When you’re looking for third party certification in your sports supplements, there are a number of elements to look into. The testing of supplements for prohibited substances in sport has become a popular choice for most brands looking to provide elite athletes with their products.

There are a few certification options available to brands such as Informed-Choice, NSF Certified for Sport, BSCG, Aegis Sheild, and now Labdoor. When looking for the right certification there are a number of elements to look into. Not all certifications are the same, and in order to make sure that you get the best value from your certification here are a few areas to consider.

1. What experience does the laboratory have? Anti-doping is an extremely complicated area. The anti-doping landscape is continually changing, and new compounds are regularly been discovered and banned. It’s essential that a brand looks for a certification body that has vast experience in the anti-doping industry, and keeps up with the ever changing landscape.
2. Look at compounds that are covered. Unfortunately no laboratory can test a sports supplement for everything on the World anti-doping agency list, so it’s essential that a wide range of compounds are tested. Within the supplement industry new ingredients are regularly being launched that may be legal to use, but illegal in sports. It’s essential that the laboratory can keep up with the industry.
3. Laboratory quality. A requirement for any quality laboratory is ISO17025 accreditation. This shows the laboratory has adequate procedures to carry out testing. As an additional requirement, a laboratory should have ISO17025 validation on the detection of the compound, a set detection limit, and the supplement type such as a capsule, tablet, powder or gel.
4. Testing regularity. In most cases professional sport such as the NBA, MLB, NFL and others require that every batch of product they use be tested for banned substances in sport to provide additional quality assurance to their athletes. This is where it’s essential that the certification that a brand uses can meet the requirements of the professional teams.

If you’re looking for more information USADA have set out guidelines for a valid testing program http://www.usada.org/substances/supplement-411/reduce-risk-testing-positive-experiencing-adverse-health-effects/third-party-testing-guidance/

At 4Excelsior our experience in the industry can help guide you through the process of choosing the best sports certification for your brand. We believe in providing our customers with the best information possible, so that you can make the decision for your brand.