NORTHBROOK, Ill., May 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- UL, a global safety science leader, today announced that Walgreens, an integrated healthcare pharmacy and retail leader, has earned a UL Verified Mark. This year, the UL Verified Mark will begin appearing on Walgreens brand vitamins and supplements. Ingredients listed on the product's nutritional or supplement facts panel are now verified by UL – the first time the UL Verified Mark will appear on vitamin and supplement packaging. In addition to appearing on product packaging, the UL Verified Mark will also appear on vitamins and supplement product pages on walgreens.com.
UL's Verified Mark represents an objective, science-based assessment and confirms the ingredients are as stated on the nutritional or supplement facts panel shown on the product's label. UL's Verified Mark on Walgreens products is the outcome of successful objective and independent verification informed by facility audits and product testing to verify the accuracy of the supplement or nutritional facts panel. To build trust and reinforce transparency, any Walgreens brand vitamin or supplement that UL has verified will display a UL Verified Mark with a unique identifier number that consumers can use to understand the verification methodology as described on the publicly available UL Verify database.
"Consumers want to trust what is in the product they are taking, while retailers need to provide that trust and assurance," said Doug Lockard, vice president and general manager of UL's Retail and Consumer Products group. "UL's Verified Mark creates trust based on independent, credible proof regarding a product's ingredients. Walgreens investment in earning UL's Verified Mark demonstrates its commitment to delivering quality products. We thank them for putting their trust in UL to help them deliver on that promise," said Lockard.
A survey for The Pew Charitable Trusts found that 71% of consumers thought retailers should be responsible for the safety and label accuracy of supplements. According to UL dietary supplement consumer research, ingredient accuracy and quality are also top of mind for most consumers, with the ingredient list as the main item respondents look for on supplement packaging. This study also found that consumers recognize the lack of U.S. Federal Drug Administration regulation for supplements. The lack of oversight drives consumers to verify product quality from online reviews, friends, family and other trusted sources, with 76% saying that a UL Mark would influence their buying decision.
"Trust is core to any relationship, and we believe ingredient transparency is very important," said Luke Rauch, senior vice president and chief merchandising officer at Walgreens. "That's why we worked with UL to obtain objective and independent third-party verification for the ingredients in our dietary supplements and vitamins. With this new verification, you can trust that our vitamins contain exactly what is listed on the nutritional and supplement facts panel, building on our reputation as a trusted name in health and wellness," said Rauch.
About UL
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