How to verify a manufacturer’s certification

To verify a manufacturer’s certification, get the certificate or licence number and the address of the site that will make your product, then look that site up on the issuing body’s own public list. Check that the legal name, address and scope match, and that the listing is current.

A logo on a website or a PDF in your inbox tells you what a manufacturer says. The issuer’s own public list tells you what is true today. These six steps take you from one to the other.

1. Get the exact details

Ask the manufacturer, in writing, for three things:

the exact name of the certification or licence (for example “NSF/ANSI 455-2”, not “NSF certified”);
the certificate or licence number;
the address of the site that will make your product.

The last one matters most. Certifications apply to specific sites, and a company’s certified plant may not be the one that makes your product.

2. Look it up on the issuer’s own list

Search the list kept by the body that issued the certification, not a copy on the manufacturer’s website or a third-party site (including this one).

NSF/ANSI 455-2 (GMP): NSF’s NSF/ANSI 455 GMP listing
Informed Manufacturer: Informed Manufacturer’s list of certified manufacturers
TGA manufacturing licence (Australia): the TGA’s public list of Australian manufacturers
Health Canada site licence: Health Canada’s natural health product site licence listing
USDA Organic: the USDA Organic Integrity Database
ISO 9001: IAF CertSearch, or ask the certification body named on the certificate

For ISO 9001, remember that ISO does not certify anyone: certificates come from independent certification bodies. IAF CertSearch only holds certificates from accredited certification bodies, so a certificate missing from it is not proof of a fake, but finding it there is strong confirmation.

3. Match the legal name and site address

Registries list the legal entity and the site address, which often differ from the brand name you know. A contract site may be listed under its operator’s name rather than the company you are talking to. Confirm that the listing’s name and address match the site that will make your product, not just a site somewhere in the same group.

4. Check the scope

A listing usually says what the certification covers: the activities (manufacturing, packaging, warehousing) and, for some registries, the dosage forms or products. A packaging-only site is not certified to manufacture. Check that the scope covers what you need made.

5. Check that it is current

Certifications and licences lapse, and scopes change. Check the status on the issuer’s list close to when you sign, not only at first contact.

6. Treat “FDA certified” as a red flag

FDA inspects dietary supplement facilities but does not issue any certification to indicate CGMP compliance. FDA also does not issue certificates of registration or recognize ones issued by private businesses, and a registration number does not mean FDA has approved or endorsed a facility. A supplement maker that calls itself “FDA certified” or an “FDA-approved facility” is claiming something FDA does not grant. Ask what it means and which independent certification, if any, it holds.

Using this directory as a starting point

Each profile in this directory links to the registry entry we found and shows the date we checked it. That makes it a quick way to find the right entry, not a substitute for checking it: open the registry link and confirm the details above yourself. How we verify explains what our “Verified” label does and doesn’t mean. Start with all supplement manufacturers or NSF-certified supplement manufacturers, and see supplement manufacturing certifications explained for what each certification covers.

Common questions

Is a copy of the certificate enough?

Use it to get the issuer, standard, number and site address, then confirm them on the issuer’s public list. Certifications lapse and scopes change, and only the issuer’s list shows current status.

What if I can’t find the manufacturer on the issuer’s list?

Ask the manufacturer for the exact legal name and site address on the certificate: the site may be listed under a different company name than the brand you know. If it still isn’t there, treat the certification as unconfirmed.

How do I check an ISO 9001 certificate?

ISO does not issue certificates. Search IAF CertSearch, which holds certificates from accredited certification bodies, or ask the certification body named on the certificate. A certificate missing from CertSearch is not proof of a fake, but finding it there is strong confirmation.

What if a manufacturer says it is “FDA certified”?

The claim is wrong as stated: FDA does not issue certificates of CGMP compliance for supplement facilities, and FDA registration is not approval. Ask what the company means and which independent certification, if any, it holds.

Can I rely on the profiles in this directory?

Each profile links to the registry entry we found and shows the date we checked it, so it is a starting point. Open the registry entry and confirm current status there before you sign.

Sources

Search the directory for certified or licensed manufacturers, or read how we verify each listing.