When a retailer tells a supplement company to "get NSF certified," it can mean two different things, and the difference decides what you prepare. NSF/ANSI 173 certifies the product: what is in the bottle and what the label claims. NSF/ANSI 455-2 certifies the facility: whether your manufacturing, packaging or warehousing meets good manufacturing practice (GMP).
If the retailer wants your facility audited, NSF's own wording points to 455-2. NSF says "physical and digital retailers often demand NSF/ANSI 455-2 GMP certification." Before you spend a dollar, ask the buyer in writing which standard it means and which certification bodies it accepts.
NSF/ANSI 455-2 or NSF/ANSI 173: which one is your retailer asking for?
| NSF/ANSI 455-2 | NSF/ANSI 173 | |
|---|---|---|
| What is certified | The facility and its GMP system | The product |
| Who is in scope | "Facilities involved in the manufacturing, packaging, and/or warehouse & distribution of dietary supplements" | Individual dietary supplement products |
| What is checked | An audit of your GMP against the standard, which NSF says was "developed in accordance with 21 CFR Part 11, 21 CFR Part 111, and applicable" Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) rules | "Label claim review," "toxicology review" and "contaminant review," with testing for heavy metals, microbes, mycotoxins and pesticides |
| The signal it sends | Your plant runs to GMP | This product contains what it says and nothing it should not |
| When it fits | A retailer or brand owner wants your facility audited | A retailer wants product-level testing and certification |
NSF describes 173 as "the only American National Standard for testing and certifying dietary supplements," and NSF also notes that some online and brick-and-mortar retailers now require product-level testing and certification. So both requests are real. The question is which one your buyer made. If the request mentions your facility, your plant, your GMP or an audit, it most likely means 455-2, but confirm it.
What happened to NSF's GMP registration?
If you have heard of "NSF GMP registration," it has been replaced for most companies. NSF moved dietary supplement clients from "its previous GMP registration program (NSF/ANSI 173 Section 8) to NSF/ANSI 455 GMP certification," and says "173 Section 8 is phasing out and will be replaced by NSF/ANSI 455-2." NSF's GMP certification page now offers GMP registration only for products "sold in the Chinese market."
The 455 standards came out of retailers and manufacturers working together. NSF says it "facilitated the development of the NSF/ANSI 455 GMP audit standards," which "encompass regulatory requirements, retailer quality requirements." NSF's transition guide records that "in January 2019, the Global Retailer and Manufacturer Alliance (GRMA) announced the publication of NSF/ANSI 455."
Amazon is a special case
Amazon's dietary supplement policy requires a GMP audit that "must be performed by an accredited third-party," and it says "private audits, first-party audits, consulting audits, and FDA inspections will not be accepted." NSF/ANSI 455-2 is on Amazon's list of accepted GMP programs, but it is one of many. The list also includes USP, UL and SGS dietary supplement GMP programs, ISO 22000, and GFSI-benchmarked food safety standards such as SQF, BRCGS and FSSC 22000. Amazon adds that a current GFSI food safety certification "may satisfy the cGMP requirement." For some product categories Amazon also requires product testing, including for adulterants listed in NSF/ANSI 173. If Amazon is your channel, read its current policy rather than assuming NSF is required.
How to get a supplement facility ready for a 455-2 audit
Because 455-2 was built on 21 CFR Part 111, preparing for it is mostly preparing for Part 111 done well, with the auditor looking at the whole system at once. This is the order I would work in:
- Confirm the standard and the certifier. Get the buyer's requirement in writing: 455-2 or 173, and which certification bodies it accepts.
- Run a gap assessment against Part 111. Specifications for components and finished product (§111.70), identity testing and verification of specifications (§111.75), master manufacturing records (§111.205), batch production records (§111.255), and complaint handling (§111.560) are where most of the work usually sits.
- Make the records retrievable. Part 111 already requires records to be "readily available" for FDA (§111.610). An auditor will pull a batch and follow it from component receipt to release, so practise doing that yourself.
- Include the warehouse. NSF puts warehouse and distribution operations in scope for 455-2, so a site that only holds and ships product still needs its GMP in order.
- Hold a mock audit. Walk one batch, one complaint and one supplier file end to end, the way a certification auditor will, and fix what you find before the real one.
- Plan product certification separately. If the buyer also wants 173, that is a separate product certification with its own testing, and it does not replace the facility audit.
As of September 2026, these are the NSF programs and Amazon requirements as each organization publishes them. Retailer requirements change, so check the buyer's current supplier manual before you schedule an audit.
How Certify Consulting Group helps
At Certify Consulting Group, I help dietary supplement manufacturers and warehouses prepare for NSF/ANSI 455-2 GMP certification audits. I work out exactly what the retailer is asking for and run the gap assessment against 21 CFR 111. Then I help fix the records and procedures that would draw findings, and hold a mock audit before the certification body arrives. See our NSF consulting services and GMP audit preparation guide, or book a call.
Jared Clark
Principal Consultant, Certify Consulting
Jared Clark is the founder of Certify Consulting, helping organizations achieve and maintain compliance with international standards and regulatory requirements.