The Natural Products Association (NPA) has formed a partnership with globally recognized testing program Informed-Choice to help supplement manufacturers in the U.S. minimize the risk of contamination with substances banned in sport by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The extensive sports testing program gives athletes the added confidence to know that the products they use to train and compete contain only the ingredients that are listed on the label.

The partnership will give NPA members preferential access for their manufacturing facilities to become Informed-Choice Certified Sites, enhancing the levels of quality assurance across the U.S. supplements industry.

The NPA and Informed-Choice expect this new partnership to increase the number of Informed-Choice Certified Sites across the U.S. in a move to improve compliance with federal standards and protect consumers from products contaminated with adulterants. The Informed-Choice certification program has received recent success in the U.S., Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Japan, and is expanding to meet growing demand in North America.

“Athletes deserve to know the supplements they are using contain only those ingredients listed on the label,” said Daniel Fabricant, PhD, executive director and CEO of NPA. “Anyone who wants to know if a product is approved for use in sport will simply look for the Informed-Choice logo. Not only will NPA’s partnership with Informed-Choice increase athlete and consumer confidence, it will also raise retailer and supplier confidence.

“Informed-Choice is the leading global sport certification program and excited to bring the established and respected certification program to our members. NPA had the first and oldest GMP certification program with third-party auditor Underwriters Laboratories (UL); the addition of Informed-Choice certification now gives our members a one-stop shop for all of their certification needs.”

“Informed-Choice is designed to minimize the risk of contamination, and the partnership with the NPA will help introduce the program to even more manufacturers, which can only be a good thing for the supplements industry in the U.S.,” said Paul Klinger, business development manager for Informed-Choice in the U.S.

“The program is affordable and accessible, and provides significant benefits to manufacturers that wish to show that their facility has been audited and tested for banned substances. We look forward to working closely with the NPA to help further enhance the levels of quality control in the manufacturing of sports supplements.”

To become an Informed-Choice Certified Site a manufacturer must first undergo a rigorous audit of their manufacturing processes that includes a site visit and taking 20 swab samples, which are then analyzed for the presence of banned substances.

Once certified, a manufacturer is visited every six months, during which 10 swabs are obtained for analysis, while an assessment is made of any changes to their standard operating procedures.

Informed-Choice was set up in 2007. As well as certifying manufacturing facilities, the program also certifies finished products and raw materials.

LGC, the international life sciences measurement and testing company that administers Informed-Choice, also administers the Informed-Sport program. LGC has more than 50 years’ experience in anti-doping, and has doping control laboratories in Lexington, KY, and in Newmarket in the U.K.