HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

NSF (an initialism for National Sanitation Foundation) is a product testing, inspection, certification organization with headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan. NSF also offers consulting and training services worldwide.


History

NSF International was founded in 1944 from the
University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
's School of Public Health as the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) to standardize sanitation and
food safety Food safety (or food hygiene) is used as a scientific method/discipline describing handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent food-borne illness. The occurrence of two or more cases of a similar illness resulting from ...
requirements. The process established to develop NSF International's first standards regarding the sanitation of soda fountain and luncheonette equipment, became the process by which NSF International developed other public health and safety standards. To date, NSF has developed more than 80 public health and safety
American National Standards The American National Standards Institute (ANSI ) is a private non-profit organization that oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards for products, services, processes, systems, and personnel in the United States. The organi ...
. As NSF expanded services beyond sanitation and into new international markets, the legal name was changed to NSF International in 1990. NSF is an accredited, independent third-party certification body that tests and certifies products to verify they meet these
public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...
and safety standards. Products that meet these standards bear the NSF mark. NSF operates more than of laboratory space and serves companies in more than 150 countries worldwide. Its 1,200+ staff (located worldwide – including N & S America / Europe / Africa / Asia / Oceania) includes microbiologists, toxicologists, chemists, engineers, food safety specialists, environmental, food scientists and public health professionals.


Programs

NSF's Food Division is a marketing-leading food safety and assurance service provider that assists businesses in the agriculture, food processing, food equipment, restaurant and retail industries. Services include product certification, consulting, training and technical services, supply chain food safety and retail and store safety. For example, Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) certification (SQF, BRC, GLOBALG.A.P., FSSC, IFS, Aquaculture Certification Council (ACC))
Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)
HACCP validation and inspection; and organic and gluten-free certification through QAI (Quality Assurance International). NSF’s Food division also certified foodservice equipment, consumer products, nonfood compounds, bottled water and packaged ice. Through consulting, training, technical services and retail support services, NSF helps businesses across the food industry by protecting food and people throughout the supply chain. Our Water Division protects global public health with safer water solutions. The team certifies products that come into contact with drinking water, such as plumbing components, water treatment chemicals and drinking water filters, as well as pool and spa equipment. Also covered by this team is wastewater testing and certification. NSF develops comprehensive Water Management Plans and Risk Assessments that minimize risks in your facilities or commercial buildings. Our experts identify hazards and recommend water safety measures, so your team can develop a comprehensive water management program that meets your properties' health and safety needs. NSF's Health Sciences division protects global public health with services for health and wellness, pharmaceutical, medical devices, in vitro diagnostic, and biotech industries. NSF offers a range of health sciences services, including clinical research, product certification, training, and consulting. Amarex is an NSF company that provides a range of clinical product development services. Health science product certification includes dietary supplement/cosmetic/OTC Good Manufacturing Practices certification, dietary supplement contents testing and certification, and NSF Certified for Sport® dietary supplement certification. NSF International is the North American leader for certifying Class II biological safety cabinets (BSCs) to NSF/ANSI 49: ''Biosafety Cabinetry''. Required by most hospitals and research laboratories, the standard tests and evaluates the design, construction and performance of BSCs requiring biosafety level 1, 2, 3 or 4 containment. In addition, NSF operates two accreditation programs that evaluate the proficiency of BSC field certifiers. The enhanced program is for those living and working in North America. It represents the premier credential for certifying Class II BSCs intended for North American hospitals and research facilities. The basic program is for field certifiers living and working outside of North America. The NSF Consumer Products Division tests and certifies consumer products and appliances used in and around the home including home appliances, cookware, bakeware, small kitchen electronics, bottled water and beverages, nutritional and dietary supplements, private label goods and personal care products. Our sustainability services include certification and claims validation for sustainably produced commercial and consumer products such as personal care products, carpet, flooring, fabrics and other building materials; and circularity, waste and materials management; safer chemistry (e.g., Safer Choice, CleanGredients(r), Green Screen(r), RC14001(r), and RCMS (r)); sustainable practices and systems through ISO 14001, ISO 54001, social responsibility and Global Wind Organisation certification. Responsible recycling of electronics, Environmental Product Declarations, and forestry services are also in our portfolio. NSF International Strategic Registrations (NSF-ISR) an NSF company, is a leading global certification body. It offers comprehensive certifications to internationally accepted standards for information security (e.g. ISO 27001, ISO 20000-1), specialty services (automotive and aerospace) and management systems that includes environmental, occupational health and safety standards) For example, ISO 9001,
ISO 14001 ISO 14000 is a family of standards related to environmental management that exists to help organizations (a) minimize how their operations (processes, etc.) negatively affect the environment (i.e. cause adverse changes to air, water, or land); (b) ...
,
AS9100 AS9100 is a widely adopted and standardized quality management system for the aerospace industry. It was released in October, 1999, by the Society of Automotive Engineers and the European Association of Aerospace Industries. AS9100 replaces the ...
. Education and Training in the food safety, water, health sciences, consumer product and management systems certification industries is offered to professionals in these service and production industries.


Laboratories

NSF maintains laboratories in North America, South America, Europe and China. NSF's laboratories are accredited by the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration The Occupational Safety and Health Administration'' (OSHA ) is a large regulatory agency of the United States Department of Labor that originally had federal visitorial powers to inspect and examine workplaces. Congress established the agen ...
. NSF laboratories are ISO 17025 certified (testing and calibration). They provide a wide range of testing and support certification efforts and technical services for the home appliances and consumer product industries (e.g., beverage quality, food service equipment, nutritional supplement, and filtration systems); retail food, growers, processors and seafood industries; pipes, plumbing components and treatment chemicals for the
water industry The water industry provides drinking water and wastewater services (including sewage treatment) to residential, commercial, and industrial sectors of the economy. Typically public utilities operate water supply networks. The water industry doe ...
; and analytical testing for the supplement and pharmaceutical industry.


Standards development

Accredited by the American National Standards Institute and the Standards Council of Canada, NSF facilitates the development and continuous improvement of technical standards, protocols and guidance documents. NSF standards are developed, maintained and revised by the committee ballot system, similar to that used by
American National Standards Institute The American National Standards Institute (ANSI ) is a private non-profit organization that oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards for products, services, processes, systems, and personnel in the United States. The orga ...
(ANSI) and
ASTM ASTM International, formerly known as American Society for Testing and Materials, is an international standards organization that develops and publishes voluntary consensus technical standards for a wide range of materials, products, systems, an ...
. To ensure balanced input, the committees consist of stakeholders affected by the scope of the standard such as industry representatives, public health/regulatory officials, users/consumer representatives and other relevant interest groups. Any updates to standards related to testing requirements are vetted through round-robin testing at multiple labs to help ensure repeatability, and balloting ensures majority rule. The NSF Council of Public Health Consultants provides final ratification of any balloted change to a standard to help ensure the NSF mission of improving and protecting public health is upheld.


References


External links


NSF International
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nsf International Organizations based in Ann Arbor, Michigan Product-testing organizations Certification marks Standards organizations in the United States