Ensuring supplement quality and safety: Recap from “The Outlook on Active Nutrition”

At The Outlook on Active Nutrition, David Trosin, senior director of NSF, explained the importance of third-party testing and certification based on scientifically sound and accredited standards. The presentation focused heavily on the dietary supplement industry, highlighting the significant lack of consumer trust and the pervasive challenges of adulteration, misleading claims, and inconsistent product quality. Trosin argued that certification is a vital solution that not only protects consumers and athletes but also helps reputable brands differentiate themselves in a crowded market.

How standards are developed

NSF is an 80 year old independent organization whose mission is to protect global human and planetary health through the development of consensus-based accredited standards on a wide range of products and processes. Trosin explained that the organization’s standards development is a comprehensive process. They are living documents developed by a joint committee with diverse representation. The committee includes competitors, regulators, educators, industry members, and disinterested bodies. NSF itself holds only a single vote.

“We write a standard and we get one vote. So, if we want to change that standard, and that's the beautiful thing about standards, they're living documents. They can change based on the evolution of science,” said Trosin. This collaborative, consensus-based approach ensures that standards are ethically sound and scientifically backed, preventing any single company or interest from influencing the rules for their own gain. A testament to this rigor is the fact that it can take years to change a standard, even when new science supports it, as was the case with the caffeine upper safety limit, which took two years to update.

Rebuilding consumer trust in supplements

According to Trosin, certification addresses the profound lack of consumer trust in the supplement industry. Trosin said that only 9% of consumers have complete trust in the sector. This is largely because the industry does not require pre-market approval, which allows unscrupulous brands to slide in and attach themselves to the reputations of legitimate companies. This creates a market where consumers are often overwhelmed and uncertain about product quality.

In this environment, certification—especially when it's transparent and science-based—becomes an essential tool for differentiation. During the presentation Trosin highlights a crucial finding: 77% of consumers would pay more money for a certified product, with an average willingness to pay 18% extra. This shows that consumers are actively seeking out reassurance and are ready to reward brands that invest in quality and transparency. Certification helps to bridge the gap between a brand’s promise and consumer trust, providing a clear, verifiable signal of a product’s integrity.

Navigating industry challenges with certification

The supplement industry is fraught with challenges, including adulteration, misleading claims, and a wide variance in product quality. The risks can be extreme, from economic adulteration (swapping ingredients for cheaper alternatives) to intentional adulteration with harmful substances. For athletes, the stakes are even higher, as they face the risk of unknowingly consuming banned substances, which could lead to a positive drug test and career-ending consequences. As an example, NSF's "Certified for Sport" program, tests for over 290 banned substances and is designed specifically to protect athletes and provide peace of mind.

Certification provides immense value to reputable brands by helping them maintain compliance and protect their reputation. The NSF certification process is a multi-tiered approach, starting with an annual, multi-day Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) audit of the manufacturing facility. This is followed by product certification, which verifies label claims and tests for contaminants like heavy metals and pesticides. Trosin expressed how “Consumers are concerned about contamination (pesticides, heavy metals), untested ingredients, unclean facilities, and improper manufacturing practices.” This rigorous process weeds out the “sketchy brands” that are unwilling to make the investment in quality. In fact, even among the best brands that apply for certification, there is an approximate 10% annual failure rate.

In high-risk categories like male enhancement products, the failure rate can be as high as 50%, with products containing unlisted prescription drugs like Sildenafil. This demonstrates the critical role certification plays in weeding out unsafe products. By earning and maintaining certification, a brand can lean on the science behind the process, effectively communicating its commitment to quality and integrity, and safeguarding its reputation in a challenging and often skeptical market.

Through the rigorous certification process, Trosin mentioned how “it helps you demonstrate compliance, and then it protects the reputation not only of the consumer, but of the brand, so they can look at it and say, you can lean on that science.”