ANN ARBOR, Mich. - NSF International, a not-for-profit which partners with sporting organizations to test and certify dietary supplements and sports nutritional products to ensure they are also free of banned substances such as steroids, has announced full support for the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) "Supplement Safety Now" campaign.
The campaign will create increased awareness around this important public health issue and help safeguard consumers from taking steroids and other illegal or controlled substances in products that are marketed as "safe and legal" dietary supplements.
"To be clear, products containing steroids and steroid precursors are not supplements, they are illegal drugs masquerading as dietary supplements," said Dr. Lori Bestervelt, Senior V.P. and Chief Scientific Officer for NSF International. "These dangerous and illegal products pose a significant public health risk and more stringent enforcement and independent surveillance is needed to better safeguard consumers."
Recent reports and FDA warnings regarding steroid contamination in products sold as supplements in the U.S. continue to emphasize the need for testing and certification of dietary supplements and nutritional products to ensure they do not contain steroids and other banned substances and contaminants.
NSF International has been working on solutions that address this public health issue for nearly a decade, working in concert with sports organizations, anti-doping agencies and supplement manufacturers to develop certification programs that evaluate dietary supplements for steroids and other prohibited substances as well as other contaminants.
In 2001, NSF International developed the only accredited American national standard (NSF/ANSI Standard 173) regarding the safe manufacture of dietary supplements. NSF developed a Dietary Supplement Certification program based on this standard that tests products for contaminants and heavy metals, verifies that what's on the label is in the bottle and audits manufacturing facilities to ensure they operate using Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs).
Since 2004, NSF has partnered with sporting organizations to test and certify dietary supplements and sports nutritional products to ensure they are also free of athletic banned substances. Major League Baseball (MLB), the MLB Player's Association, the National Football League (NFL), the NFL Player's Association, Professional Golfers Association of America (PGA), Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), and the Canadian Centre for Ethical Sports (CCES) have all chosen NSF to help verify the products their athletes use are safe and free of banned substances.
For more information about NSF's Certified for Sport program, click here.
Source: NSF International
Created December 11, 2009
