ANN ARBOR, Mich. (January 31, 2013) – NSF International, an independent global organization that writes standards, and tests and certifies products for the consumer goods, food and water industries, has certified Oster Blenders, a Jarden Consumer Solutions Brand, to a new protocol NSF developed to evaluate the safety and quality of home blenders. The Oster 8-Speed and Die-Cast Blenders are the first products in this category to earn certification to the protocol, which was developed as part of the new NSF Home Product Certification (HPC) Program.

The NSF Home Product Certification Program is based on, but separate from, the NSF commercial foodservice equipment certification program. Many state, county and city food codes in the U.S. mandate that commercial establishments use foodservice equipment that is certified to NSF commercial food equipment standards. The NSF Home Product Certification Program builds on this commercial expertise by now helping to ensure the safety and quality of consumer products and appliances used in the home.

Through this program, products are thoroughly tested against a rigorous set of protocols at NSF’s laboratories. The protocols are specific to home use and incorporate all applicable product quality, performance and food contact material regulations. This enables manufacturers to streamline multiple client product specifications into one set of testing requirements, helping assure product safety, while also increasing a product’s speed to market and reducing overall costs. Production facilities also undergo a thorough audit to verify that systems are in place to help assure finished products meet NSF protocol requirements.

NSF public health experts worked with retailers, manufacturers and regulatory experts to develop NSF Protocol P388: Blenders for Home Use. This protocol covers electrical countertop blenders and includes a rigorous set of testing requirements which evaluate:

NSF International tested and certified Jarden’s 8-Speed and Die-Cast Oster Blenders against Protocol P388, and audited the facility in which the products are made. For earning certification, Oster Blenders will bear the NSF “Certified for Home Use” mark.

"Consumers are more safety minded than ever and look for products that have added assurance of safety and quality. Through the NSF Home Product Certification Program, we’re able to provide this added assurance to consumers as well as communicate to retail buyers product safety and compliance," said Tony Satcher, Director of Sales Operations, Jarden Consumer Solutions.

In a recent independent survey conducted on behalf of NSF International, nearly 40 percent of consumers expressed concerns about the safety of their home kitchen appliances and cookware, and almost 75 percent expressed a preference in products that were independently tested and certified over those that were not.

"The NSF Certified for Home Use mark on certified products allows consumers to easily identify safer products that have been tested by an independent third-party public health organization against a rigorous set of quality, performance and material safety requirements," said Sarah Krol, General Manager of Consumer Products, NSF International.

The new NSF Home Product Certification Program is part of NSF’s Consumer Products Division, which also offers private label assurance and specification development. The NSF Private Label Assurance Program verifies that private label products meet retailers’ quality standards, are comparable to national brands and comply with consumer product regulations.