Standards
USP
USP (United States Pharmacopeia) is a scientific organization that sets quality standards for medicines and supplements, including identity, strength, purity, and performance.
USP defines what quality should look like at a specification level.
It publishes standards that describe how ingredients and products should meet criteria for identity, strength, purity, and performance.
Products can be tested against these standards, and some may carry USP verification.
At a high level, USP involvement centers on four signals:
- Identity — whether the ingredient is what it claims to be
- Strength — whether the amount matches the label
- Purity — whether contaminants are within acceptable limits
- Performance — whether the product dissolves or releases as intended
USP provides a reference point.
It does not evaluate formulation intent.
Meeting a standard means the product conforms to defined criteria.
It does not mean the criteria themselves are sufficient for a given use case.
Standards describe correctness.
They do not define relevance.
See Also
cGMP (Current Good Manufacturing Practices) is a regulatory framework that defines how supplements must be manufactured to ensure consistency, quality control, and basic product safety.
NSF is an independent certification organization that verifies product safety, label accuracy, and manufacturing compliance, with specialized programs such as NSF Certified for Sport.