What is the National Animal Supplement Council?

Learn why you only want to feed your horse NASC approved supplements

The National Animal Supplement Council (NASC) works to promote the wellbeing and health of companion animals and horses that are given health supplements and works to protect and enhance the animal health industry.

You care about your horse. You want to give your horse the best quality supplements. You need to have peace-of-mind that the horse supplements you buy are safe, tested, and adhere to manufacturing guidelines.

This is exactly how I feel. I believe that you need to know what you’re giving your horse and why you’re giving these ingredients to your horse. You could say, this is why the NASC exists today.

Nick, Grand Meadows, and The Origins of the NASC

Way back in 1997, the horse supplement business was exploding. There were so many new brands and formulations on the market – it was impossible to keep track of.

Me, being me, I was a bit suspicious about how companies were able to roll out new horse supplements so quickly. So, I decided to do some testing. I tested 32 different horse joint supplements – I wanted to know if their labels matched the actual ingredients..

Guess what? Only 2 of the 32 tested brands had ingredients that matched their labels. Not only was I ticked off, but I was also worried about what this meant for the horse supplement industry and the health and safety of horses.

Back in the late 1990’s there was very little regulatory oversight in the horse supplement business. In fact – product labels were anything but transparent. What was in the product? No one knew. How much active ingredient was in each serving? Your guess is the best guess.

So, I decided enough was enough. Time to do something about this.

Grand Meadows started the National Association of Equine Supplement Manufacturers (NAESM). Our goal with the NAESM was to raise the standards in the equine supplement industry.

Interest from manufactures was slow to start, but quickly picked up when the President of the Association of American Feed Controls Office (AAFCO) (regulatory body for feed in each state) decided to put a stop to the sale of horse supplements containing unapproved ingredients.

In 1999, working with other like-minded pet supplement manufacturers, we created a plan to engage with the regulatory agencies – AAFCO and Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (FDA-CVM). We created and presented a Compliance Plus document aimed at bringing transparency and accountability to the animal health supplement industry.

Ultimately, in 2001, a group of animal supplement manufacturers created the NASC. And in 2003, the NAESM joined forces with the NASC.

The National Animal Supplement Council is a non-profit trade organization dedicated to protecting and enhancing the health of companion animals and horses throughout the United States. Founded in 2001, NASC is an all-industry association of stakeholders concerned with the issues surrounding the supply of health supplements for animals not intended for human consumption, such as dogs, cats and horses.

NASC members include manufacturers of the finest animal health supplements, who are committed to the highest standards of quality and safety in the industry today, as well as raw materials suppliers, distributors, veterinarians, retailers, pet professionals, and animal friends.

What Does the NASC Do?

The NASC works to improve the consistency and quality of animal health supplements around the world.

The organization is united in ensuring any health supplement products sold to consumers for their horses, cats, dogs, and other companion animals adhere to industry, state, federal, and international standards.

NASC member companies, including Grand Meadows, work to create a legislative and regulatory environment that provides a framework that is fair, reasonable, responsible, and nationally consistent. Such an environment of safety, accuracy and quality serves the interests of NASC members by ensuring ethical manufacturing and labeling practices are complied with throughout the industry.

What is NASC Quality Seal?

The NASC Quality Seal identifies products from companies that are committed to quality, vigilance, and continuous improvement to promote the well-being of companion animals and horses.

There is an NASC Quality Seal on every single Grand Meadows product.

The NASC Quality Program provides strict guidelines for product quality assurance in written, consistent raw material sourcing and manufacturing standards, adverse event reporting, and labeling and claims requirements that are within the guidelines provided by the regulatory agencies.

To display the NASC Quality Seal on our products and marketing material, we need to pass an independent third-party audit every two years and we need to prove our continued compliance with NASC Quality Seal criteria:

The NASC and Your Horse Supplements

Please, please, please only buy and feed horse supplements that display the NASC Quality Seal.

You need to know that you’re giving your horse safe, tested, and quality horse supplements.

The NASC is a voluntary membership and I’m proud to be a founding member. Grand Meadows has the highest rating with the NASC for compliance with rigorous manufacturing Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).

For us, this includes strict raw material testing, independent lab tests on all finished products, and ensuring our formulas are consistent from the first scoop to the last.

I am adamant about maintaining our high-quality level of standards in every aspect of our business – especially with formulations that are clinically researched with the world’s most respected nutritionists, biochemists, and veterinarians. Because of this, you know your horse always gets optimal nutrition and supplementation with Grand Meadows.

Our mission at Grand Meadows and the NASC, as I continue to serve on the Board of Directors of the NASC, is to continue to police our industry and to constantly strive to ensure that the animal health supplements produced by our member companies are safe and effective.

My final word on the NASC and your horse: make sure your horse supplements carry the NASC Seal. This is the proof you need that the animal supplement is manufactured to a very high standard.

Read more about my leadership with the NASC:

To learn more about what the NASC is doing now, visit the NASC website and browse the 2023 NASC Annual Conference agenda. This gives you great insight into the issues and hot topics in the animal health and wellness industry.