BANNED SUBSTANCES CONTROL GROUP – BSCG

Founded in 2004, BSCG (Banned Substances Control Group) helped pioneer a new standard in dietary supplement safety by establishing one of the first third-party certification programs focused on banned substances in sport. Today, we offer a comprehensive portfolio of third-party certification programs, independent lab testing for label claims and contaminants, and GMP compliance services. Our mission is to safeguard brands, athletes, military service members, first responders, retailers, consumers, and animals from banned substances, contamination, and other quality control or compliance issues. We bring the Olympic standard in anti-doping to third-party certification and testing. Our services are trusted across the dietary supplement, natural product, CBD/hemp, cosmetic, and animal health industries, and are applicable to finished products, raw ingredients, and manufacturing facilities. We also offer custom testing solutions for ongoing quality control, investigations, legal cases or other special circumstances.

Expanding Protection Beyond Sport

Originally designed to protect elite athletes from ingesting banned substances, BSCG's certification programs have expanded to reflect growing risks faced by brands, consumers, and retailers. According to testing done by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the majority of tainted dietary supplements identified in FDA investigations involved drugs not banned in sport, posing significant risks to general consumers. In addition, animals including thoroughbreds and even our fur baby companion animals are increasingly exposed to contaminated feeds, compounded veterinary products, or supplements that can lead to positive drug tests or health problems.

Comprehensive Banned Substance Testing

To address these challenges, BSCG offers an industry leading banned substance testing menu that coves more than 450 compounds. This includes more than 400 banned substances on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List, Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) Prohibited Substances List, and other banned substance lists used in human and equine drug testing. The testing menu also covers more than 50 prescription, over-the-counter (OTC), and illicit drugs not banned in sport targeting substances the FDA has found and rounding out protection for consumers and retailers. All the drugs required under API testing in Amazon dietary supplement compliance policies for sports nutrition, men’s health, sexual enhancement, and weight loss are covered.

Certification Programs Tailored to Every Need

The Certified Drug Free program is the Sport Standard testing every lot of participating products for an industry leading list of more than 450 drugs including 400+ on the WADA Prohibited List and 50+ illicit, prescription or OTC drugs not banned in sport. The initial certification process audits product ingredients, labels, claims and GMP compliance with verification of testing for product quality specifications required annually.

The Certified Quality program is the Retail Standard and designed as an annual testing program for retail and consumer protection to ensure products meet label claims and are free of harmful contaminants and drugs. Annual testing includes ingredient identity, label claims, environmental contaminants like heavy metals, pesticides, or microbiological agents and screening for our industry leading banned substance testing menu covering more than 450 drugs.

The Certified GMP program verifies GMP compliance for own label distributors and ingredient brands and represents it with a real third-party certification seal, not one of those made up GMP seals. Other GMP certifications focus on manufacturing level compliance without digging into the details. Our program focuses on brand level requirements or those that are non-specific between brands and manufacturers and takes a dive deep into product level GMP compliance including ingredients, labels, claims, supplier qualification, quality control testing, and more.

The Certified GMP program conducts onsite manufacturing facility audits for GMP compliance to 21 CFR 111, 21 CFR 117, or other relevant standards based on the product categories produced. Onsite audits are conducted every two years.

The Certified Facility program conducts onsite manufacturing facility audits for GMP compliance to 21 CFR 111, ANSI 455-2, or other relevant GMP standards based on the product categories produced. We offer audits to the dietary supplement industry and for other product categories like cosmetics or OTC drugs. Onsite audits are conducted every two years for cost effectiveness using only highly experienced GMP auditors.

Customized supplement testing for banned substances is available to sporting groups, leagues, teams and athletes through our Athlete Assurance Program. This allows for testing of products that are not already certified by a third-party before use to ensure the lot that will be used is clean and free of banned substances.

Through our network of ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory partners we offer a full suite of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) lab testing services including analysis for heavy metals, pesticides, solvents, microbiological agents, nutritional label claims and ingredient verification. Customized a la carte testing is available to brands or for special projects in quality control or legal investigations.

Why Independent Lab Testing of Supplements Matters

Independent lab testing of supplements is essential for ensuring that dietary supplements are safe, accurately labeled, and free from harmful contaminants or drugs. This is especially critical in sports, military, or for first responders where the presence of banned substances—even inadvertently—can lead to serious consequences. Our independent lab testing for supplements delivers confidence for consumers seeking safe and high quality products; peace of mind for athletes, military service members or first responders navigating drug testing regulations; and trust for retailers requiring quality assurance in a vast marketplace of products. Third-party certification programs offer a solution for athletes and other drug tested professionals seeking to maximize performance with nutritional support without compromising their adherence to anti-doping regulations.

BSCG. Trusted. Verified. Certified.

BSCG helps protect public health and clean competition through rigorous, science-based third-party certification programs and independent lab testing. Whether you're a brand, ingredient provider, manufacturer, retailer, athlete, military service member, first responder, veterinarian, trainer, or sports nutrition professional our trusted services provide the gold standard in supplement safety and compliance. BSCG third party certification and testing services are acknowledged around the world and we are proud to certify more than 80 brands and 700 products available in more than 70 countries and counting. BSCG is proud to be acknowledged as a third-party certification provider by Amazon, NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, the U.S. Department of Defense Operation Supplement Safety (OPSS), NFL, UFC, LPGA, CrossFit, Canadian Olympic Committee, Sport Nutrition and Dietitian Japan (SNDJ), Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, British Dietetic Association, and others.

The BSCG Conflict of Interest Policy is available for review.