In the previous months, the FDA was busy issuing warning letters and even raided some sports nutrition companies for allegedly selling unapproved dietary supplements which may harm the consumers. The agency found several sports supplements that contains controlled substances specifically synthetic anabolic steroids or with steroid-like ingredients. Some companies have pulled out their products from the market in compliance with the FDA directive and to avoid possible charges for selling illegal supplements. However, with the large market for sports nutrition supplements, the FDA has to continue its efforts in monitoring and stopping the illegal market strategies of some sports nutrition companies.

According to industry reports, there is a continuous increase in the demand for sports supplements for the past years. The Nutrition Business Journal reported that the supplements industry grew at 7.6 percent to $2.7 billion in sales for 2008. Consumers who used sports nutrition products were reported to reach 22% in 2009 based on the report from NMI’s 2009 Health & Wellness Trends Database. The sports nutrition category include products such as amino acids, creatine, protein powders, sports hydration drinks, sports nutrition bars and other sports nutrition supplements.

Sports nutrition supplements became a necessity for many professional athletes. But because of some ingredients banned by sports organizations, it has caused some athletes’ career in demise. An of example of that is the case of U.S. Olympic swimmer Jessica Hardy who was banned in participating in the previous Olympics due to a banned stimulant, clenbuterol. She said that the dietary supplement she was taking has caused the positive test. Greek track and field athlete and Olympian Fani Halkia faced the same charges.

Several Chinese swimmers in the Beijing olympics were also banned due to tainted supplements. The list of professional athletes facing sanctions because of sports supplements is increasing. The recent case is the suspension of ex-NBA player Juan Dixon due to a positive test for steroids. Dixon admits that he is a supplements junkie but denied using any anabolic steroids to enhance performance. Actually he is one of the few athletes who supports anti-steroid campaign.

According to representatives of established and reputable sports nutrition companies, industry players could help the FDA in its effort to stop tainted dietary supplement products. One of the ways to ensure the safety of the consumer is to adopt GMP’s or good manufacturing practices in their companies. Alissa Marrapodi of Natural Products Insider website interviewed some of the sport nutrition companies’ representatives and provided insights on the issue. Patrick Luchsinger, marketing manager of Lipid Nutrition, said that the supply chain needs can be better guarded with ongoing GMP certifications and quality assurance education. “From a supplier point of view, the aftermath of the recent ingredient scandals involving sub-standard suppliers, activists, members of Congress and FDA are demanding action to prevent poor-quality ingredients reaching the consumer,” he said.

Nutra Bridge President Scott Steil also shares the same concern. “Given the upward shift in both health education and individual responsibility for maintaining one’s own health, consumers have clearly made living a healthy, active lifestyle a priority. The robust growth in the sports nutrition market proves supplements are a core part of such a commitment,” he said. Sports nutrition companies’ main priority should be the safety of the consumers since the consumer base is expanding from the hard-core bodybuilders to people who are just health conscious according to Nutratech President Bob Green. “The industry was all about bulking up, bodybuilding and performance enhancement; but today, sports nutrition products are attracting a much broader, mass audience. We’re now dealing with a new generation of consumers who have grown up knowing an active lifestyle has positive, long-term implications for health, fitness, weight management and longevity,” said Green.

Chief operating officer of OmniActive Health Technologies, Abhijit Bhattacharya, agreed to make the supply chain in the supplements industry undergo scrutiny. “Adulteration, mislabeling, sub-optimal levels or deliberate spiking of supplements with inappropriate or unauthorized ingredients are some of the undesirable practices of a few unscrupulous suppliers,” he said. “With the new GMPs coming into force, responsible suppliers and formulators will be able to cooperate in assuring each other and the end consumers that the products entering the market contain the right level of ingredients,” said Bhattacharya. To ensure the success of this effort, manufacturers should focus on product safety by undergoing safety certifications such as ISO-22000 food safety management systems and well-documented product literature.

To regain consumer trust, a good partnership between players in the sports nutrition industry should take place from the ingredient suppliers, manufacturers, marketing companies to retailers. More resources should be allocated to research and clinical studies to determine the safety of the ingredients used in sports supplements.

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