NSF and iNADO Team Up to Protect Athletes and Consumers From Sports Supplement Risks

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - NSF, a global public health and safety organization, recently signed a two-year partnership with the Institute of National Anti-Doping Organisations (iNADO) based in Bonn, Germany. With the partnership, iNADO recognizes NSF’s Certified for Sport® program as an invaluable resource to help athletes and consumers avoid potentially harmful ingredients and athletic banned substances found in dietary supplements.

Inadvertent doping in sports continues to be an ongoing challenge. Together, the organizations will advance iNADO’s clear and consistent messages supporting best anti-doping practices among national and international sports and government bodies. iNADO’s membership includes approximately 70 National Anti-Doping Organizations (NADOs).

“iNADO is extremely pleased to be teaming up with NSF to further our common objective of helping athletes compete in a safer, healthy and clean manner,” said Graeme Steel, CEO of iNADO. “We view NSF as an invaluable resource that helps consumers and athletes make informed decisions when choosing supplements. It is a natural partnership that we fully support and endorse among our members and the athletic community.”

As part of NSF’s Certified for Sport® program, supplements are tested on a lot-by-lot basis for more than 270 athletic banned substances. Label claims are verified and products are tested to verify formulation. Products are also tested for harmful levels of contaminants or fraudulent ingredients. Recognized as the “gold standard” for quality, NSF’s Certified for Sport® is recommended in the U.S. by the MLB, NFL, PGA, LPGA, CCES, CPSDA and Taylor Hooton Foundation as well as many other sports organizations.

NSF’s newly-updated Certified for Sport® app gives consumers and athletes a quick and convenient way to search for products that have earned the NSF Certified for Sport® mark. NSF will showcase the new app when it participates in the iNADO Workshop in Lausanne, Switzerland, on March 20.

“While there have been advances in the manufacturing of supplements over the last decade, athletes continue to fail doping tests because they are unknowingly taking supplements contaminated with substances banned in their sport,” said Terence O’Rorke, Regional Manager of NSF’s Certified for Sport® program in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. “NSF’s Certified for Sport® provides the highest possible protection for athletes who use sports supplements. By partnering with iNADO, NSF wants to prevent inadvertent doping and help protect athletes and consumers.”

In addition to lot-by-lot testing for over 270 athletic banned substances, products bearing NSF’s Certified for Sport® mark must be produced in a manufacturing facility that is inspected twice a year to comply with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) requirements.

Since its introduction to the U.S. market in 2004, Certified for Sport® has grown into a globally-recognized program educating elite and amateur-level athletes across four continents.

For more information on NSF’s Certified for Sport® program, please visit www.nsfsport.com or download the app on the App Store for iPhone or on Google Play for Android.

Editor’s Note: For media interviews, please contact Thomas Frey, APR, at media@nsf.org or +1 (734) 214-6242.

NSF is a global public health organization that develops standards, and tests and certifies products for the food, water, health sciences and consumer goods industries to minimize adverse health effects and protect the environment. Founded in 1944, NSF is committed to protecting human health and safety worldwide. With operations in more than 170 countries, NSF is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center on Food Safety, Water Quality and Indoor Environment.

NSF’s health sciences services include training and education, consulting, auditing, GMP and GLP analytical testing, DNA testing, certification, R&D, regulatory guidance and corporate compliance for the pharma biotech, medical device, dietary supplement and bottled water/beverage industries throughout the product lifecycle. NSF wrote the only American National Standard (NSF/ANSI 173) for the health and safety of dietary supplements and also tests and certifies products to this standard.