Is Your Supplement a Scam? Why "Informed Sport" is the Only Label That Matters in the UK
We have all been there: standing in the health aisle or scrolling through a sleek website, looking at a sea of "clean”, "natural”, and "pure" pure supplements. In the UK, the wellness industry is worth billions, yet it remains one of the most loosely regulated markets.
While the Food Standards Agency (FSA) does its best to keep us safe, the reality is that many supplements on British shelves are never checked by a third party before they reach the kitchen cupboard. To ensure your "clean" vitamin is actually what it says it is, you need to look for one specific orange logo: Informed Sport.
The "Clean" Marketing Trap
In the UK, "clean" is not a legal term; it is a marketing term. A brand can claim their protein powder is "100% pure" even if the factory also processes unlisted stimulants or cheap fillers.
This is known as a label claim failure. Studies have shown that a significant percentage of supplements do not contain the amount of active ingredients promised—or worse, they contain "hidden" extras like heavy metals or banned substances.
What is Informed Sport?
Informed Sports, headquartered in Newmarket, UK, is a global quality assurance program for sports nutrition. Although it was designed to protect professional athletes from accidentally failing drug tests, it has become the gold standard for the health-conscious public.
When you see the orange seal, it means the product has undergone a rigorous certification process by LGC—a world-class lab with over 50 years of experience in high-stake testing.
Why It’s the Gold Standard (Especially in the UK)
There are two main reasons why this certification beats a standard "clean" label:
Batch-by-Batch Testing: Most certifications test a product once a year. Informed Sport tests every batch. If a brand makes a new run of tablets, that specific batch must be tested and cleared by the laboratory before carrying the logo.
Contamination Defense: Cross-contamination is a major issue in supplement manufacturing. Informed Sport screens for over 250 substances that shouldn't be there, ensuring that your daily multivitamin hasn't been "spiced" with low-grade stimulants or hormonal precursors.
How to Verify Your Supplements
Do not just take the bottle’s word for it. Here is how to use the Informed Sport system as a pro:
Check the Logo: Look for the orange Informed Sport logo (not to be confused with the green "Informed Choice" logo, which only tests monthly, not every batch).
Find the Batch Number: Look at the bottom of your tub or the crimp of your pouch for a batch code and expiry date.
Use the Database: Visit Informed Sport’s website and search for your product. You can type in your specific batch number to see the actual lab certificate confirming that it has passed.
The Bottom Line
If you are spending your hard-earned money on supplements to improve your health, you deserve to know that you are not just buying expensive fillers. By choosing brands that invest in Informed Sport certification—such as Healthspan Elite, SiS, or MyProtein’s specialised ranges— you are choosing transparency over trends.
Stop guessing about your health. If it is not tested, you are just taking a leap of faith.