Last year, just in time for Super Bowl XXXVIII, the National Football League (NFL) and the NFL Players Association (NFLPA), Washington, D.C., and NSF International, Ann Arbor, MI, unveiled their new Supplement Certification Program to protect football players from product adulteration and banned substances. Given the heightened awareness of steroids in sports and frequent complaints about tainted supplements, the announcement of the program was very timely.

According to Mark Verstegen, president, Athletes' Performance, Tempe, AZ, and a major influence in the design of the program, athletes needed a safe haven when it came to supplements. "Athletes needed access to supplements that were accurately labeled and free of banned substances, so that they were not putting their health or career in jeopardy," he said.

Mr. Verstegen claims the impetus for creating such a program actually goes all the way back to 2002 when several athletes not engaged in using banned substances were testing positive for banned substances anyway. "Several athletes even brought in sealed containers that when tested were confirmed to be contaminated or in some cases spiked," he said. That is when Mr. Verstegen decided something needed to be done to protect these players and their careers.

The Supplement Certification Program was designed for eligible and participating manufacturers of nutritional supplements to certify the accuracy of product labeling and to certify that the products contain no substances banned under the NFL/NFLPA Policy on Anabolic Steroids and Related Substances.

Manufacturers interested in being considered for this certification program must apply to the NFL and NFLPA and provide detailed information, including, for example, financial history and stability, product mix, marketing, insurance coverage and litigation/regulatory agency history. Companies that apply and meet the NFL/NFLPA criteria may participate in the certification program.

For approved companies, NSF conducts a Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) audit of all such companies' manufacturing and distribution facilities, and regularly tests product lots for accuracy in labeling. In addition, each product lot is tested under NSF supervision for banned substances prior to packaging, distribution and sale. Once products are certified and released for sale, NSF continues to monitor companies involved in the program and conduct random off-the-shelf testing of products.

All product packaging and all advertising, marketing and publicity materials for products certified under this program will display the symbols and copy, subject to the approval of all such materials by the NFL and NFLPA. It should be noted, however, that the NFL logo is prohibited for use on certified products.

Kathy Jordan, general manager, Dietary Supplements and Functional Food Programs, NSF International, Ann Arbor, MI, admits the program is ex­tremely rigorous, but in the end she believes it raises the bar and offers the supplement industry a way to demonstrate the highest level of credibility. She also says it is important to remember that athletes who take supplements often put their careers on the line. "Companies must realize how high the stakes are as an athlete. If an athlete tests positive for a banned substance, for example, he/she could lose a portion of their season, and possibly their entire career," she said, adding, "From the athlete's perspective, you can't go far enough to minimize risk." In fact, Ms. Jordan claims she has come across several cases where athletes refuse to take any supplements whatsoever because they feel the risks are too high. For these athletes, she says, hopefully this program will offer them a sense of security.

Stacy Robinson, director of player development, NFL Players Association, Washington, D.C., offered a similar perspective. "We have a strict liability program, which basically tells players that they are responsible for what goes in their body," he said. "In this age of supplements, there are a lot of players out there trying to practice good nutrition and improve their performance. But frequently these players are getting caught up in the 'under regulated' supplement industry. That is why we created a program where the players can feel secure with the supplements they are taking."

The major sticking points of the program, though, are the financial requirements that must be met. First of all, companies that apply must be in business for a minimum of five years and must maintain gross financial performance of at least $50 million. They must also make an initial "contribution" to a research fund upon execution of the program in the amount of $200,000, in addition to subsequent payments for a period of a few years.

Douglas Kalman, director of clinical nutrition, Miami Research Associates, Miami, FL, says the financial commitment is really the only drawback, especially for small companies. But he believes the positives of the program definitely outweigh the negatives. "I think this is a great program that will help instill greater confidence in dietary supplements," he said. "It will also al­low other sports organizations to have confidence in specific products that have met a high standard established by NSF and the NFL/NFLPA."

Steve Breen, senior vice president, Marketing, EAS, Golden, CO, said although the financial commitment is a little steep, it is warranted due to the amount of testing involved. "The goal of the program is to make sure that the players can with confidence consume products without the fear of banned substances," he said. "That is why a lot of the provisions focus on testing and certification."

EAS was the first company to make it through the approval process and it currently has eight products certified in both the meal replacement and supplement categories. Mr. Breen said EAS became involved with this process a couple of years ago when it began discussions with the NFL and the NFLPA. "As the issue of banned substances moved to the forefront in sports, the NFL and the NFLPA were looking for ways to give advice to their players on products they could and couldn't take. They wanted to protect players from inadvertently taking a banned substance, which carries a heavy penalty in the NFL," he said. "We have always been a supplier to NFL players and we thought it was only natural to partner with the NFL and the NFLPA to make sure the players could get what they needed."

Since EAS joined the program, however, no companies have signed contracts to participate. For this reason, Mr. Robinson said the NFLPA might look into making adjustments to some of the requirements. "We are looking to be more flexible with some of the financial provisions of the program," he said. "Because we would like to have more than one company involved, we have been moved to a point of negotiating the hurdle of the financial contribution or research fee for some companies."

Currently there are a few companies winding their way through the approval process and there is interest from many more. In addition, NSF's Ms. Jordan says other sports organizations have also expressed interest in the Supplement Certification Program model. In fact, one organization reportedly interested in getting a program like this off the ground is Major League Baseball.

Mr. Verstegen says in the beginning they anticipated a 30% utilization rate by the athletes (or 600 players). However, the program's acceptance among the players seems to have exceeded expectations. "Right now we have over 1200 players using the products certified by the program," he said. "My hope is that one day there will be one certification for nutritional products that all sports organizations recognize and that the athletes recognize regardless of the sport he/she is involved in."NW