Evaluating a partner to develop and manufacture your functional powdered beverage must include assessing what food safety certifications it holds. These certifications demonstrate the manufacturer’s commitment to providing a safe, high-quality product.

Food Safety Certifications Versus Regulations

It is crucial to understand the difference between food safety certification and food safety regulations. This can help differentiate between those meeting minimum legal requirements and those that have made a commercial commitment to excellence.

Certifications are generally voluntary. Different from certifications, a food manufacturer is legally required to comply with federal regulations, which often form the basis for these certifications.

Federal regulations (safety and compliance legal minimum) include:

  • Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs): FDA’s cGMPs (21 CFR Part 117 for food, 21 CFR Part 111 for supplements) cover sanitation, process control, equipment, and record-keeping to ensure the product is safe and contains what the label claims.
  • FSMA Compliance (Preventive Controls): The manufacturer must have a rigorous Food Safety Plan (FSP) to proactively prevent hazards (biological, chemical, physical) before they occur.

Voluntary certifications are chosen by the manufacturer and are granted by independent third parties. They indicate the manufacturer’s commitment to go beyond the basic legal requirement, providing lower risk and greater market access for brands.

Safe Quality Food Certification

The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) was established in 2000 when CEOs of major retailers and food manufacturers came together to address growing concerns about food safety and to harmonize food safety standards globally. Prior to this, many retailers had developed their own proprietary standards, requiring a manufacturer selling to several retailers to undergo redundant, costly audits every year.  GFSI developed a number of benchmarking requirements that certifications must meet to be equivalent. When a certification program proves it can meet these stringent requirements, it is considered GFSI-recognized. Major global retailers are committed to accepting certifications from GFSI-recognized schemes, making GFSI certification a de facto requirement.

Safe Quality Food (SQF) Certification is a GFSI-benchmarked scheme. SQF certification means the facility’s processes and products are independently verified to meet rigorous international, regulatory, and industry-specific standards. Currently, SQF includes 13 industry-specific codes, which provide detailed, step-by-step guidance to ensure that food is produced, prepared, and handled safely. For example, the SQF Food Safety Code: Dietary Supplement Manufacturing is used for powdered beverages classified and labeled as dietary supplements. This certification demonstrates that the manufacturer prioritizes exceeding minimum requirements to deliver safe, high-quality products.

NSF Certification and Standards

NSF is an independent, not-for-profit public health and safety organization that develops standards and provides third-party testing, auditing, and certification for food, water, dietary supplements, and related products. As a certification body, it is accredited to audit and certify facilities to FDA cGMP standards. It also provides certification in accordance with its own standards.

A manufacturer of powdered functional beverages should have both NSF-GMP and SQF certifications to meet foundational U.S. regulatory compliance (GMP) for supplements and the global, retailer-mandated food safety management system requirements (SQF) for the brands it serves.

For a powdered nutritional drink manufacturer, NSF may be seen in three main ways: how the facility is audited for good manufacturing practices, how products are certified against dietary supplement standards, and, for athlete-focused lines, how sports products are screened for banned substances.

The three key NSF programs for powdered functional beverages:

  • GMP certification:  The standard governing GMP certification is NSF/ANSI 455-2: Dietary Supplements GMP Certification. This is the standard for the facility audit and certification. It is used to assess whether a site’s quality system, production processes, and controls comply with U.S. FDA 21 CFR Part 111 (cGMP) and additional best practices using a standardized audit framework.
  • Product Certification: This certification confirms a supplement contains the ingredients and amounts claimed on the label and that it is within specified contaminant limits.
  • Certified for Sport program: This NSF program applies to dietary supplements and sports nutrition products intended for athletes. It is the only third-party certification program recognized by the Canadian Football League, Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League and the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), and it is recommended by many more national sports organizations. To receive certification, a product must be tested for 290 banned substances and undergo label and formulation review. The manufacturing facility must be inspected and is subject to ongoing monitoring.

USDA Organic Certifications

This certification is mandatory for products labeled organic. In the United States, regulation 7 CFR 205.100 requires any operation that produces or handles agricultural products sold or represented as “100 percent organic,” “organic,” or “made with organic [ingredients or food groups]” is certified under the USDA National Organic Program, unless it meets a narrow small-operator exemption. That certification is granted by USDA-accredited certifying agents, which may be state, nonprofit, or private organizations authorized to review operations, inspect facilities, and issue organic certificates.

Certification focuses on the operation rather than a single product run. A contract powdered beverage manufacturer that wants to produce organic powders must be certified as an organic handling/processing operation. To obtain and maintain certification, the manufacturer must develop and maintain an Organic System Plan that explains how its sourcing, processing, cleaning, segregation, and recordkeeping meet USDA organic standards. In addition, it must undergo an initial on-site inspection and an annual inspection.

For finished powdered beverages, the organic claim is tied to the percentage of certified organic ingredients in the formula (excluding water and salt):

  • “100 percent organic”:  all ingredients and processing aids are certified organic.
  • “Organic”: at least 95 percent of ingredients are certified organic; the remainder must be on the allowed lists or organic if commercially available.
  • “Made with organic [X]”: at least 70 percent of ingredients are certified organic; the label can call out up to three organic ingredients or ingredient groups, but use of the USDA Organic seal is forbidden.
  • Less than 70 percent organic content: organic status may be shown only next to individual ingredients in the ingredient list. Use of the USDA Organic seal is forbidden

For brands selling organic products, it is important to confirm the manufacturer holds a current USDA organic certification and whether its intended claim level (for example, “organic” versus “made with organic [X]”) is supported by the formula. Recent enforcement updates now require that virtually anyone in the supply chain (importers, distributors, storage facilities, etc.) that handles organic ingredients or products must be certified, unless they meet one of the few limited exceptions.

Gluten Free Certification

Gluten-free is a voluntary label claim that can be used only when foods meet the FDA definition of gluten-free, which is a food having less than 20mg of gluten per kg of food. If a food has more than this or has wheat on its ingredient list or label without specifying it has been processed to meet FDA requirements, the FDA will consider the product misbranded, which may result in issuance of a warning letter, product recall, or civil penalties.

Kosher Certification

A rabbinic agency grants Kosher certification after verifying that all ingredients, derivatives, equipment, and production processes contain only kosher substances. The Kosher Certified symbol assures consumers that the product and its manufacturing fully comply with Kosher Law requirements.

The word Kosher comes from the Hebrew word kashér, meaning “fit,” “proper,” or “appropriate” for consumption. Kosher signifies foods and beverages that comply with the complex set of Jewish dietary laws known as Kashrut.

For functional powdered drinks, Kosher laws are most concerned with ingredients and equipment. Since functional drink powder is a complex blend, every single component must be kosher.  For example, emulsifiers and stabilizers, such as mono- and diglycerides that are sourced from an animal must be kosher, or the entire product is considered non-kosher.

Even if all ingredients are intrinsically kosher, the product can be rendered non-kosher if the machinery fails to meet requirements. If the same industrial mixers or packaging lines are used to produce a non-kosher product, such as a dairy-based shake powder, the equipment must undergo a thorough ritual cleaning process called Kashering before a kosher powder is produced. Additionally, oils or greases used to lubricate machinery must comply with kosher Laws.

Rainforest Alliance Certification

Rainforest Alliance Certification Standard guarantees the sustainability and ethical sourcing of the ingredients used in products. The certification ensures that the supply chain, from the farm that grew the raw material to the manufacturing facility, adheres to strict environmental, social, and economic criteria. This means the farms use sustainable farming practices that protect biodiversity and natural resources, and the workers are provided fair treatment and safe working conditions.

For powdered beverage brands, this standard requires the manufacturer (a Supply Chain Actor) to maintain strict traceability and mass balance systems. These systems are designed and audited to ensure that every scoop of powder containing the Rainforest Alliance seal is directly accounted for with certified, responsibly sourced raw ingredients. This means brands can trust that the product provides functional benefits and contributes positively to the communities and ecosystems where the ingredients are grown.

Tipton Mills Foods Holds the Food Safety Certifications You Need

Brands that choose Tipton Mills Foods are partnered with a manufacturer that invests in industry-leading food safety and quality certifications. Tipton Mills Foods delivers premium functional powdered beverages that meet rigorous standards and exceed expectations. Contact us to learn more.