Store brand products that delight your consumer, with the help of UL-STR.
For over 60 years, UL-STR has played an integral role in the continuous quality improvement of many leading store brands—helping to ensure that what’s in a name is synonymous with the level of quality and reliability that consumers expect.
Strategically located throughout the world, our full-cycle supply chain risk management program for store brands shepherds new products from concept to manufacturing, and on to finished product testing and inspection, to help you build consumer confidence in the quality, safety and social standards of your products.
Testing and Quality Assurance
UL-STR’s testing laboratories help determine the products you are manufacturing, selling and distributing comply with safety and performance standards, adhere to regulations and meet consumer expectations. We can customize a testing program to meet your specific sample and volume testing needs, and assist with overall quality and safety assessment.
UL-STR’s product evaluations include; analytical, microbiological, physical and product performance testing, ambient and accelerated shelf-life studies, product to package compatibility, label reviews and regulatory consultation.
Potential New Item (PNI) Program
UL-STR’s PNI® (Potential New Item) program performs pre-market regulatory and product feature evaluations, product design qualification testing, and corrective action analysis to identify areas for improvement and reduce exposure to product failure and possible recalls.
Rapid Turn Testing
UL-STR has expansive capabilities and state-of-the-art equipment for the rapid turn-around of microbiological and analytical testing. Our specific instrumentation enables us to handle a higher volume of samples, at competitive pricing, to meet the needs of food manufacturers, suppliers and food service establishments who require quick turn-around times on their quality control and quality assurance testing.
Some of the tests offered via rapid instrumentation include:
- Moisture
- Fat
- Protein
- Salt
- APC (Aerobic Plate Count)
- Yeast/Mold
- Pathogens
Sensory Evaluations
Sensory attributes play a major role in your target consumer’s product experience. To minimize returns and maximize repeat purchases, it is crucial that your product’s description accurately matches the sensory cues delivered in your marketing, and on your packaging.
UL-STR’s trained and consumer panels can help ensure your brands are optimized for their sensory characteristics. Our ability to combine sensory services with physical and analytical testing makes us the preferred sensory services provider to the consumer products industry.
Technically Advanced Quality Assurance (TAQA®)
UL-STR’s TAQA® (Technically Advanced Quality Assurance) product evaluation program is based on the most highly recognized international and U.S. standards, including FDA and USP, and offers the ultimate quality assurance protection for your brand. Emphasis is placed on in-depth laboratory quality tests, performance and sensory evaluations, and product risk assessment.
Supply Chain Audits
UL-STR provides detailed, independent audits on manufacturing capabilities, quality assurance systems, regulatory compliance, social compliance and environmental performance to identify and manage risk—anywhere in your supply chain.
UL-STR’s Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP), Safe Quality Food (SQF), and General GMP audits provide essential information, so you can make informed decisions to help ensure safe and effective quality systems. Our team of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) experts conduct audits specifically for the food products and nutritional supplements industries.
Supply Chain Risk Assessments
UL-STR’s supply chain risk assessments are a proactive way for you to identify business interruptions that could impact your brand viability. They include compliance review, regulatory assessment, factory outsourcing and transportation analysis, contingency plan review and security evaluation.
Additional Store Brand Resources
Webinar: Drinkware, Houseware and the CPSIA
Webinar: Store Brand Innovation
Case Study: Store Brand Risk Management
News Alert: FDA Announces New Testing and Labeling Requirements for Sunscreen
News Alert: New California and Federal Energy Efficiency Standards for Light Bulbs
News Alert: FDA Heightens Border Enforcement Against Foods Containing Illegal or Undeclared Colors