BSCG Certification: Ensuring Supplement Safety and Integrity
However, hidden risks lurk in many products due to contamination, mislabeling, and banned substances. Without proper testing, these risks can lead to health concerns, failed drug tests, and loss of trust. Third-party testing and certification ensure that supplements meet the highest standards of purity, safety, and compliance.
The need for certified drug-free supplements
- Research has shown that up to 25% of supplements may contain banned or undeclared substances.
- Ingesting contaminated supplements can result in health risks, disqualification from competition, and legal consequences.
- Regulatory agencies, including the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), and professional sports leagues, set strict rules on supplement use.
- Third-party testing provides independent verification, ensuring that what’s on the label matches what’s in the product.
How third-party testing ensures safety
- Banned Substances Control Group (BSCG) is a global leader in certifying supplements, ingredients, and manufacturing facilities for safety and compliance.
- Their Certified Drug-Free® program screens for a wide range of banned substances, prescription drugs, and contaminants.
- BSCG’s certification helps protect consumers, athletes, military personnel, and professionals from unintentional exposure to harmful ingredients.
Key benefits of BSCG Certification
Industry-Leading Drug Testing Panel
BSCG's certification program screens for more drugs than any other third-party testing service, analyzing over 500 substances. This includes more than 272 drugs banned in sports by organizations like WADA, MLB, NFL, and NCAA, along with 211 prescription and over-the-counter drugs. It also detects other compounds that could impact health and performance, ensuring comprehensive supplement safety.
Comprehensive Quality and Contaminant Control
BSCG evaluates ingredient identity and purity to ensure that supplements match their label claims. Their testing also screens for heavy metals like lead, arsenic, mercury, and cadmium, as well as pesticides and environmental toxins. Additionally, they review manufacturing processes to confirm compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), ensuring high-quality production standards.
Global Recognition and Compliance
BSCG certification is trusted by Olympic athletes, professional sports leagues, military organizations, and health professionals worldwide. It aligns with major regulatory bodies, including WADA, USADA, NFL, MLB, NBA, and NCAA, ensuring compliance with strict safety standards. Certified supplements give consumers and professionals confidence in choosing clean, safe products.
BSCG’s commitment to supplement integrity
- Certified Drug-Free® Program: The gold standard in banned substance testing and label verification.
- Ingredient & Manufacturing Facility Certification: Ensures raw materials and production sites meet high safety and quality benchmarks.
- Ongoing Testing & Transparency: Certified products undergo regular screening to maintain their trusted status.
- Consumer Protection: Every BSCG Certified Drug-Free® supplement is publicly listed, allowing easy verification of tested products.
| Dietary Supplement Certification for Banned Substances Key Elements 1 | BSCG® Certified Drug Free |
Cologne List® | HASTA™ | Informed Choice Informed Sport |
NSF Certified for Sport® |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total number of drugs in standard testing menu | 507+2 | 150+3 | 200+4 | 250+5 | 290+6 |
| Number of drugs banned in sport in standard testing menu | 298+2 | 150+3 | 200+4 | 237+5 | 289+6 |
| Number of prescription, over-the-counter, or illicit drugs not banned in sport in standard testing menu | 209+2 | – | – | 135 | 16 |
| Number of drugs in expanded testing menu focused on banned substances for competition animals (equines/canines) | 1300+2 | – | – | – | – |
| Years of experience with human drug testing in sport | 35+ | 35+ | 0 | 3+ | 0 |
| Reporting or detection level range in parts per billion (ng/g) | 2 - 5002 | Unstated – likely low to mid ng/g range3 | Unstated – likely low to mid ng/g range4 | 10 - 5005 | 2 - 2,0006 |
| Testing menu and detection level details available on website | Yes | No3 | No4 | No5 | No6 |
| Frequency of testing explained with batch numbers provided for all certified products | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes7 | No8 |
| 21 CFR 111 GMP and quality control process review | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ingredient compliance and toxicology review | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Is “random” testing conducted | Yes | No | No | Yes | No |
| ISO 17025 accredited laboratory testing with ISO Scope of Accreditation | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ongoing testing requirements | Every lot | Annual | Every lot | Every lot (Sport), Monthly (Choice)7 | Customer chosen lots, or “All” lots (All lots, or NSF discretion)8 |
| Cost per Batch ($-$$$$$) | $$ | $ | $$ | $$$ | $$$$$ |
1 Prepared based on program website or other available materials as of March 31, 2023, unless otherwise noted.
2 BSCG is the only program to include the list of drugs in the testing menu and method detection level details online. Detection levels are in the 2–500 ppb range for most compounds in most products. Method detection levels and limits may vary by product matrix.
3 No testing menu is provided on Cologne List website so the testing menu was assumed based on the number of steroids and stimulants on the WADA prohibited list, as those are the only two categories Cologne List covers. No detection levels are mentioned on site, though some literature for Cologne List are in the low to mid ng/g range based on publications that we believe to be the foundation of Cologne List testing methodology.
4 No testing menu is provided and HASTA website only says over 200 banned substances are included. No detection levels are mentioned. Detection levels for HASTA are likely in the low to mid ng/g range.
5 Informed Sport and Informed Choice sites state testing for over 250 substances, but do not have the testing menu listed. “Detection capabilities in the low to mid ng/g (part per billion) region for most compounds” as noted in the FAQ section.
6 NSF-sport.com mentions 290+ compounds with no lot testing list used to be provided online and is no longer available. NSF 306-2018 Certification Guideline Annex C includes a list of 273 drugs and describes a ‘Report Threshold’ and ‘Maximum report threshold’. The range shown in the sheet is the range between the lowest Report Threshold and highest Maximum report threshold with GHB excluded.
7 Informed Sport tests every lot, Informed Choice tests products monthly using a monthly blind testing schedule.
8 No information available on ongoing testing requirements at nsfsport.com. NSF 306-2016 Certification Guideline indicated two options: Lot by lot, and “All” lots testing. Lot by lot testing allows the customer to choose which lots to test. “All” lots testing is either ‘All lots of the specific certified product shall be tested,’ or NSF may determine a set number of random/sampled lots that shall be tested.’ Under the “All” lots testing approach certified lot numbers are not listed individually in the database, instead the word “All” appears.
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