ANN ARBOR, Mich.--NSF International will oversee a new program announced by the National Football League (NFL) and NFL Players Association (NFLPA) designed to certify dietary supplements for use by NFL players.

The Official NFL/NFLPA Supplement Certification Program is designed to assure players do not consume banned substances in sports nutrition products while overseeing label compliance and GMP (good manufacturing practice) standards. NSF developed the program at the request of the NFL organizations; the program includes formula evaluation, GMP inspection, clinical testing for metabolites, and review of chain-of-custody procedures.

"If players take these products, this is a way for us to guarantee that what they take is what is on the label," Gene Upshaw, executive director of NFLPA, said during a Jan. 29 press conference announcing the new program. However, Upshaw added, "We're not encouraging supplements. We're not saying they work."

During the press conference, held in Houston, NSF's President, Kevan Lawlor, said the program will help ensure label accuracy and may attract other sports groups. "We have not been contacted by any, but we expect other organizations would want to get involved," he said.