Grant Tinsley, Ph.D.

Professor | Researcher | Consultant

How to Use Third-Party Testing to Inform Your Dietary Supplement Decisions

By Grant Tinsley, Ph.D.

Many people interested in their health and fitness choose to consume dietary supplements. You may be one of them. (I am too!)

However, even if you know the type of dietary supplement you want to take, it is often difficult to know which products are actually high quality. Plenty of companies market their supplements as being the “highest quality,” but some are simply not telling the truth.

Choosing the right products is important because both research and audits of supplement manufacturers have shown that there are many mislabeled, contaminated, or adulterated supplements being produced and sold.

At a minimum, a supplement should contain everything it is supposed to (what is listed on the label) and not contain anything it shouldn’t (items not listed on the label, banned substances, and contaminants). One great way to help you know if a supplement meets these criteria is third-party testing.

My goal for this article is to help you make more informed choices about dietary supplement purchases by understanding third-party testing.

I am going to share information and resources that can help you feel more confident when evaluating dietary supplements you see on the shelf of a store or online.

With that said, third-party testing does not tell you anything about whether the product may be effective for its intended purpose. This needs to be evaluated separately, and I will write about my process for this in another article.

If you don’t want to read the full article, please skip directly to the desired section below!

My Background With Dietary Supplements

In case we aren’t acquainted, I will briefly share my background with dietary supplements.

I am a professor at a major research university, and evaluating the effects of dietary supplements in humans is one of the major areas of research in my laboratory.

My formal education includes a Ph.D. in Kinesiology & Exercise Nutrition, as well as degrees in nutritional sciences, biomedical sciences, and physiology.

I have led numerous clinical trials specifically evaluating the effects of dietary supplements in human participants. I have also published over 130 peer-reviewed research articles, many of which pertain to dietary supplements.

Additionally, I developed and teach a graduate course that is specifically focused on dietary supplements.

However, I was interested in taking dietary supplements as a consumer long before I studied them academically. 

As a teenager who was lifting weights and hoping to see great results, I frequently saw sensational advertisements for dietary supplements.

However, I didn’t know anything about how to critically evaluate supplements for their safety or effectiveness. 

All that to say, while I now know more about dietary supplements, I understand what it is like to be confused about the many supplement options available for purchase.

What is Third-Party Testing?

Third-party testing is when a “third party” – an organization that is independent from the supplement manufacturer and consumer – performs a critical evaluation of a particular supplement.

The exact steps can vary based on the third-party testing service, but this typically involves performing laboratory tests on the finished supplement and evaluating the methods by which it is produced in a manufacturing facility. 

Third-party testing is a very useful way to differentiate between products and to understand more about the potential safety and quality of a particular product. 

Why Does Third-Party Testing Matter?

My opinion is that choosing third-party tested supplements is one of the best ways to protect your clients, patients, and self from ingesting dietary supplements that may be tainted or contaminated. 

I believe this is one of the simplest and most valid ways to increase your confidence about the product you are ingesting. 

With that said, it is important to realize that there are multiple different organizations that perform third-party testing, and the specific items they are testing for varies.

So, it isn’t enough for a product to simply state that it is “third-party tested.” You need to know which specific organization performed the testing and which type of testing was performed to know how rigorously the product was evaluated.

In this article, I am going to cover five different third-party testing services and discuss how you can use your knowledge of these services to help select high-quality supplements.

Major Third-Party Testing Services

Five of the most prominent third-party testing services are:

  1. USP
  2. NSF
  3. Informed 
  4. Labdoor
  5. Banned Substances Control Group

Feel free to click on any of the names above to be taken directly to the corresponding section of the article.

For each third-party testing service, I will provide a description of the organization and the third-party testing services they offer, show you how to find certified supplements, and provide links to examples of certified supplements.

After learning more about these services, you should have greater confidence in understanding what it really means for a supplement to be third-party tested and how you can use this information to make better-informed decisions regarding dietary supplements.

Note: I provide links to several example products in this article. This is intended to help you locate specific products that are certified by the third-party testing organizations discussed here. However, these links do not constitute a blanket endorsement of the linked products, although I tried to primarily provide links to well-established, reputable companies I am familiar with. Also, the focus of this article is solely on third-party testing, not the effectiveness of specific supplement formulations, which will be covered in a separate article. Lastly, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

United States Pharmacopeia (USP)

What is USP?

The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) is an independent, not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization that sets quality, purity, strength, and identity standards for medicines, food ingredients, and dietary supplements.

For dietary supplements, the most important aspect of USP is their USP Verified Mark. This is one of the most widely recognized third-party testing seals, and you may have seen this on products before.

What Does USP Third-Party Testing Include?

If you see a product with USP Verified Mark, what does that actually mean? 

There are 4 main items the mark indicates:

  1. First, a product with the USP Verified Mark contains the ingredients listed on the label, in the amounts specified on the label. This is very important because there are many dietary supplements that have been independently shown to NOT meet this standard. That means that many dietary supplements have incorrect information regarding the ingredients or amounts of the ingredients found in the product.
  2. Second, a product with the USP Verified Mark does not contain harmful levels of the contaminants they test for, which include a variety of heavy metals, microbes, pesticides, and other substances.
  3. Third, a product with the USP Verified mark will break down and release into the body within a particular amount of time. The particular amount of time will vary based on which supplement ingredient is being tested, but USP has well-established performance standards they use to assess this.
  4. And fourth, a product with the USP Verified mark is confirmed to have been made according to US Food & Drug Administration current Good Manufacturing Practices using sanitary and well-controlled procedures. 

So, seeing that simple USP seal on a product communicates a LOT of information. But there is actually even more than that list! 

Each year, USP conducts audits of the manufacturing facilities for supplements bearing their seal to ensure the quality standards are still being met. Beyond that, they also buy products off the shelves of stores and test them to make sure they are also meeting quality standards.

How to Find USP Certified Supplements

My personal opinion is that USP is a great third-party certification for general health supplements. I personally take several products that have the USP seal and have done so for many years.

So, how can you find USP certified supplements? First, you can check to see if a dietary supplement you are interested in purchasing bears the USP Verified Mark on its label. 

The most common types of supplements that utilize USP for testing are general health supplements, including vitamins, minerals, multivitamins, and fish oil, although other types of supplements are also tested. 

While there are numerous companies that sell USP-verified supplements, NatureMade is the one of the most prominent. They sell many common general health supplements, including multivitamins, vitamin D, and many more. 

Using Amazon.com, it is fairly easy to find USP-verified supplements. Just be sure that the label displays that recognizable USP verified seal if this is the certification you’d like to target.

If you want to access a full list of supplements verified by USP, you can access a database of certified supplements directly from USP.

While USP is a great third-party testing option, don’t worry if a supplement you are interested in doesn’t have the USP seal. There are some types of products USP doesn’t test. For example, sports supplements – like protein, creatine, and more – are typically certified by other organizations that will be discussed in the following sections.

Examples of USP Certified Supplements

Multivitamins

Individual Vitamins

Minerals

Omega-3

NSF

What is NSF?

First, I want to clarify that, in the United States, NSF is an acronym commonly used for the National Science Foundation. However, the third-party testing NSF is a different entity. 

The third-party testing NSF acronym originally stood for the National Sanitation Foundation, but the organization now simply goes by NSF.

So, what is NSF? NSF is a global, independent organization that develops public health standards and provides a variety of services, such as auditing and certifying products and services.

Dietary supplements are some of the products tested by NSF, and dietary supplements meeting NSF’s criteria can bear the NSF symbol.

What Does NSF Third-Party Testing Include?

One important aspect of NSF is that they have two main dietary supplement certifications: the basic NSF certification and a more specialized NSF Certified for Sport® option. Beyond this, they also have certifications for manufacturing facilities themselves rather than a specific dietary supplement. 

With that said, the basic NSF certification has three main components:

  1. First, a label claim review that makes sure the ingredients listed on the supplement label are actually contained in the product.
  2. Second, a toxicology review to certify the product formulation.
  3. Third, a contaminant review to ensure the product does not contain undeclared ingredients or concerning levels of contaminants. An undeclared ingredient is simply one that is NOT listed on the supplement label but IS found in the product when it is tested. 

Some of the items NSF tests for are heavy metals, such as lead, mercury, and arsenic; pathogenic bacteria; fungi, yeast, and molds; and pesticides. 

NSF testing is very high quality, and they certify dietary supplements to a standard called NSF/ANSI 173. This is a published document containing details of the methods and criteria used to test dietary supplements. To me, the use of this published Standard is a great way to operate transparently and assure us as consumers of the quality of products bearing the NSF symbol.

Beyond the three main components of NSF testing, the organization also audits and retests products to ensure that they continue to remain compliant over time.

In addition to the standard NSF certification, the organization also offers a more rigorous certification for sports supplements. Sports supplements are simply supplements intended to be used by athletes. This certification is called NSF Certified for Sport®.

In addition to meeting all the criteria that are part of the basic certification, products bearing the NSF Certified for Sport symbol have also been tested for hundreds of substances that are banned by major athletic organizations. Because of its quality and thoroughness, this certification is recognized by several professional sports organizations and anti-doping agencies worldwide. 

One interesting note about this certification is that NSF offers a mobile phone application that can help athletes find supplements from the exact lot numbers that were tested by NSF. This is most relevant to in-person purchases.

How to Find NSF Certified Supplements

Similar to other third-party certifications, there are a few main ways you can use the NSF certification to help you make informed supplement decisions. 

First, you can look for one of the NSF seals on products you are considering, either at physical stores or online. 

Second, you can use Amazon.com to help you look for NSF certified products. Many of these products will highlight the fact they are NSF certified in their descriptions or through use of the NSF certified symbols. Just remember that there are two different versions of the NSF certification, with the NSF Certified for Sport® being more rigorous. 

Popular sports supplement companies that frequently use NSF Certified for Sport® certification for their supplements include Momentous, Thorne, and Klean Athlete, among others.

NSF also has several online databases you can use to locate products that have been certified through their different programs. The most useful databases are those for the basic NSF certification and NSF Certified for Sport® supplements.

Examples of NSF Certified Supplements

Multivitamins, Vitamins, and Minerals

Protein

Creatine

Omega-3

Energy

Other Sport Supplements

INFORMED

What is INFORMED?

INFORMED is an organization that focuses on global testing, quality assurance, and certification programs designed to make supplements safer. Its parent company, LGC, has tested over 50,000 supplements to date.

As with other third-party testing organizations, INFORMED uses symbols on dietary supplement labels to let consumers know that a product has successfully met their criteria. Two of the main items INFORMED tests for are whether prohibited substances are present in a product and whether products are made in an appropriate, high-quality manner.

What Does INFORMED Third-Party Testing Include?

INFORMED actually has multiple unique certifications, and the criteria for receiving these certifications differ. Currently, the five certifications are Informed Choice, Informed Sport, Informed Protein, Informed Ingredient, and Informed Manufacturer.

I will briefly discuss the first three of these certifications, starting with Informed Choice.

Dietary and nutritional supplement products certified by Informed Choice undergo four stages. 

  1. Stage One is a Product & Manufacturing Review. The main components of this stage are a review of the product’s manufacturing facilities and procedures and an evaluation of the ingredients being used in the products. This stage includes an assessment of the raw materials that are going to be used in a finished product and the specific procedures used to produce supplements at the manufacturing facility. It also includes training of production staff to avoid issues like cross-contamination of products.
  2. Stage Two is Pre-Certification Sample Testing. Prior to certification, three samples are tested across at least three production batches in one of INFORMED’s accredited testing labs, which are certified using ISO 17025 accredited methods. Samples are tested for over 250 substances that could result in a contaminated product, including drugs of abuse, anabolic agents, stimulants, and much more. These samples must not show any contamination of the product with prohibited substances.
  3. Stage Three is Product Certification, Logo Use and Web Listing. After the first two stages are successfully completed, a product is accepted for Informed Choice certification. The product can now begin using the Informed Choice logo and is listed on the Informed Choice website as a certified product. 
  4. The final stage, Stage Four, is Post-Certification Requirements and Testing. Once a product is certified, it undergoes monthly independent, blind testing to ensure the product still meets Informed Choice criteria. The samples that are tested are actually purchased from retail outlets by Informed Choice personnel, rather than being samples sent to Informed Choice by the manufacturer. Every batch of the product that is tested is displayed on the Informed Choice website. Finally, beyond this product testing, manufacturing facilities and other details are regularly re-reviewed to ensure the Informed Choice standards continue to be met.

The second INFORMED certification, Informed Sport, has many similarities with Informed Choice but is actually MORE rigorous. The basic stages for an Informed Sport certification are the same as what was described for Informed Choice, and there is overlap in most of the testing, including the hundreds of banned substances that are tested for. However, the biggest difference between these certifications is the frequency of testing.

For the Informed Sport certification, every single batch of a product is tested before it is released and available for purchase. This includes every variation of a product, including different flavors. Even with this rigorous standard in place, there is still post-certification testing of products sold in stores. So, informed Sport is stricter than Informed Choice, which makes a great choice for athletes or others who could be subject to drug testing.

The third certification, Informed Protein, has similar stages to the previous certifications but includes several items that are specific concerns for protein supplements. For example, there are some nitrogen-rich adulterants or free amino acids that can be used to falsely elevate the amount of protein claimed on a label and decrease the overall quality of a protein product. The Informed Protein testing includes methods to specifically test for these items and verify the accuracy of the protein content listed on the label.

It is important to realize that a product having the Informed Protein certification does not mean it has been tested for banned substances the same way products certified by Informed Choice or Informed Sport have. In fact, a product could hold separate certifications through Informed Protein and one of the other certifications focused on banned substances.

How to Find INFORMED Certified Supplements

Many supplements that are certified by INFORMED will display the seal for the certification, most commonly Informed Choice or Informed Sport.

While many products certified by INFORMED are sold on Amazon.com, it is sometimes difficult to immediately see which products are certified. 

Some popular sports nutrition brands that have multiple products certified by INFORMED include Optimum Nutrition, Transparent Labs, Now Sports, Dymatize, and MusclePharm. The next section also provides several links to examples of certified supplements to help you locate them more easily.

INFORMED also maintains a full list of certified brands and products on their website for each certification (e.g., Informed Choice, Informed Sport, and Informed Protein).

Examples of INFORMED Certified Supplements

Note: there are fewer Informed Sport options as compared to the basic Informed Choice certification.

Protein

Creatine

Pre-Workout & Energy

Other Sports Supplements

Labdoor

What is Labdoor?

Labdoor is an independent, mission-driven, for-profit company dedicated to helping consumers better understand the products they take.

While Labdoor has conducted testing of commercially available dietary supplements for years, their third-party certification is newer than some of the other services covered in this article.

Labdoor offers two primary certifications: “Tested for Accuracy & Purity” and “Tested for Sport.”

What Does Labdoor Third-Party Testing Include?

The Tested for Accuracy & Purity certification validates the accuracy of label claims and provides ongoing testing for pathogens, heavy metals, residual solvents, and more. 

For each of these items, Labdoor provides information about the certification limits that are allowable, which is unique relative to some certifications. A product must pass all qualification standards to earn the Labdoor certification.

The Tested for Sport certification tests products for substances that are banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). This certification indicates that a product tested at or below the certification limit for all banned substances on the WADA Banned Substance list. 

Unlike some other certifications that offer an option specifically for those involved in sport, the LabDoor Tested for Sport certification does NOT include all the items included in the basic Tested for Accuracy & Purity Certification. 

However, a product CAN be certified both through the Tested for Accuracy & Purity and Tested for Sport programs. This pairing represents a comprehensive testing program that would be similar to the sport-focused certifications from some other organizations.

A great feature about LabDoor testing is that you can view the full reports for each certified product online. So, beyond just knowing that a product “passed,” you can see the actual results of the laboratory analysis for each component of the certification.

How to Find Labdoor Certified Supplements

Some supplements include the LabDoor seal on their labels to indicate that they are certified. However, since this is a newer certification than some of the others on this list, I have found that many supplements may not yet print the seal directly on their label.

Still, you can look for brands and specific products that advertise their Labdoor certification. Some of the better known brands that have certified supplements include Legion Athletics*, Muscle Feast, and MyProtein.

Additionally, you can use Labdoor’s Certified Brands page to locate certified products and find the analysis reports showing the results of testing.

*As I disclaimer, I provide consulting services to Legion Athletics.

Examples of Labdoor Certified Supplements

Note: there are relatively few current “Tested for Sport” certifications.

Protein

Creatine

Pre-Workout

Banned Substances Control Group

What is the Banned Substances Control Group?

The Banned Substances Control Group, or BSCG, is an organization that offers several different certifications that can be applied to finished products, raw ingredients, and manufacturing facilities.

The most popular option is the BSCG Certified Drug Free® program, but BSCG also offers a Certified Quality program and a Certified GMP™, or good manufacturing practices, program. There is a different BSCG seal associated with each of these certifications. As with other third-party testing services, the seal can be displayed on a supplement label once that product has fulfilled the certification requirements.

What Does BSCG Third-Party Testing Include?

BSCG Certified Drug Free® provides protection against drugs on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List, as well as prescription, over-the-counter, and illicit drugs not banned in sport. 

Products or ingredients certified as BSCG Certified Drug Free® have been tested for about 500 drugs, which makes this certification one of the most comprehensive available. This is also the most popular certification offered by BSCG. 

BSCG Certified Quality™ conducts testing to verify ingredient identity and label claims meet specifications as well as checking for heavy metals, microbiological agents, pesticides, and solvents. 

This program is designed to ensure that the products or ingredients in question meet or exceed industry standards for quality control. The program can also be applied to manufacturing facilities themselves. 

For raw ingredients and finished products, the testing involves certifying the identity and potency of the ingredients within the product. However, for finished products, only one or two nutritional markers are evaluated.

BSCG Certified GMP™ provides onsite audits to verify that manufacturers are in compliance with Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP).

Beyond these three main certifications, BSCG offers a few other specialized certifications. For example, they now have a BSCG Certified CBD™ program which examines cannabidiol containing products to ensure they do not exceed a particular tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, content. This is important because THC is the substance primarily responsible for the effects of marijuana. This certification also contains some of the components of the other BSCG certifications, such as screening for drugs and other prohibited substances, contaminant testing, and GMP compliance.

How to Find BSCG Certified Supplements

Like other certifications, the main ways to locate certified supplements is to look for products advertising their use of this testing service or to locate certified products online. 

Examples of brands with multiple BSCG Certified Drug Free® supplements are Ambrosia Collective, LifeVantage, and NeuroHacker Collective. 

As mentioned, the most popular BSCG certification is Certified Drug Free®. The BSCG has a Certified Drug Free® Database online that allows you to find supplement products and ingredients that have achieved this certification.

Examples of BSCG Certified Supplements

Please note that there are fewer brands that use BSCG than most of the other certifications listed in this article. I provided some example products below, but this doesn’t constitute a recommendation of these products. I am less familiar with these companies than most of the others listed in this article. These are simply example products that are certified through BSCG’s Certified Drug Free® program. Currently, few items are certified by their other certifications.

Protein

Pre-workout & Energy

Nootropic

Other

What About Other Third-Party Testing Services?

In previous sections, I discussed the details of several third-party testing services, specifically USP, NSF, Informed, Labdoor, and Banned Substances Control Group. But what about other third-party testing services? 

There are several other companies that provide related services. For the sake of keeping the amount of information in this article somewhat manageable, I selected five of the major testing services to focus on. 

If you are interested in a supplement that is certified by a different, named third-party certification, I encourage you to search online for information about the certification. Each third-party testing service typically has a website with information about their procedures for testing supplements.

Another situation you may encounter is finding a product that SAYS it is third-party tested but does not provide any additional information. This is a challenging situation because you often can’t really know how thorough the third-party testing was. 

It is possible the company paid for very thorough, rigorous third-party testing. Or, it is possible they tested only one single item – such as the absence of mold – through a third-party lab to “check the box” and be able to honestly say the product was “third-party tested.” 

Even worse, it is possible the company is simply lying and does not actually test their products through a third-party. 

The big picture point is that you typically can’t know for sure what testing was involved if a company simply says their products were “third-party tested” but provides no other information.

With that said, there are some companies that use alternative third-party testing services and actually provide you with copies of the analysis reports for their products. These are sometimes called certificates of analysis. If they are testing for relevant items, this may be a good alternative way to demonstrate transparency towards customers.

In summary, there are some other companies that we didn’t cover in detail that may offer third-party testing services that may be similar to those we did cover. Additionally, if products say they are third-party tested but provide no other information, it is typically impossible to know what exactly was tested, if anything. 

In the end, you will need to use your best judgment in these situations. You may decide to skip the product and find one that is certified by a third-party testing service you know more about. Or, you may decide that a product is still reasonable to take. 

I hope that your ability to make these judgment calls is improved by the information in this article.

What If A Product is Not Third-Party Tested?

What should you do if there is no statement about third-party testing provided by the manufacturer?

It is still technically a possibility that a company performed third-party testing without mentioning this, although this doesn’t make sense to me (if you are going to go to the time and expense of getting your product third-party tested, why wouldn’t you share this information with customers?*).

Still, if desired, you can consult the comprehensive lists of certified supplements for each of the third-party certifications discussed earlier in this article. If the supplement turns out to be certified, great! If it is not listed in any of the databases, you should probably assume it was not third-party tested.

In general, I personally recommend assuming that a product which says nothing about third-party testing is NOT third-party tested. 

But what do we do with these supplements?

From a big-picture perspective, you need to decide what level of risk is acceptable to you or the client you are working with. 

For some individuals, such as athletes or workers who are subject to drug testing, I would strongly recommend only consuming products that have been tested for banned substances and contaminants through a well-established third-party certification. 

Even besides this, it is reasonable to limit yourself to products that have been third-party tested, for the sake of your health and safety. However, in some cases, you may be willing to accept the risk of consuming a supplement that is not third-party tested. 

For example, you may decide that a multivitamin from a well-established, reputable brand seems relatively safe to you even though it may not have been formally tested for banned substances or contaminants. 

There are definitely products that are safe and uncontaminated even though they are not third-party tested. It is just impossible to know for certain which products those are. 

If there is a product you are interested in that is not third-party tested, I would at least consider looking for an alternative that IS third-party tested, using the resources discussed earlier in this article.

Ultimately, it is up to you to decide how cautious you want to be. However, from everything we have discussed about third-party testing, I would encourage you to give preference to supplements that ARE third-party tested to help ensure you are consuming a safer product. 

But remember, third-party testing only reduces the risk of consuming an unsafe supplement; it does NOT entirely eliminate the risk.

To summarize, I recommend being fairly cautious when considering supplements that have not been third-party tested. You will ultimately need to use your best judgment in these cases, but I recommend considering third-party-tested whenever possible.

*To play devil’s advocate, I do know of some examples where companies have products certified through one of the major testing organizations and don’t include this in any of their marketing or labels. I just think it is safer, overall, to assume that a product is not third-party tested if they say nothing about third-party testing on the label or in the marketing materials.

My Opinion on the Best Third-Party Testing Options

While I tried to present a balanced view of the third-party testing options and their features in this article, I am often asked which third-party testing option I think is best.

First, while the third-party testing options differ in their exact features, I think they all have positive aspects that can help increase your confidence in the quality of the supplements you are buying.

With that said, here are my opinions on the best third-party testing options:

For basic general health supplements, especially vitamins and minerals, I typically gravitate towards USP certified options. USP is well-established and has a long track record of successfully testing supplements. There are also many affordable USP Verified general health supplements from major manufacturers, such as NatureMade.

However, there are also some companies, such as Momentous, that have general health supplements certified by rigorous sport-focused certifications like Informed Sport and NSF Certified for Sport.

For sports supplements (protein, creatine, pre-workout, etc.), my opinion is that the two best third-party testing options are NSF Certified for Sport® and Informed Sport. 

Both of these certifications help confirm the formulation that is listed on the supplement label and test for dangerous and banned substances.

They are also well-established with a long track record of success and are widely recognized by major sporting and anti-doping organizations.

Some may argue over which of these two is better, but I personally believe they are both great options.

However, I also think that the basic NSF and Informed Choice certifications are also perfectly reasonable choices for general consumers. While they may be slightly less rigorous than their partner “sport” certifications, they still provide high-quality testing that can increase your confidence in the supplement’s quality.

With that said, I have personally consumed several supplements certified by other organizations, especially Labdoor.

Summary

In this article, I discussed how to evaluate specific dietary supplement products using third-party testing. 

Selecting supplements tested by a third party can increase your confidence that the supplement contains what it should contain and doesn’t contain what it shouldn’t contain.

With that said, different third-party testing options are not identical. We focused on five of the major third-party testing organizations in this article: USP, NSF, Informed, Banned Substances Control Group, and Labdoor. 

Understanding what is and is not tested for by these certifications can help you make well-informed decisions about dietary supplement purchases.

If you understand the information covered in this article, you will be much more knowledgeable about how to make informed supplement decisions than the vast majority of consumers. 

In another article, I will cover more information about how to evaluate whether the ingredients and dosages in a particular product are evidence-based for their intended effects.

I hope this article has helped you as you try to make wise supplement decisions!

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult with your physician or a qualified healthcare provider regarding any medical concerns or before starting any new dietary supplements. The author of this content is not responsible for any adverse effects or consequences resulting from the use of any suggestions or information provided in this article.