The IASC committee chairmen of the Science & Technology and Certification Chair positions have been working very hard to make adjustments to this relatively new program.
   The facility certification program is a very important addition to the long–standing certification program for aloe raw material and finished products. Having your facility certified is a very important step with any company. This step actually tells the world that your facility has passed the procedure established by the Council and you have a facility that has been certified.
   What does this mean to you and to all companies wishing to have their products certified? This means that the manufacturing facility that produces the end use products have had the IASC certifier come to their facility and complete a thorough audit of their facility. They review the SOP's (Standard Operating Procedures) and complete procedures that satisfy the certifier that the facility is qualified to produce aloe products without the IASC certifier present.
   Yes, this does mean that since the facility listed is a certified facility, the cost to certify products for you and your customers you make products for will be less since the manufacturer has already paid facility certification costs. You need to only pay certification fees and follow requirements that we will give you when you make your application for certification.
   How does your customer know what product they should buy? How do they know if proper care is taken to process the aloe they use? How do they know if the product they buy is adulterated? The fact is they don't. The only recommendation that the Council can give to those who call and ask us, which is quite often, is to buy products, which carry the IASC Certification Seal.
   The prestigious IASC Certification Seal is equal to the UL logo on electrical devises or the Good Housekeeping Seal of approval. It is a way to assist the unsuspecting buying public when they go to buy aloe.
   One last comment to aloe raw material manufacturers; you really need to be certified. If you are not certified, you cannot sell to finished good suppliers requesting certification since we do not certify finished goods unless certified raw aloe material is used.
   Contact the IASC office for additional information, application forms, cost estimates or the process required to get your product(s) certified.