ANN ARBOR, MI -- NSF International is launching a new athletic banned substances certification program for dietary supplements and sports nutrition products. NSF is an independent, not-for-profit organization that develops standards and certifies products. The new program has been recommended by athletic organizations such as Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association.
"This supplement certification program is designed to create a level playing field for all those professional, amateur and youth athletes who are dedicated to fair play in sports," said Kathleen Jordan, MS, RD, general manager, NSF Dietary Supplement Certification Program. "The athletic community has expressed concerns that many supplements may contain undeclared ingredients that could lead to positive testing for banned substances. Our certification program directly addresses these concerns and provides a solution."
The entire sports community—from professional, amateur and recreational athletes to coaches, trainers and parents—will be able to look for a specially designed NSF Certified for Sport™ mark on sports supplement labels. Products bearing this mark will indicate that a supplement manufacturer has undergone stringent evaluation criteria, including product testing for banned substances and label content confirmation, formulation and label review, production facility inspections, and ongoing monitoring. Once a product is certified, it will be listed on the NSF International Web site at www.nsf.org.
NSF anticipates that the first NSF Athletic Banned Substances Certified products will be available this spring.