Actually, no it doesn’t!
Of course, for an athlete who is in the anti-doping testing pool, being assured that your particular batch of supplements is “clean” is a critical factor. But do you ever think of asking your supplement manufacturer about their validation processes that deal with other risks that can affect health and performance?
There is a whole host of risks associated with supplements aside from whether they contain prohibited substances or not. What if your capsules / powders etc contains toxic, or bacterial contamination? That’s not going to show up in a test for prohibited substances, and so every athlete or sports nutritionist who takes or procures supplements should be conducting ongoing risk analyses.
Have you ever asked your supplement supplier whether they manufacture in their own dedicated manufacturing/production facilities? So many supplements are produced by contract manufacturers, and many suppliers merely brand and market them. What’s more, the standards for Good Manufacturing Practice in the food supplement industry is far less rigorous than those required for licensed pharmaceuticals.
Even for licensed pharmaceuticals, cross contamination is not prohibited as long as the contamination does not lead to clinically significant outcomes.
Can elite sport really afford to leave such things to chance with food supplements?
So go ahead and ask yourself, and your supplier:
Are there choices available that cater for cultural or religious practices?
Do your supplements meet the equivalent of NHS requirements for non-licensed products?
Are your supplements actually produced by a manufacturer that obtains independent validations and verifications for contamination, active ingredient quantification?
Are the raw materials used in the manufacture sourced from validated suppliers?
Can your supplier confidently vouch for the cleanliness and hygiene in the manufacturing facility?
Is product quality consistent?
Are the product handling, storage and history documented?
Is your supplement supplier in full control of the manufacturing processes and environment?
At Synergy Biologics, we can confidently answer “Yes” to all of these, and many more searching questions. And these facts should reassure everyone taking or procuring supplements for use by athletes:
Total certainty of product origin (manufactured in Walsall, UK)
Vitamin D product well established – supplied to NHS since 2010
Quality Management Systems (QMS) – ISO9001:2015 certified
Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) – GMP Certified
HACCP Certified (independently) - an international standard defining the requirements for effective control of food safety
Designed, manufactured and QA controlled by qualified pharmacists
Purpose built factory with 20 Clean Rooms ISO Class 6 & 7
Halal – Certified
Vegetarian – Certified
Vegan – Certified
Kosher – Certified
Externally verified – every product batch subject to UKAS laboratory testing before release
No product recalls ever, since production began in 2010
Assured supply – Healthy stock levels and production output capable of immediate scale-up
Competitive pricing
Pharmacists in house to answer product suitability queries
In house pharmacovigilance qualified person continuously monitoring and actioning vitamin D safety issues
Every one of these can be backed up with documentary credentials on request, and we welcome customer audits and / or visits.
Our in-house compliance/regulatory expert has come up with some really telling facts in the attached flow charts, so take a look, and ask your current supplement supplier whether they can provide the same assurances – and then come over to the safe side by choosing Synergy Biologics for your Vitamin D supplement requirements!
To discuss any of this, please contact us by emailing Steve Simbler (steve.simbler@synergybiologics.co.uk) or call the office on 01922705107 and speak to one of the team.