On January 1st each year the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) publishes its list of banned substances and methods for athletes. The list is reviewed annually for prohibited substances, and methods that mask the effect or detection of prohibited substances are also banned.
The list includes substances or methods that have the potential to enhance or does enhance sport performance, represents an actual or potential health risk to the athlete consuming the substance or generally violates the spirit of the sport.
The NSF Certified for Sport® is the only independent third-party certification program recognized by a number of sporting organizations including the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA)
The certification program is rigorous and covers four main areas, one of which is banned substance screening. This involves verifying that the product does not contain any of the 290+ substances that currently appear on WADA’s list ( The Prohibited List | World Anti Doping Agency )
One of the reasons that Certified for Sport® is such a trusted certification is the rigorous methods by which it ensures that products are tested for banned substances – most specifically that testing is done on a lot-by-lot basis. This means that every production lot of a certified product is tested against the list – there is no one time certification check, every batch that is produced is tested.
Accreditation does not simply rely on manufacturer submitted data but instead testing is undertaken in NSF accredited laboratories for the full substance panel, meaning that every sample is tested for stimulants, narcotics, steroids, cannabinoids, diuretics, masking agents and other substances.
Certification also includes verification that the label claims are accurate – that the ingredients listed are present, and at the amounts declared on the supplement facts panel.
The NSF Certified for Sport® certification process involves:
- Application and formulation review – submission of the formula to the NSF, including all ingredient sources. This is reviewed by the NSF with the aim to flag any ingredients with a known contamination risk.
- Label review – confirmation that the label complies with FDA labeling requirements
- Lot-by-lot product testing – sampling from each production lot which takes place at an accredited laboratory for the full banned substance panel.
- GMP facility audit – unannounced audits of the manufacturing facility against Good Manufacturing Practice standards. These audits are specifically looking at documentation practices, cleaning protocols and confirming that there are no banned substances on the property.
The main reason the mark is so trusted is because of the ongoing monitoring that occurs via lot-by-lot testing and audits of the manufacturing facility.
If you were looking to work with a company that has experience manufacturing products that hold the Certified for Sport® certification then get in touch with us.