U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) ?Supplement 411.org? Initiative ...

NSF International is the Only Third-Party Testing and Certification Organization to Meet Stringent Requirements of USADA?s ?Supplement 411? Initiative

Ann Arbor, Mich. (PRWEB) May 17, 2012

To help athletes steer clear of tainted and adulterated nutritional products, the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has launched a new ?Supplement 411? initiative. NSF International, an independent organization that tests and certifies products for the dietary and nutritional supplement industry, fully supports USADA?s Supplement 411.org campaign to help athletes make educated decisions when it comes to choosing nutritional products.

NSF International is currently the only independent third party testing and certification organization to meet the stringent requirements of USADA?s Supplement 411 program, which requires Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) audits and toxicological reviews. As the developer of the only American national standard for dietary supplements (NSF/ANSI Standard 173), NSF International developed the NSF Dietary Supplement Certification and NSF Certified for Sport? programs to test and certify the safety and quality of dietary and sports nutrition products.

The NSF Dietary Supplement Certification program requires GMP audits of manufacturing facilities, as well as toxicology, label claim and contaminant reviews. The NSF Certified for Sport? program builds on this by also screening supplements for more than 165 banned substances and undeclared ingredients including stimulants, narcotics, steroids, diuretics, beta-2-agonists, masking agents and other substances, as well as unsafe levels of contaminants.

The NSF Certified for Sport? program is recognized by major sports organizations such as the NFL, MLB, and their player associations, PGA, LPGA and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) to help ensure the sports supplements their athletes use are free of athletic banned substances.

The NSF Certified for Sport? program is accredited by the American National Standards Institute and the Standards Council of Canada. The program also meets USADA?s criteria of maintaining multiple international accreditations including ISO Guide 65 (requirements for bodies operating product certification systems), ISO 17025 (requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories) and ISO 17020 (criteria for the operation of various types of bodies performing inspection).

?NSF International fully supports USADA?s initiative to eliminate adulterated dietary supplements and nutritional products in the marketplace, and we will continue to do our part by offering testing and certification solutions that safeguard athletes and consumers from taking such products,? said Ed Wyszumiala, NSF International?s General Manager of Dietary Supplement Certification Programs.

?To help athletes find supplements that have been screened and certified by NSF International, we recently developed an NSF Certified for Sport App that enables people to easily search NSF?s list of certified products from an iPhone (and iPad) or Android phone,? Wyszumiala added.

?The need for these programs is great. Multiple studies have shown that as many as 20-25 percent of the bodybuilding products sold over-the-counter in health food stores may be spiked with anabolic steroids and other substances banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). We must make it easier for athletes and consumers to find safe products,? Wyszumiala concluded.

Both the NSF Dietary Supplement Certification and NSF Certified for Sport? programs are part of NSF International?s Health Sciences Division, which offers certification, training, consulting, GMP and GLP (Good Laboratory Practices) testing, RD and auditing for the pharmaceutical, dietary supplement and medical device industries.

Editor?s Note: Ed Wyszumiala, General Manager of NSF?s Dietary Supplement Certification Programs, is available for media interviews. Contact Greta Houlahan at 734-913-5723 or houlahan(at)nsf(dot)org if you?d like to set up an interview.

About NSF International: NSF International is an independent organization that writes standards and tests and certifies products for the food, water and consumer goods industries to minimize adverse health effects and protect the environment (nsf.org). Founded in 1944, NSF is committed to protecting human health and safety worldwide. NSF is a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Food and Water Safety and Indoor Environment.

NSF International?s Health Sciences Division includes NSF Pharmalytica, a GLP GMP contract laboratory; NSF-DBA, which has more than 25 years of pharmaceutical, dietary supplement, and medical devices training expertise; NSF Reference Standards; and NSF Dietary Supplement Certification and NSF Certified for Sport? athletic banned substances screening. NSF?s Health Science Division operates globally throughout North America, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Additional NSF services include management systems registrations delivered through NSF International Strategic Registrations, Ltd. (NSF-ISR), organic certification through Quality Assurance International (QAI), food safety and quality programs through the NSF Food Safety Division, drinking water product certification through the NSF Water Division, sustainability services through NSF Sustainability, and NSF Education and Training programs.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2012/5/prweb9519483.htm

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