IASC Certification Program Policies and Procedures

Building on a testing concept designed by member companies, the IASC developed the certification program to allow aloe growers, processors and manufacturers to submit their facilities and products to an audit program and series of rigorous tests which, if they passed, would authorize them to display the IASC Seal of Certification on all products and marketing materials. This would enable them to distinguish themselves as having aloe content of the highest quality and purity.

When the auditor is on site they first look for a clean facility operating under GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice). The auditor witnesses each step taken from the processing of the leaf through the final packaging. Two samples of each product must be taken of each final product submitted for certification.

Auditors will arrive with special sample collection bottles and codes for each product to be certified. Codes and labels to be prepared are to coincide with the coded product and attached by the auditor to the sample containers to be sent to the approved outside independent laboratory blinded. One set of samples will be packaged in a shipping container and delivered to the Council by the certifier or packaged, addressed and shipped to the laboratory. The second set will be hand-delivered to the IASC home office by the certifier or packed and shipped to the IASC office under the watch of the certifier for use as a retain. The retains are kept for 2 years by the Council. Both shipments will bear the certifier's initials on crucial areas of the shipping container(s).

Plastic containers are sealed by shrink seals and initialed by the certifier to assure no tampering. The IASC home office will use the certifyerÕs report to fax information needed to the laboratory. The laboratory will perform analysis according to the IASC protocol and fax or mail the reports and interpretation to the Council.

Confirmation will be sent directly to the home office and the certifying company will be duly informed of the results. When passed, a certificate of certification will be prepared and signed by the president and certification chairman. A hard copy will be sent under separate cover to the company being certified. Naturally, this will not happen until the literature and labels have been approved by the certification chairman.

If the product fails, the auditor is to return for retesting. Auditor's fees, airfare expenses, lodging, meals and mileage, and laboratory testing costs are again paid by the company undergoing certification. There are no additional certifiation program fees.

If a product is to be sent to another location for completion (i.e. freeze drying, spray drying, concentrating, etc.), the material for further processing will be sent on to the processor with seals initialed by the auditor. A Polaroid or digital camera picture will be taken by the auditor with his initial on the seal and delivered to the IASC.

The final processing company's authorized individual will sign a form that is supplied by the Council to confirm the above listed steps and that the chain of custody has been properly completed. The auditor only has to attend the removal of product from finishing equipment, all steps, and take 2 samples of each completed product back to the Council or shipped as previously outlined. This procedure eliminates the necessity of an auditor remaining 3 days to witness the product going in, then out of equipment, such as a freeze dryer. It will normally eliminate about 3 days of costly waiting time to complete the final certification step.

Finished product certification procedure starts with the sampling of the raw material being used with recorded lot number(s) and raw material suppliers name. The inspector will witness the amount of aloe used and follow through the steps of production. These samples will be handled in the same manner as raw material samples.

A Statement of Fact form must be signed in front of the auditor stating that none of the listed ingredients are added to the products being certified. The auditor will have and sign a Confidentiality Agreement for your protection prior to starting the certification process.

Action will be taken when and if any company uses the registered name or logo of the International Aloe Science Council without prior approval. The IASC Certification Seal cannot be used by any company that is not certified.

Literature is also to be reviewed and approved before the seal can be used. A velox of the seal can be mailed or e-mailed to companies that certify for their use. esentation and/or misuse or display of the seal is strictly prohibited by the Council and will incur legal action.