NASC Launches Consumer Awareness Campaign

VALLEY CENTER, Calif.The National Animal Supplement Council (NASC) launched its campaign to improve the brand equity of the NASC Quality Seal and raise consumer awareness of NASC quality systems.

The campaign has resulted in an updated image and a new NASC Partner Seal that will be used by approved third-party suppliers.

For more than 10 years, NASC has worked diligently to create a unique path for animal supplements to go to market and define standards for the product supply chain that ensure retailers and consumers can trust animal supplements with the NASC Quality Seal," said Karen Howard, president of NASC. "Now we are poised to broadly expand our outreach to consumers and engage them in the responsibility of providing healthy supplements to the animals we love."

NASCs Quality Seal program ensures that companies displaying the seal have passed a comprehensive facility audit, have a written quality control(QC) manual, use an adverse event reporting (AER) system and follow proper label guidelines, including warnings and caution statements suggested by regulatory agencies.

Buying animal supplements bearing the NASC Quality Seal is the best way to ensure products are coming from a trustworthy source," Howard said.  Our goal is to make sure consumers and retailers know that."

The updated NASC Quality Seal will be integrated on approved audited member company product labels during the next six months, and consumers can expect to see the updated seal on shelves as early as fall 2013. Howard anticipates within 18 months, all audited NASC members will be using the updated NASC Quality Seal.

Our next step is to develop and launch a consumer awareness campaign about the NASC Quality Seal and educate consumers on the value of animal health supplements," Howard said. Our research shows that although people are becoming more concerned for the overall health and wellness of their companion animals, information on nutrition and health supplements for animals is limited and confusing."

NASC has warned consumers against misleading quality assurance (QA) programs in the past.