The adulteration of natural health ingredients and nutraceutical products is an ongoing concern for global industry stakeholders, risk assessors and consumers alike. And, despite strict regulations being applied around the world, many end user products — particularly those sold as food supplements — have reportedly been diluted or substituted with undeclared lower-cost ingredients. In a bid to maintain their high standards and ensure consumer safety, GELITA has embarked on a certification program to help both consumers and companies identify products and ingredients that have been independently tested and proven to meet rigorous standards for quality, safety and label claims.

In a first step, the company has recently announced that TENDOFORTE^® has been assessed and certified to meet the requirements of NSF 229, a standard for the manufacture of dietary ingredients, by NSF International, an independent global public health organization. The certification ensures that GELITA, as the ingredient supplier, meets NSF’s strict standards of food safety and quality controls during the entire production process of TENDOFORTE^®. This step precedes the Certified for Sport test for finished products, lowering the risks to customers in the process of obtaining their own finished product certifications.

TENDOFORTE^® is the latest addition to the GELITA range of Bioactive Collagen Peptides (BCP^®s). Optimized to strengthen tendons and ligaments, it has been shown by product-specific research to reduce the incidence of sports injuries and to accelerate return-to-play. With nutritional solutions for healthy connective tissues now gaining increasing attention amongst sportspeople, TENDOFORTE^® has a unique position in the market.

The certification is an assurance to customers, mainly for those in the process of getting their final products Certified for Sport with NSF, and comes at an important time: in recent years, a number of campaigns have led to a positive change in attitude by sports governing bodies towards the sensible use of supplements by athletes — as long as they have passed a risk-versus-benefit analysis of being effective, safe and permitted for use. GELITA is committed to engaging with this positive trend towards safely improving the health and performance of athletes.

NSF International developed the NSF 229 standard for the manufacture of dietary ingredients, which is continually updated with the changing industry. To earn NSF certification, dietary ingredients must be produced in a manufacturing facility that is inspected twice a year to comply with the US FDA’s Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) requirements and industry best practices. In addition, NSF-certified ingredients undergo a variety of tests and reviews, including a toxicological review, contaminant testing, the verification of label claims and ongoing audits to ensure compliance.

TENDOFORTE^® joins more than 1000 products and ingredients that have met NSF rigorous certification requirements. Consumers can therefore choose NSF-certified products with confidence.

Although not required by law to sell a sports nutrition product, the voluntary certification provides evidence of the very highest quality control standards and proof that the products contain exactly what’s stated on the label and are risk-assessed for contaminants. As such, the end user can rest assured that they’re using a product containing an ingredient that they can trust, which goes hand in hand with GELITA’s mission to protect their brands, customers and consumers.

For more information about GELITA’s stringent quality control policies, contact us today.