Skip to main content

Informed Choice News

Informed Choice and NPA Partnership Promotes Banned Substance Testing

Informed Choice and NPA Partnership Promotes Banned Substance Testing

The Natural Products Association (NPA) has formed a partnership with globally-recognized testing program Informed Choice to help supplement manufacturers in the USA minimize the risk of contamination with substances banned in sport by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). 

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 US supplements industry. The NPA and Informed Chocie expect this new partnership to increase the number of Informed Choice Certified Sites across the USA 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 USA, 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, Ph.D., 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, but 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 US,” said Paul Klinger, Business Development Manager for Informed Choice in the US. “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 United Kingdom. Informed Choice and Informed Sport have developed into the only international testing programs for the sports nutrition industry, with more than 600 products certified. LGC also provides anti-doping services to the horse racing industry - it was the official equine testing laboratory for the 2016 and 2012 Olympic Games - and a range of occupational drug testing services.

About NPA
The Natural Products Association (NPA) is the trade association representing the entire natural products industry. We advocate for our members who supply, manufacture and sell natural ingredients or products for consumers. NPA has set numerous industry standards, such as dietary supplement Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), as well as a definition of natural for home care and personal care products. NPA, which represents over 1,400 members accounting for more than 10,000 locations of retailers, manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors of natural products, including foods, dietary supplements, and health/beauty aids, has led the charge to keep the natural products industry in business for 80 years. Visit www.NPAinfo.org.
Justin Bartolomeo

202-789-4365

[email protected]

About LGC
LGC is an international life sciences measurement and testing company with leading positions in growing markets. LGC provides a range of measurement products and services which underpin the safety, health and security of the public, including reference materials and proficiency testing, genomics reagents and instrumentation, and expert sample analysis and interpretation. LGC serves customers across a number of end markets including Pharmaceuticals, Agricultural Biotechnology, Diagnostics, Food, Environment, Government and Academia.
LGC’s headquarters are in London and the company employs over 2,500 people, operating out of 22 countries worldwide. Its operations are extensively accredited to international quality standards such as ISO/IEC 17025, ISO 13485, ISO 9001, GMP, GLP and ISO Guide 34.
With a history dating back to 1842, LGC has been home to the UK Government Chemist for more than 100 years and is the designated UK National Measurement Institute for chemical and bio measurement. LGC was privatized in 1996 and is now owned by funds affiliated with KKR. Visit www.lgcgroup.com