To meet the growing demands of athletes, coaches, athletic directors and all those concerned about banned substances in sports supplements, NSF International’s Dietary Supplements Certification Program has introduced two much-needed programs. The NSF Certified for Sport™ and GMP for Sport™ programs have been put in place to minimize the risk that a dietary supplement or sports nutrition product contains a substance banned by major sports organizations such as:
- The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)
- The National Football League (NFL)
- Major League Baseball (MLB)
GAKIC® has gone through these programs and has been certified by NSF according to their strict guidelines.
The NSF Certified for Sport™ Program is a program set in place whereby NSF tests and certifies that products like GAKIC contain the identity and quantity of dietary ingredients declared on the product label, and do not contain banned substances and unacceptable quantities of unwanted contaminants.
The NSF Certified for Sport™ Program certifies that participating manufacturers and their products have met NSF’s stringent independent certification process guidelines. These guidelines include:
- Product testing for banned substances and label content confirmation
- Formulation and label review
- Production facility and supplier inspections
Like all NSF certification programs, ongoing monitoring will occur to ensure continued compliance with all requirements to maintain product certification. From extensive product testing and formulation/label review to unannounced plant inspections, NSF is the only third-party testing organization to conduct a complete evaluation of every aspect of a product’s production before it can earn certification.
The GMP for Sport™ Program supports NSF’s Athletic Banned Substances Certification Program. GMP for Sport™ is an independent registration that demonstrates a manufacturer’s compliance with GMP’s. Outlined in the NSF/ANSI Standard 173 for Dietary Supplements, GMP’s verify that guidelines exist for the following processes:
- personnel issues
- plant and grounds maintenance/sanitation
- laboratory operations
- sourcing and traceability
- equipment design and maintenance
- quality assurance issues
- health claims
- production/process controls
Additional requirements for these programs include:
- Two annual GMP for Sport™ audits – Ensures ongoing conformance to GMP requirements
- Manufacturer affidavits – Validates that manufacturers do not source, purchase or inventory any component contained on the banned substances list
- Active ingredient supplier affidavits – Offered to suppliers who participate in the NSF Athletic Banned Substances Certification Program
These NSF Certification programs are a huge step forward for the athletic community, and knowing that GAKIC® has been thoroughly tested and certified by NSF through these stringent programs is very reassuring for hardworking and dedicated athletes of all levels.
