The International Food Network Joins Informed Sport
13 Jan 15 --- The International Food Network facility in Reading, UK has passed the requirements of the Informed Sport Registered Site programme to offer additional quality services to sports nutrition companies in the UK and the rest of the world.
Informed Sport is a globally-recognised quality assurance programme for the sports nutrition industry, whereby companies can show that their manufacturing site or finished products have been rigorously tested for substances banned in sport.
The programme certifies that IFN’s food development facility has been thoroughly audited and undergoes regular banned-substance testing by LGC’s world class anti-doping lab, based in Newmarket, UK.
“We are delighted to have joined the Informed Sport programme as we take great pride in providing our athletes with tailor-made formulations from a facility that has the highest quality assurance standards. We’ve been doing this successfully for many years and are looking forward to expanding our offering in a field where quality and consistency are so highly valued” stated Sarah Dooley, European Group Leader, Research & Development.
IFN has always operated with the utmost quality, especially regarding sports nutrition supplements and similar products, but this certification will give added authority and help IFN customers to feel at ease. It shows that IFN develops and manufactures products in a facility that has been tested for substances prohibited in sport by the World-Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
Informed-Sport is a certification programme for sports supplements, ingredients and manufacturing facilities, which assures athletes that products carrying the Informed-Sport mark have been regularly tested for substances considered prohibited in sport. In addition, Informed-Sport also ensures that products have been manufactured to high quality standards. Responsible supplement companies have made Informed-Sport part of their existing quality assurance systems to ensure their products are safer for athletes to use.
Research has shown that some supplement products have been found to be contaminated with low levels of substances that are prohibited by WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) and other sporting bodies. The Informed-Sport programme aims to work closely with supplement manufacturers and suppliers by reviewing the quality systems they have in place at the manufacturing facility and by providing high quality analytical testing for products/ingredients to minimise the incidence of banned contaminants finding their way into sport. It also aims to provide athletes with an effective risk management service so that they can choose products that have undergone additional quality control testing as required in elite sport.
The Informed-Sport certification programme was established in 2008 by the world's leading sports doping control laboratories, LGC (formerly HFL Sport Science). Although LGC has been testing supplements since 2002, it became clear that there was a need for a comprehensive certification programme which not only tested products for banned substances, but that also ensured that products were manufactured in accordance with good manufacturing practices.
