Yes, Toby. It is pervasive. Trust is a major issue for athletes competing for
a place in the Olympics and other high profile athletic competitions.
Taking nutritional supplements to help maintain health shouldn't place
an athlete at risk for testing positive for a
banned substance. Broadly
publicized allegations of contaminants in supplements lead many top
athletes to wonder if taking supplements will jeopardize their future
ability to qualify for competition. In fact, national Olympic
committees have written to their athletes warning them of the potential
danger of contaminants, encouraging them not to consume any nutritional
supplements.
So, what can be done other than drinking water and Gatorade? The answer is in the testing. Hammer should spend the money to have their products tested by a well respected independent lab. One of the most respected labs for this is the
NSF. They test supplements to see if they really contain what is printed on the label. They also certify products to assure athletes that they do not contain any of the
banned substances.This program is called
Certtified For Sport
Here are some of the companies that have had some of their products tested and certified for sport:
The Womens Tennis Association searched for a supplement company that they could trust for their elite athletes. They chose
Usana Health Sciences to be the official health supplement supplier to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.
Usana puts their money where their mouth is and offers elite athletes an
iron clad guarantee to pay them up to one million dollars should they test positive for any banned substance.
Click here to see other Olympic and Pro athletes that trust Usana.
It doesn't stop there. Usana products are also certified by independent labs like Consumer Lab,
Natural Products Association (NPA), True-Label Program,
USP Dietary Supplements Verification Program, NHPD (Canada's version of FDA),
Therapeutic Goods Association (TGA - Australia's version of the FDA) and Independent ISO 17025 verification.
Usana was also rated very high by
Nutrisearch Labs in their independent study found in the "
Comparative Guide To Nutritional Supplements."
Hammer should test their raw ingredients coming in and test each batch before they go out. They should have their products and facility tested by independent labs like the NSF and others to get their products certified as clean. This would put athletes at ease and they would get sued less often. It might raise the cost of the product but it might be well worth it in the long run.
