Tick the marks and claims printed on your supplement. You see what each independent seal actually checks — in the program’s own words — what it does not promise, where to look the product up, and which claims on a bottle nobody independent checks at all.
Checked by USP Verified — if the product is listed a seal counts once you find the product in the program’s registry
NIH ODS: “Several independent organizations offer quality testing and allow products that pass these tests to display a seal of quality assurance that indicates the product was properly manufactured, contains the ingredients listed on the label, and does not contain harmful levels of contaminants. These seals do not guarantee that a product is safe or effective.”
This is not medical advice. A seal is about how a product was made and what is in it — not whether it works for you, or mixes safely with your medicines. Ask your pharmacist.
A real third-party seal — USP Verified, NSF, Informed Sport or BSCG — means an independent program checked the product, and you can look it up in that program’s registry. NIH’s Office of Dietary Supplements is plain about the limit: “These seals do not guarantee that a product is safe or effective.” “Third-party tested” with no named seal is the brand’s own word.
How to use it
Tick every seal printed on your bottle, and open “Claims on the label” for the phrases that sound like a check but are not (“GMP”, “FDA registered”…). If you are drug-tested in sport, say so. For each seal you get what its program says it checks, in the program’s own words; what its page does not say it checks; and a link to its registry, where the product — and for sport, the batch — has to be listed for the seal to count. Nothing you tick leaves your browser.
What each seal checks, by its own description
Each “Yes” below is a sentence from the program’s own page. “Not stated” means its page does not say so — not that it never does; a program’s full manual can say more. These are the programs describing themselves.
| Seal | What’s on the label is in it | Harmful contaminants | Substances banned in sport | Every batch, before sale | Retested after certifying | The factory audited |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USP Verified | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Yes | Yes |
| NSF Certified (NSF/ANSI 173) | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Yes | Yes |
| NSF Certified for Sport | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Yes | Yes |
| Informed Sport | Not stated | Not stated | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Not stated |
| Informed Choice | Not stated | Not stated | Yes | Not stated | Yes | Yes |
| BSCG Certified Drug Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
- USP Verified (U.S. Pharmacopeia): “Ingredients listed on the label are present in the declared potency and amounts” and “The product does not contain harmful levels of specified contaminants”, with a “Manufacturing facility audit for compliance with USP General Chapter <2750> Manufacturing Practices for Dietary Supplements and FDA current Good Manufacturing Practices (21 CFR Part 111)” and “Off-the-shelf testing of USP Verified dietary supplements to confirm that the product continues to meet science-based quality standards”.
- NSF Certified (NSF/ANSI 173): “Label claim review to certify that what’s on the label is in the bottle” and “Contaminant review to ensure the product contains no undeclared ingredients or unacceptable levels of contaminants”; “NSF conducts annual audits and periodically retests each dietary supplement to ensure continued compliance”.
- NSF Certified for Sport: “In addition to certification under NSF/ANSI 173, supplements specifically intended for use by athletes are evaluated to NSF Certified for Sport®.” “This program helps protect against the adulteration of products and verifies label claims against product contents.” “NSF screens supplements for 280 substances banned by most major athletic organizations”.
- Informed Sport: “we test every single sports supplements batch for banned substances before being released to market”.
- Informed Choice: “Through our retail monitoring and supplement verification program, alongside our third-party oversight of manufacturing facilities and processes, we help reduce the risk of impurities and banned substances entering dietary supplements.”
- BSCG Certified Drug Free: “tests every finished product lot, or monthly for ingredients, for an industry leading 450+ banned substances” — “It also includes annual verification of label claims and contaminant testing and an initial quality control and GMP compliance audit.”
NIH ODS also names ConsumerLab.com among the organizations that offer quality testing; its seal is not on this list because we have not read its program’s terms. ODS: “Any mention of a specific company, organization, or service does not represent an endorsement by ODS.”
Claims that sound like a check, and are not
- “Third-party tested” with no lab or seal named: there is no registry to look the product up in, so the claim is the brand’s own word.
- “GMP” or “made in a cGMP facility”: NIH ODS — “FDA has established Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) that companies must follow to help ensure the identity, purity, strength, and composition of their dietary supplements.” It is the legal minimum for every supplement.
- “FDA approved”: NIH ODS — “Medicines must be approved by FDA before they can be sold or marketed. Supplements do not require this approval.”
- “Safe for sport” or “WADA approved”: Informed Sport — “A label stating ‘Safe for Sports People’, or ‘Approved by WADA’ is meaningless, as WADA or National Anti-Doping bodies do not approve supplement products.”
Worked examples
- A multivitamin with the USP Verified mark: checked for what is on the label, contaminants and its factory, and retested off the shelf — once you find it in USP’s product list. Not tested for substances banned in sport, by USP’s own description.
- A pre-workout that says “third-party tested” and “cGMP facility”, no seal: nothing here an independent body checks that you can look up.
- A protein powder with Informed Sport, for a tested athlete: every batch tested for banned substances before sale — look up the batch number printed on the tub, not just the product.
- An athlete holding a USP Verified product: quality-checked, but no banned-substance testing stated. Informed Sport: “As many as one-in-ten supplements are contaminated with ingredients and compounds prohibited in sport.”
Common mistakes
- Trusting the logo without the registry. A printed mark is easy to copy; the listing is what counts.
- Reading a seal as proof it works. ODS: “These seals do not guarantee that a product is safe or effective.”
- Checking the product, not the batch, for sport. Informed Sport and BSCG test by batch or lot; the number on your tub is the one to search.
- Taking “FDA registered” for a check. Supplements “do not require this approval”.
Frequently asked questions
What does USP Verified mean on a supplement?
That the product passed the U.S. Pharmacopeia’s verification program: in USP’s words, “Ingredients listed on the label are present in the declared potency and amounts”, “The product does not contain harmful levels of specified contaminants”, with a facility audit and off-the-shelf testing. Check it on USP’s product list at quality-supplements.org.
What are third-party tested supplements?
Products an independent program has checked and lists in a registry — USP, NSF, Informed Sport, Informed Choice or BSCG, for example. A label that only says “third-party tested” names no one, so there is nothing to look up. NIH ODS: “These seals do not guarantee that a product is safe or effective.”
What does NSF certified mean for supplements?
NSF certifies against NSF/ANSI 173: a “Label claim review to certify that what’s on the label is in the bottle”, a toxicology review, and a “Contaminant review”, with annual audits and periodic retests. NSF Certified for Sport adds screening for 280 substances banned in sport.
Is Informed Sport the same as NSF Certified for Sport?
Both test for substances banned in sport; they are different programs with their own registries. Informed Sport says it tests “every single sports supplements batch for banned substances before being released to market”; NSF Certified for Sport is built on NSF/ANSI 173 and screens for 280 banned substances. NSF’s page says its program is the one recognized by the United States Anti-Doping Agency.
Are supplements approved by the FDA?
No. NIH ODS: “Medicines must be approved by FDA before they can be sold or marketed. Supplements do not require this approval.” Companies are responsible for their products’ safety and labels; FDA can act after a product is on the market.
Does a seal mean the supplement works?
No. A seal is about manufacturing and contents. NIH ODS: “These seals do not guarantee that a product is safe or effective.” Whether a supplement suits you — and mixes safely with your medicines — is a question for your doctor or pharmacist.
Read next
- Third-party tested nootropics: what those seals actually mean
- What are the safest nootropics?
- Will Mind Lab Pro show up on a drug test?
- Proprietary blends: why you can’t tell what’s in the bottle
- The Nootropic Dose Checker — whether what is in the bottle reaches the dose the studies used.
This is not medical advice. A seal says how a product was made and what is in it, not whether it works or is right for you. Some links on this site are affiliate links: I buy what I review at full price, and a commission never changes a verdict.