quality for those Brands without an acceptable third party onsite audit within the previous 12 months, as well as for those Brands designated as EQP Gold partners. The quality practices of every EQP partner is re-evaluated annually by a document audit, on-site audit and/or analytical testing.
By clicking on the EQP partner seal of any Brand, logged in practitioners and patients will be able to view a more detailed quality overview chart. This chart will document each Brand’s quality practices in three areas:
• Production processes
• Raw material qualification and testing
• Finished product verification and testing
The EQP designation of each participating Brand will occur throughout the website and will link back to their information in the EQP summary chart.
EQP Partners
An EQP partner has undergone verification of their quality practices via application, document audit, analytical testing, and onsite facility audit. Brands are designated as an EQP Partner, EQP Silver Partner, or EQP Gold Partner depending upon the nature of their quality practices (see EQP Partner standards). The EQP was initially launched in May 2010.
Each EQP partner will undergo annual re-verification by Emerson Ecologics. The EQP should support practitioners’ ability to discern quality Brands and products and in so doing address one of the most significant barriers to dietary supplement utilization.