NSF sports cert program gives suppliers peace of mind
part of its Good Manufacturing Practices for sport registration - a
program designed to minimize the risk that sports nutrition
products contain banned substances.
The National Enzyme Company (NEC) is now certified under the program, which is aimed also a building brand credibility for customers looking to compete in the sports supplementation industry. NSF gave its first Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) sport program certification in September to Century Foods International.
The independent organization looks set to help dietary supplement manufacturers avoid the brunt of blame that frequently targets them following doping scandals at sporting events.
"This allows us to have supplements that are completely safe and have no banned substances in them," NEC marketing manager Scott Daniel told NutraIngredients-USA.com.
Daniel added that NSF helps to prevent the risk any cross contamination by pinpointing products which should not be manufactured in the vicinity of products destined for sporting purposes.
There are currently seven companies registered for NSF's sport certification program and there is no restrictive number on how many companies can go through the process as it is not targeting lucrative exclusive agreements with sporting leagues.
"There's no limit on the number of companies that can participate," NSF spokesperson Greta Houlahan told NutraIngredients-USA.com. "The companies going through the NSF GMP for sport program are taking a proactive approach."
NEC has been GMP registered by NSF since 2002. "Its recent GMP for sport registration further demonstrates its dedication to excellence to the entire sports nutrition community," said NSF senior vice president and chief technical officer Lori Bestervelt.
According to Daniel, NEC is not particularly targeting its ingredients for the sports supplement manufacturers, but does want to enhance the quality of its service to this industry.
To obtain GMP for sport registration, NEC completed and will continue to comply with all of the following program requirements:
Two annual GMP for sport audits are required, as well as manufacturer affidavits showing it does not source any component contained on the banned substances list as identified by the World Anti-Doping Agency, the National Football League, the National Hockey League Players' Association and Major League Baseball, among others.
Active ingredient supplier affidavits are also required, in addition to GMP compliance 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 and raw material traceability & sourcing.
