Doping Prevention: A Framework for Sports Nutrition and Supplements

In the absence of European regulations, a group of 18 countries, led by France, has come together to propose a framework of best practices aimed at minimizing the risk of doping substances in foods and dietary supplements intended for athletes.

In recent months, the public has been particularly affected in their ability to participate in sports due to the health crisis. But starting today, and in line with the strategy to reopen facilities and resume all physical and sports activities, people can once again head back to the gyms!

Sports nutrition also includes energy bars, recovery drinks, gel packets, powders, and vitamin and mineral blends… But in a crowded market for food and dietary supplements, what guarantees are there regarding the quality of these highly specialized products?

A European standard to reduce the risk of doping

To address the risks associated with products fraudulently marketed as sports foods or dietary supplements, European consumers and manufacturers can now rely on the European standard NF EN 17444. The result of an initiative led by the Ministry of Sports and French manufacturers of sports products for over ten years, with the support and scientific expertise of ANSES, this European standard is based on a French standard ( NF V94-001 ), published in 2012.

The new NF EN 17444 standard has a clear goal: to ensure quality in a European market increasingly confronted with the sale of unreliable products, access to which has been made easier by online shopping, particularly from outside Europe. This standard promotes best practices for the research, development, and manufacturing of food products and dietary supplements intended for athletes and sportspeople. It is also the tangible result of a collaboration between food industry manufacturers and stakeholders involved in the fight against doping.

A new safety warning on consumer products

This standard is based on the health risk management tools used in food production and ensures the absence of doping substances listed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). It specifies the safety principles that manufacturers must adopt regarding the qualifications of personnel involved in the manufacturing process, the quality of ingredients, suppliers’ compliance with a series of commitments, the control and traceability of processes and products, as well as the analysis of the finished product.

From now on, manufacturers who choose to comply with the new standard may include the following statement: “This product was developed and manufactured in accordance with the requirements of standard NF EN 17444 as of the batch production date.” This statement provides consumers and athletes with the assurance that they are choosing products free of banned substances.