Quality Control & Assurance - NOW® Foods Greece

JMN - Join Molecular Nutrition
JMN Pharmaceutical SA is a Greek trading company, involved in marketing and distribution of pharmaceutical and nutritional supplement products hence in the health industry and lifestyle products. JMN Pharmaceutical SA was founded in 2008 in Ioannina. The rapid growth of the company resulted in its expansion into the industrial area of Ioannina, where privately owned warehouses of 1,200 square meters were located until the end of 2016, where they were moved at the area of Aspropyrgos Attica until the present day. The accountant base as well as the order department of the company remains in the center of the city of Ioannina. In 2008 the sales and marketing department was added in Athens, which is responsible for promoting products at both retail and wholesale, both in Greece and in foreign countries. In 2008, the R & D department was established, aiming at the development of innovative formulae. Today JMN Pharmaceutical is active in both Greece and the abroad.

Activities

The scope of JMN Pharmaceutical SA activities in Greece, involves the import, export, distribution and trade of pharmaceuticals, organic products and nutritional supplements. The company is the sole owner of the claims with regards the trade and distribution of NOW products in Greece, Cyprus and Croatia. According to SPINS^ΤΜ, an independent body, NOW is the biggest supplement manufacturer globally, in terms of sales. Alongside the effective demonstration of providing prime quality natural products, such as dietary supplements, natural nutriments, supplements for athletes, herb extracts, essential oils, natural sweeteners, cosmetics, etc., this American Corporation is strictly committed to issues that deal with social and environmental liability.

The last partnership between JMN Pharmaceutical SA and Lifeplan Products, an English supplement company, is an evolutionary step of great significance, since the dietary supplements in question are on sale exclusively at AB VASILOPOULOS Super Market, a member of Ahold-Delhaize, a giant multinational force, in FMCG department.

JMN Pharmaceutical SA, apart from delegating important manufacturers of the abroad, has also manufactured products under its own brand name, with innovative formulas, developed exclusively by the R & D department of the company. Natura Vita series available on domestic and foreign market; more specifically in Bulgaria, Serbia and Romania.

Some of which are:
- NATURA VITA Dietary Supplements
- NATURA VITA Nuts & Snacks
Services - Facilities

To the present, JMN Pharmaceutical SA remains committed to all the values set from the first moment of its foundation. The services provided include ensuring optimal product quality, and effectiveness to those who need them. Overhauling and scientifically validated expiration dates are an integral part of the company's activity which allows quality assurance from the first day of product storage. The facilities where the warehouse is housed exceed the guidelines for food packaging. The storage areas have units which control temperature and humidity, which operate more at night, to avoid changes that affect the quality of products. The high quality of service of JMN Pharmaceutical SA is certified by Quality Assurance Standard ISO 9001 and the reassessment is annual, according to the new standard ISO 9001.

Objectives

The purpose and aim of JMN Pharmaceutical SA is leadership and cooperation with new partners of high scientific standing, and continuous replenishment with modern innovative products that lead to a longer life of high quality. In a global economic environment, characterized by the changing attitudes of customers, who will now attach great importance to the quality and reliability of its products, the rapid increase in competition, ease of movement of goods between countries, there is a growing need for competitive products and services of assured quality. Despite the current difficult situation Greece is facing, JMN Pharmaceutical SA is continuing to produce an even larger number of formulations, with the same commitment and consistency towards its consumers and partners.

Values

One of the basic principles of JMN Pharmaceutical SA is consistency towards its customers, partners and its scientific staff characterized by sincerity, honesty and integrity.

Therefore the company commits and provides a promise to:
- Continuous scientific and technological progress.
- Maintaining high quality standards.
- Excellent personal relationships, both with customers and with partners.
- Excellent working environment for its staff.
Corporate Social Responsibility

JMN Pharmaceutical SA is characterized by remarkable long-term corporate social responsibility:

Financial transparency, alignment with national and international standards and initiatives of the sales department based on a strict code of conduct constitute a guaranteed compliance with the rules of good practice, but also transcend the predefined standards of laws, both local and on an international level.

i. Staff

Industry-leading laboratory facilities and state-of-the-art instrumentation won’t get you far without an expert technical staff. NOW has gone to great lengths to recruit some of the brightest and most qualified scientists and technicians in the natural products industry. Our staff includes 24 Master’s degree holders, 12 Ph.D.s, one M.D., a board certified toxicologist, a multitude of Bachelor’s degree holders and more. We employ well over 100 Quality Control staff members, who work three shifts five to six days a week. At NOW Foods quality never rests thanks to the efforts of our dedicated technical staff.

Analytical Instrumentation

NOW invests heavily in the instruments necessary to guarantee the safety and quality of our products. For more information on NOW’s robust and industry-leading Quality Control and Assurance programs please visit www.nowfoods.

Soleris® Rapid Microbiological System

Rapid method for detecting the presence of harmful pathogens
Measures microbial growth by monitoring pH and biochemical reactions
NOW uses Soleris^®to detect unwanted contaminants

HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography)

Versatile analytical instrument that is the workhorse of NOW’s analytical laboratories
Able to analyze a variety of components in raw material samples
NOW uses HPLC to conduct a wide variety of tests on ingredients and raw materials

HPTLC (high performance thin layer chromatography)

Visual chromatography technique used by botanists to identify the composition of plant-derived powders and extracts
NOW uses HPTLC to confirm the identity of botanicals such as Black Cohosh and Goldenseal
This technology helps NOW to correctly identify botanical species and ensure labeling accuracy

GC (gas chromatography)

Used to analyze volatile components in a mixture
Similar to HPLC except the analysis is performed on a gas instead of a liquid
NOW uses GC to analyze fatty acids in marine- and plant-based oils as well as other compounds such as MSM

ICPMS (inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry)

Analytical technique used by chemists to determine the elemental composition of a sample
Very sensitive technique that allows the detection of very low levels of elements
NOW uses ICPMS to measure minerals such as calcium and magnesium and to test for heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury

TOF-MS (time-of-flight mass spectrometry)

Capable of identifying a sample chemical by measuring its molecular weight; analogous to an extremely sensitive balance
Provides accurate mass analyses for profiling, identifying, characterizing and quantifying low Molecular weight compounds and biomolecules
NOW uses TOF- MS for the analysis of ingredients in finished products where regular HPLC doesn't work

UV/Vis (ultraviolet/visible spectroscopy)

Analytical technique used by NOW to measure the content of a compound in a liquid by light absorption for the purpose of confirming identity and strength
Different colors of light are absorbed differently by different compounds
Selectivity can be achieved by varying light wavelength

LCMS (liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry)

This analytical technique couples the separation capabilities of HPLC with the detection capabilities of a mass spectrometer
Helps to identify unknown components or confirm the presence of components in a sample
NOW chemists use LCMS to develop cutting-edge methods to identify a new active component or to seek out unwanted adulterants

IR (infrared spectroscopy)

A non-destructive analytical technique used by NOW to identify raw materials
This technique involves treating a sample with energy in order to make the chemical bonds vibrate
Vibrational patterns will vary due to each raw material’s unique chemical bonds
NOW has developed a unique IR technique that also allows for the detection of adulterants in ingredients

ii. Laboratory Facilities & Capabilities

Analytical Preparation Laboratory

Raw material and ingredient sample testing is performed in our Analytical Preparation laboratory. We confirm the identity of all incoming raw materials, as well as the quality of these materials and the levels of certain biomarkers and active components.

Physical Testing Laboratory

Once raw material and ingredient samples have been prepared they’re sent to Physical Testing for further analysis and verification of identity and purity.

Research & Development Pilot Plant

The R&D Pilot Plant is where new formulation and product ideas are developed and tested. Our R&D team is constantly seeking new synergistic ingredient combinations that can support health and well-being and advance the science of natural health and nutrition.

Microbiology Laboratory

Microbiological screening is an extremely important step in guaranteeing natural product quality. Our Microbiology laboratory, which includes the Soleris® Rapid Microbiological System, gives us the capability to test incoming raw materials as well as finished products for the presence of microbiological contaminants. Our microbiological testing program is designed to ensure the safety of all of our products from raw materials to finished goods.

Sensory Laboratory

The Sensory laboratory is where science must meld with sensation. Sensory evaluation participants review selected products and rate their sensory, or organoleptic, properties. Sensory evaluation ensures that NOW® products taste great and are pleasing to all of the senses.

Analytical Testing Laboratory

When an ingredient or finished product needs comprehensive scientific analysis it’s sent to the Analytical Testing laboratory. The heart of NOW’s Quality Control and Quality Assurance efforts, the Analytical lab is home to some of the most advanced analytical instrumentation currently available. Here you’ll find many of the precision instruments detailed in the preceding pages, such as high performance liquid chromatographs, gas chromatographs, infrared spectroscopes and more.

Personal Care Laboratory

Personal Care products and ingredients require unique and specialized processes and analyses that our Personal Care laboratory is specifically equipped to handle.

Methods Development Laboratory

If Analytical Testing is the heart of NOW’s quality efforts, then Methods Development is the brain. It’s here that NOW scientists use science and chemistry to explore potential new methods for the analysis of natural product ingredients. NOW’s Methods Development group is credited with the discovery of a new analytical technique that allows for rapid identity confirmation of glucosamine and chondroitin, as well as a method to stabilize s-adenosylmethionine, or SAMe, allowing it to be offered in supplemental tablet form.

ICPMS (inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry) Laboratory

NOW’s ICPMS laboratory is where we enter rarified air. NOW has been using this advanced analytical instrument since 2007, but most natural product manufacturers are just now starting to employ this sophisticated testing method. ICPMS is an extremely sensitive technique used by scientists to determine the elemental composition of an ingredient sample. NOW uses ICPMS to measure minerals such as iron, calcium and magnesium, as well as to test for minute levels of heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury. NOW currently utilizes three ICPMS instruments, a rarity in the realm of dietary supplement manufacturers, where some may have one ICPMS, but most have none.

GC (gas chromatography) Laboratory

Our Gas Chromatography laboratory is where we analyze the volatile components of various mixtures. NOW scientists utilize gas chromatography to analyze fatty acids in marine oils and botanicals.

JMN - Join Molecular Nutrition