Certified Drug Free® 
BSCG Newsletter – December 2020
December 21, 2020
Banned Substances Control Group
BSCG President Oliver Catlin Writes About Differentiating Adulteration from Natural Substances and Appears in ‘Beyond the Supps’ Webcast
BSCG President Oliver Catlin has had a busy month. Among other things, he had a new piece in Natural Products Insider about the need to differentiate adulteration in supplement products from natural substances that may give products the appearance of adulteration. In this essay, he discusses a number of such ingredients including whey protein, deer antler, and phenethlyamine (PEA). He writes that as these problems multiply “the need to create a consistent model to differentiate adulteration from natural or environmental presence is vitally important to ensure that reasonable products are not deemed to be adulterated.” You can read Oliver’s piece here.
And Oliver was pleased to join Lief Labs’ Jacob Fishback in a new webcast episode of “Beyond the Supps.” In this 46-minute video, which can now be viewed on YouTube, Oliver talks about BSCG and the role it plays in the supplement industry for brands and contract manufacturers, as well as athletes and everyday consumers. “Don’t be afraid to ask for SOPs (standard operating procedures) on key elements,” he said. “If you’re a brand owner, make sure you’ve got your own SOPs. You’ve got to have your own SOPs, not just rely on good manufacturers like Lief to have theirs. The responsibility is not just on the manufacturer but on the brand.” Watch the video to hear more on a range of subjects.
Amazon Now Requiring Supplement Brands to Provide Testing Results and Documentation
In what could have significant ramifications for the dietary supplement industry, Amazon has recently begun requiring supplement brands to provide comprehensive testing results and other documentation about their products in order to be sold on its site. For years, BSCG President Oliver Catlin has been urging Amazon to clean up its site and repeatedly called on the company to stop allowing its vendors to sell products containing illegal ingredients. Amazon’s action, which took effect around the first of December, goes even further.
According to Nutraingredients, supplement brands will be required by February to provide documentation about the legality of ingredients, potency claims, Good Manufacturing Practices, and safe concentrations of active ingredients. More initial information can be found in this article by Hank Schultz.
BSCG has been actively researching Amazon’s new standards and can help clients meet the new requirements. Give us a call with your questions for a free consult at1-800-920-6605 or email info@bscg.org.
BSCG Welcomes Buff Chick Supplements
BSCG is pleased to welcome Buff Chick Supplements as a client and announce certification of a number of their products, including Buff Pre (Blue Raspberry, Green Apple, and Cherry Limeade), Buff Pump (Sour Lemon,Cherry Limeade), and Creatine Powder.
“We’re delighted to welcome Buff Chick Supplements to our roster of valued clients and announce certification of many of their products in the rigorous BSCG Certified Drug Free program,” said BSCG President Oliver Catlin. “We appreciate Buff Chick Supplements’ commitment to safer supplements and their dedication to doing everything they can to protect their consumers.”
The trusted BSCG Certified Drug Free program, established in 2004, uses a gold-standard testing menu that covers more than 496 problematic substances. The program tests for banned substances on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List and those of other elite and professional sports organizations. BSCG’s testing menu goes further than any other third-party testing provider; it’s the only one to also cover problematic prescription, over-the-counter, and illicit drugs not banned in sport.
Buff Chick Supplements prides itself on being a value-driven business. It is committed to a mission to fuel women’s strength and performance; a vision to make supplement purchasing safe, fun, and clear for consumers; and to embody transparency at every turn, from manufacturing to labeling. Each batch of all their products will now be certified by BSCG. To learn more about Buff Chick Supplements, visit their website at www.buffchick.com.
