Informed Sport

Who runs it

Informed Sport is operated by LGC, an international science company headquartered in Teddington, UK. LGC was originally the Laboratory of the Government Chemist and remains the UK's designated National Measurement Institute for chemical and bio-measurement. Its sport drug-surveillance laboratory is ISO/IEC 17025 accredited and works with WADA, professional leagues, and national anti-doping organisations.

Informed Sport vs Informed Choice

LGC runs two distinct programmes under the “Informed” banner. The difference is testing frequency.

• Informed Sport — every batch tested. Each production lot is screened before release. The lot code on the packaging maps to a specific test result.
• Informed Choice — sample testing. A subset of batches is tested per quarter. Lower assurance, but still a stronger signal than no third-party testing.

For competitive athletes, Informed Sport is the relevant tier. Informed Choice is closer to a routine surveillance programme.

What is actually tested

• Banned-substance screening. Each batch is tested for substances on the WADA Prohibited List using ultra-trace mass spectrometry. The methodology is sensitive enough to detect contamination at parts-per-billion levels.
• Site assessment. Manufacturing facilities are audited for risk of cross-contamination from other products handled in the same plant — an important consideration since many supplement contamination cases come from shared production lines, not deliberate adulteration.
• Supply-chain review. Raw-ingredient suppliers are reviewed for their own contamination controls before a product is accepted into the programme.

How to verify a batch

Every certified batch is searchable at sport.wetestyoutrust.com. Find the lot code on the packaging (often near the expiry date), then look it up in the database. If the specific lot is not listed, it is not certified — even if the brand and product name are otherwise familiar.

For athletes, this lot-by-lot check is the central feature. A formula listed in the database is not enough; the bottle in your hand has to map to a specific batch result.

What Informed Sport does not cover

• Heavy metals and other contaminants are not the focus. The programme prioritises banned-substance screening. Some contaminant testing is conducted as part of the supplier and site assessment, but the headline guarantee is anti-doping assurance, not general purity.
• Identity and potency are not the headline check. Informed Sport relies on the manufacturer's own quality controls and GMP for label-claim accuracy. For products where potency is the primary concern (everyday vitamins, for example), USP Verified is a better-targeted scheme.
• Efficacy. As with every certification on this site, the mark is about content and contamination, not whether the product produces a measurable benefit.

When it matters most

Informed Sport is the most relevant certification for UK-based competitive athletes. UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) refers to the programme in its athlete guidance. Many UK supplement brands — including Optimum Nutrition, Applied Nutrition, Healthspan Elite, MyProtein, Soccer Supplement, and Puresport — have product lines enrolled in Informed Sport.

Categories where it carries the most weight: protein powders, pre-workouts, electrolyte and recovery drinks, BCAAs, and stimulant-containing products. These are the categories most frequently implicated in inadvertent anti-doping violations.

Common misconceptions

• An Informed Sport logo on a brand site is not the same as a certified batch. Brands sometimes display the logo broadly across a site or product range. Always check the lot code on the actual bottle.
• Strict liability still applies. Even for athletes, certification reduces but does not eliminate risk. Anti-doping rules in most sports operate on strict liability — the athlete is responsible for what is in their body regardless of source. Certification is a strong defence, not an exemption.