Sports nutrition
Informed Sport capable UK supplement manufacturer
Banned-substance tested supplement manufacturing for brands supplying elite, professional, or collegiate sport. Raw material screening, segregated production, per-batch testing, all under BRCGS AA* control. From 1,000 units per SKU.
The program
Informed Sport: the independent certification for sports nutrition
Informed Sport is a quality-assurance program run by LGC (a global measurement and analytical services company headquartered in the UK). It certifies that individual batches of sports nutrition supplements have been tested for substances banned by WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) and other sport regulatory bodies.
For athletes, particularly those subject to drug testing in elite, professional, or collegiate sport, supplement contamination is a career-ending risk. Informed Sport certification provides independent assurance that each certified batch has been tested and is free of banned substances above reporting thresholds.
Informed Sport sits alongside manufacturing certifications (like our BRCGS AA*) rather than replacing them. BRCGS audits how a site manufactures; Informed Sport certifies what's in the batch. Both matter for a serious sports supplement brand.
Crucially, Informed Sport certification is per-batch, per-product, not a blanket site certification. Every batch of an Informed Sport product is individually tested and certified before release. That's why the program has credibility with elite sport; it's not a tick-box.
How we do it
Three-stage protocol, per batch
Stage 1: Raw material screening. Every ingredient that goes into an Informed Sport product is screened against the WADA banned-substance list at approval stage. Suppliers provide Informed Ingredient certification or third-party banned-substance COAs; high-risk categories (plant extracts, amino acid blends, imported actives) get additional in-house verification.
Stage 2: Segregated production. Informed Sport products run in dedicated production slots with controlled changeover protocols between non-certified batches. Cleaning procedures, equipment rinse validation, and line-start microbial/chemical checks are documented per batch.
Stage 3: Per-batch LGC testing. Finished-product samples from every Informed Sport batch are sent to LGC for banned-substance analysis. Certification is issued per-batch; we manage the submission workflow, retain samples, and provide the full documentation pack (COA, Informed Sport certificate, batch production records) with every despatch.
All of this runs on top of our standard BRCGS AA* QMS. Informed Sport capability is additive: it doesn't replace our core QC, it overlays additional testing and protocol layers on batches that need them.
Informed Sport capability
Informed Sport FAQs
Common questions from sports-nutrition brands.
What is Informed Sport?
A per-batch quality-assurance and testing program run by LGC, certifying that individual supplement batches have been tested for substances on the WADA banned list and other sport regulatory frameworks. Widely used by elite, professional, and collegiate sport.
Is Informed Sport the same as BRCGS certification?
No, they're complementary. BRCGS AA* audits how a site manufactures (QMS, hygiene, traceability, process control). Informed Sport certifies what's in a specific batch (banned-substance testing). A serious sports supplement needs both.
Is Informed Sport certification per-product or per-batch?
Per-batch, per-product. Every batch of an Informed Sport product is individually tested and certified before release. That's why the program has credibility with elite sport, it's not a blanket site claim.
Do Informed Sport products cost more to manufacture?
Yes, there's a small per-batch cost premium because of the LGC testing, plus slightly longer lead times to accommodate testing windows. We quote both upfront; typical uplift is modest relative to total unit cost.
Which sports require Informed Sport certification?
Any sport with a drugs-testing regime: Olympic and Paralympic sports, professional football and rugby, athletics, cycling, swimming, NCAA (US collegiate), military nutrition programs. If your target buyer could be drug-tested, they'll likely require Informed Sport certification on their supplements.
Can you manufacture Informed Sport products in all formats?
Yes, capsules, powders, liquids, and gummies are all Informed Sport capable. Powder and capsule pre-workouts and proteins are the most common formats; sports gummies (hydration, recovery) are growing fast.
What's your MOQ for Informed Sport products?
Same as standard production: 1,000 units per SKU. Per-batch LGC testing economics work down to that minimum.
Ready to develop an Informed Sport product?
Share your target sport, product concept, and commercial target. We'll scope formulation, banned-substance protocols, testing timeline, and cost, with Informed Sport certification built in from day one, not retrofitted.
Related
Related: the BRCGS AA* grade behind our QMS, our full accreditations list, and our bespoke-only manufacturing model.