What is NSF Certified for Sport®?

Sports and exercise are woven into humanity’s pursuit of excellence, having fun and experiencing excitement, overcoming obstacles and feeling accomplished. Few among us can downplay the goods and gains of the game.

Besides, has there ever been a better time to be an athlete? It used to seem like all-stars were born, not made. Now, with freely available nutrition expertise, online fitness coaches, customized training plans and warrior gyms in neighborhoods nationwide, just about anyone can get their game on.

But before you sprint from the starting blocks, it’s essential to fuel for the finish line; before you load up your barbell, ensure you have the oomph to reach the top of your bench press. While a balanced diet might work for an everyday gym session, fitness fanatics and elite athletes have started to find their A-game in supplements.^†

The Rookie Roster of Sport Supplements

Since supplements are designed to both support and enhance optimum health, the new wave of sports supplements is an easy player to bet on. Whether you’re looking for a way to boost your energy, maximize muscle gain, enhance your mental fortitude or accelerate your body’s recovery, there’s a supplement to take you to the next level, no matter your age or stage.^†

When you hear “sport supplement,” your thoughts might stop at protein powder. But it’s time to recheck your roster. Performance-packed ingredients and formulas are contending as top recruits in sports nutrition – expected to win another 7.5% of the $45 billion market by 2030. With ads and influencers here, there and everywhere, plus plenty of research to back up their brags, the sport supplement category is just warming up.^†

But while some rookies go on to be Michael Jordan or Mia Hamm, others turn out to be benchwarmers. Looking great on highlight reels, their substance fails with pressure and scrutiny. They might be first-round draft picks now, but red-shirt supplements need to earn their stripes. What’s more, sports supplements don’t just attract buyers, they entice fly-by-night sellers ready to take advantage of peak demand. Crafted to sharpen that competitive edge, sports supplements are most vulnerable to spikers and scammers.

NSF: A Neutral Safety Force

While all supplements, including those for sports, are regulated by the FDA, the limited time, budget and manpower needed to fully monitor, review and enforce them keeps supplement safety mostly on the honor system. Largely self-governed and restrained by industry cooperation on current good manufacturing processes (cGMP), most brands know and stick to the rules.

NSF International, previously known as the National Sanitation Foundation, is a one-of-a-kind, third-party organization that’s well known for setting the bar on safety in food, water, cosmetics and supplements. Plus, this independent accreditor allows certified brands to prove to customers that they follow strict safety practices that go above and beyond cGMPs.

Since proving the identity, purity and safety of dietary supplements requires extensive scientific testing, NSF created NSF/ANSI 173, which serves as the gold standard for verifying ingredient quality and safety. Consider this the passcode for legitimacy in the supplement industry; you can’t play without it! The FDA and most major retailers (including Vitacost) check that brands use labs that are certified to NSF/ANSI 173 standards, reinforcing the validity of their results. That means that NSF helps improve the quality of even non-certified supplements and manufacturers.^†

Ready, Set, Get NSF Certified for Sport®

There’s more to sports than beating your opponent, but winning is at the heart of the game. Even when winning just means surpassing your own personal record, part of what drives you as an athlete is the thrill of victory. And this success requires vigilance. Being careful about what goes into your body is a needful part of your training plan.

Recognizing what’s at stake in the tournament of champions, NSF has stepped in to help referee regulatory compliance in supplements made for sport. Instead of a “trust” system that assumes brands are practicing due diligence, NSF wants to give you peace of mind. So they created NSF Certified for Sport®. Supplements that earn the right to be NSF Certified for Sport® aren’t inherently better or more effective, but the NSF guarantees that they’re safer.

Built upon the rigor of the broader NSF certification program, NSF Certified for Sport® ensures that everything that goes into your sport supplement is pure, clean and true.^† First up: cGMP compliance, meaning that all label claims are validated and your product is free of contaminants and heavy metals. And since the NSF set the standard for testing, their methods are as comprehensive as they come.

Next, NSF tests certified products for any and all prohibited and banned substances, partnering with major sports franchises including the NFL and MLB to maintain an active list – currently at 290 and counting. Then, instead of the uncertain chance of an FDA audit, NSF conducts annual audits to uphold full transparency of the supply chain of ingredients, manufacturing and distribution of their certified supplements.

Keep Score in Every Season

A key feature of NSF Certified for Sport® – and one of the reasons the program was developed – was to provide a go-to guide that coaches, trainers and leagues could use to recommend supplements to their teams. Going above and beyond the scientific expertise of the NSF, guidelines for the sports supplement badge of honor were developed using consumer insight from athletes and sports industry feedback. This ground-up rather than top-down approach created a straightforward resource that is both trustworthy and practical.

To make it even easier for athletes – and anyone else who wants to know – NSF Certified for Sport® has an online database and a mobile app for supplement scoring on demand. Providing up-to-date, lot-specific test results, you can quickly find out if the new bottle of your favorite creatine has gone that extra mile. And while you’re in the NSF neighborhood, you can see whether the rest of your dietary supplements, brands and manufacturers make the grade too.

Vitacost’s MVP Marketplace

As a reader of The Upside by Vitacost, hopefully you’re already a fan. But here’s one more reason to cheer: Vitacost is the new home field of NSF-certified and NSF Certified for Sport® supplements. We’re making it even easier for you to find top-quality, safety-assured products so you can save your sweat for the match. And with our storefront season-opener just around the corner, you can go ahead and start choosing your favorite teams and collecting your gear from MVPs like:

These are just the first recruits; we’re just getting warmed up!

Work Out & Win the Game Without Worry

Just like fitness, trust is hard to gain and easy to lose. For more than 80 years, NSF International has earned trust by promoting public health and safety around the world. Proving its commitment to consumers from every walk of life, NSF is a name any brand can be proud to drop.

Don’t let worry bonk your workout or whiff your shot. Recommended by pros on and off the field, NSF Certified for Sport® supplements can help you live clean and win a clean game.^†

^†These statements have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.