Protecting athletes from the risks of supplements
- Asker Jeukendrup
- 31 minutes ago
- 8 min read
Supplements are a multi-billion-dollar industry, with the majority of athletes using supplements to support training performance and recovery. However, it is also clear that many supplements are based on wishful thinking rather than evidence, and some supplements on the market have quality issues. Supplements may not contain what you expect, they may also contain ingredients you don’t expect. The label doesn’t always describe accurately what a supplement contains (or the content does not reflect what it says on the label). Athletes who undergo doping tests want to be assured that the supplements they use are not contaminated with banned substances. In a previous blog we discussed these risks, and they are real! (See Contamination of nutrition supplements and Risks of supplements). In this blog we will discuss how quality assurance programmes help to protect athletes especially against inadvertent doping
Supplements may not contain what you expect, they may also contain things you don’t expect.
What are the risks of supplements?
Supplements pose risks to athletes due to potential contamination during the manufacturing process. For example, cross-contamination of substances can occur through improper handling, cleaning processes, or raw material sourcing. This can lead to supplements containing banned substances despite claiming to be safe for athletic competition, as we discussed in a previous blog. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code clearly states that athletes face strict liability. This means athletes are strictly responsible for what is in their system, irrespective of how it got there. There are plenty of examples of supplements ruining reputations and careers of athletes. Was it worth it? Of course, all those athletes would say “no”.
What do quality assurance programmes offer?
What can we do about this? We can follow two paths. The first one is to think twice before using supplements and doing a thorough risk benefit analysis. The second path: once decided that the benefits will outweigh the potential risks, is to reduce the risk as much as possible by making sure the product is high quality with minimal risk of contamination.
There are different quality assurance (QA) programmes in various countries. Some focus specifically on contamination (with doping substances), others focus more on the overall quality of the product (does it contain what it should contain). Although it is not possible to mention every single initiative, we will zoom in on 7 of the most commonly used QA programmes. These programmes are designed to minimise the risk of inadvertent doping in sport with a focus on contamination with banned substances.
The various QA programmes offer different services. The most important differences include the number of doping substances that are tested and whether or not every batch of a product is tested, products are tested randomly or whether it is simply measured once. Some programmes are very thorough and evaluate not just a product but also the facilities where they are produced and the processes.
The following table gives an overview of the most well known QA programmes and how they differ.
Informed Sport
Informed Sport is a global, industry-leading certification programme that provides a guarantee that every certified supplement batch is tested for banned substances before it reaches athletes. Operated by LGC, one of the world’s most advanced anti-doping laboratories, the programme screens products for a wide range of substances prohibited by WADA and other major sporting bodies, including anabolic agents, stimulants, Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMs), and other high-risk contaminants.
Each batch of supplements must be sampled, analysed, and cleared before it can be sold, creating the highest level of assurance currently available to athletes. Certified products are listed on the Informed Sport website and app along with their specific tested batch numbers, allowing consumers to verify that the exact product they are using has been screened.
Using rigorous testing procedures, Informed Sport aims to minimise the risk of inadvertent doping among athletes. Firstly, there is the pre-certification of the manufacturing process. This involves a sophisticated quality check of the supplement handling and cleaning procedures in place to reduce any contamination. Secondly, products are batch tested prior to being released on the market. Products will be tested for a multitude of different substances, such as steroids and stimulants, and will be Informed Sport certified if the supplement is deemed as safe in sport.
Importantly, Informed Sport focuses on safety and contamination risk, not on verifying a supplement’s health or performance claims. It has become the preferred certification for elite athletes, teams, and national governing bodies that require maximum protection against inadvertent doping.
Informed Choice
Informed Choice is an international quality-assurance programme for sport supplements from the Informed “family” designed to help athletes, coaches, and practitioners reduce the risk of inadvertent doping. The programme offers ongoing monitoring rather than batch-by-batch certification. Products in the programme undergo regular testing for a broad range of substances banned in sport, including anabolic agents, stimulants, and other compounds on major anti-doping lists.
Instead of testing every production batch, Informed Choice performs monthly blind retail testing, purchasing products directly from the marketplace to ensure they remain free from contamination over time. This approach provides continuous surveillance and helps detect manufacturing or supply-chain changes that might introduce risk. Facilities are also audited to assess manufacturing quality systems and reduce the likelihood of cross-contamination.
Informed Choice does not verify health or performance claims, nor does it conduct full label-claim or nutrient-content certification. Its primary purpose is doping-risk reduction. The programme is widely used by brands seeking a lower-cost, ongoing-monitoring option and by athletes who want an additional safeguard but do not require the stringent “every batch tested” standard provided by Informed Sport.
NSF Certified for Sport
NSF Certified for Sport is US based and provides comprehensive and widely recognised third-party testing and certification programmes for sport supplements. It is designed to minimise the risk of inadvertent doping while also verifying broader product quality. Every certified batch undergoes screening for nearly 300 banned substances, including anabolic agents, stimulants, SARMs, diuretics, and other compounds prohibited by major sports organisations.
To earn the Certified for Sport mark, there are two more layers of scrutiny a supplement needs to pass. First, NSF conducts a full label-claim and ingredient verification, confirming that the product contains the ingredients listed on the label in the stated amounts and nothing undeclared. Second, products are tested for harmful contaminants, including heavy metals, microbes, and other impurities.
Manufacturing facilities must also undergo regular Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) audits to ensure robust quality-control processes that minimise the risk of contamination.
NSF Certified for Sport does not evaluate performance or health claims; its role is to ensure safety, purity, and compliance. Because it combines banned-substance screening with full quality and GMP verification, NSF Certified for Sport is considered one of the highest-assurance programmes available to elite athletes.
BSCG Certified Drug Free
BSCG (Banned Substances Control Group) is another US based third-party certification and testing program designed to reduce the risk of inadvertent doping. This program also assesses key aspects of supplement quality and safety. BSCG offers one of the broadest drug-testing panels available.
The BSCG certified drug free program requires every finished-product batch to be tested. Each batch is screened for more than 500 substances, including all major WADA-prohibited drugs (anabolic agents, SARMs, stimulants, beta-2 agonists, diuretics, and masking agents) plus an additional range of prescription, over-the-counter, and illicit drugs not covered by many other certification schemes. This wide net helps identify contamination risks that extend beyond the typical anti-doping list.
Beyond banned-substance testing, BSCG also performs label-claim verification, selected contaminant testing, and GMP process reviews to ensure that manufacturing systems minimise adulteration or cross-contamination. Certified products and batches are listed publicly, giving athletes and support staff batch-level transparency.
HASTA
HASTA (Human and Supplement Testing Australia) is Australia’s leading independent certification program. Developed in collaboration with Sport Integrity Australia, HASTA tests sports supplements for a broad range of substances banned under the WADA Code, including anabolic agents, stimulants, SARMs, and other high-risk contaminants.
HASTA evaluates both the product and the manufacturing processes, reviewing quality-control systems to reduce the likelihood of cross-contamination. Certified products are listed on the HASTA website together with their batch numbers and test reports, giving athletes and practitioners transparent, batch-specific information.
Importantly, HASTA offers two different levels of testing:
HASTA Certified (highest level). Every batch is tested before it can be sold bearing the HASTA Certified logo. This provides similar risk reduction to Informed Sport’s batch-testing model. Ongoing manufacturing audits and documentation reviews are required.
HASTA Tested. A single batch is tested and only that specific batch number carries the assurance. Therefore, HASTA is not always every batch tested—it depends on the certification pathway.
NZVT
NZVT (Nederlands Zekerheidssysteem Voedingssupplementen Topsport, which translates to something like: Dutch security system nutrition supplements elite sport) is the Netherlands’ official supplement safety and anti-doping assurance system, operated by the Dutch Doping Authority (Dopingautoriteit). It is one of the longest-running and most respected programmes designed specifically to reduce the risk of inadvertent doping among elite athletes.
NZVT focuses on batch-specific testing of sports supplements. Manufacturers can submit products for analysis, and only batches that pass testing for a wide range of doping-related substances—including anabolic agents, stimulants, prohormones, SARMs, and other high-risk compounds—are approved and listed in the public NZVT database. Athletes must check that the exact batch number of the product they are using appears on the NZVT list; certification does not automatically apply to future batches.
NZVT also reviews manufacturing processes and risk factors, such as ingredient sourcing and the potential for cross-contamination. The system is used extensively by Dutch Olympic and professional sport programmes but is not used much outside Dutch speaking countries.
The Cologne List
The Cologne List or Kölner Liste is a Germany-based supplement safety initiative but is not a certification program, like the programmes discussed above. Instead, it functions as a screening and listing system: manufacturers voluntarily submit products or batches for analysis by an independent, accredited anti-doping laboratory.
Operated in cooperation with the German Sport University Cologne, it provides a transparent, publicly accessible database of supplements that have been tested for substances most commonly responsible for doping violations. The testing focuses on substances with the highest contamination risk, rather than the full WADA Prohibited List (mainly anabolic steroids and stimulants).
Unlike some QA programmes, the Cologne List does not test every batch, does not verify label claims, and does not perform GMP audits. Its sole purpose is to help athletes identify supplements with reduced, but not eliminated, doping risk, based on independent lab testing and transparent batch documentation.
How can athletes minimise inadvertent doping?
Athletes must exercise due diligence by choosing products that have been tested (preferably batch tested, as one batch without contamination does not mean that all batches will be free of contamination. No hair in your soup at a restaurant does not mean you will never have a hair in your soup at that restaurant).
Despite claims on many supplements, no programme can guarantee there is zero risk of a supplement containing banned substances. The QA programmes aim to minimise the risks of contamination and inadvertent doping through its stringent testing procedures. Athletes should ensure they are using only supplements that have undergone rigorous testing to ensure they comply with WADA regulations. Companies claiming 100% elimination of risk or using phrases like "WADA approved" on their products should raise red flags, as WADA does not endorse specific supplement brands or products.
The second protection for athletes is one that is hopefully never needed. Athletes need to carefully document their supplement use and ideally keep a sample from that each batch of every supplement (including product and batch number). In the event of anti-doping rule violation, an athlete can provide evidence that a supplement may be the cause, potentially reducing the duration and severity of any sanction.
Conclusions
Anyone taking supplements is at risk of the supplement containing banned substances. Informed Sport aims to minimise the risk of inadvertent doping among athletes though quality checks in the manufacturing process and batch testing of products going onto market to maintain the safety and fairness of sport. Athletes must take personal responsibility for their supplement choices, ensuring they select Informed Sport certified products and maintain records of their supplement use. While no program can completely eliminate risk, Informed Sport provides athletes with the highest level of confidence and protection to minimise the risk of inadvertent doping.
