A new campaign launched by the sports nutrition body ESSNA will encourage consumers to report “dodgy” sports supplements.
The European Specialist Sports Nutrition Alliance (ESSNA) kicks off the campaign by launching a dedicated ESSNA kitemark that can help the public identify products belonging to ESSNA members. ESSNA members sign up to a strict Code of Conduct, making a promise to the consumer that all their products comply fully with the European legislation put in place for their protection.
This is accompanied by a new online resource that the public can refer to for more information on everything sports nutrition related, such as step-by-step guides to buying certain products, general ‘dos and don’ts’, and a platform for the public to use to report products they believe to be dodgy, as well as tips on how to identify those.
ESSNA has also launched a Facebook page to encourage consumers to report products they come across on the social media platform, which sees a high number of sales of sports nutrition products every day.
Dr Adam Carey, Chair of ESSNA, said: “Too many misconceptions continue to fly around about our products, whether that’s the media claiming that we’re not overseen by any law or athletes blaming their doping scandals on ‘unclean’ sports supplements. The fact is, the majority of the industry is extremely responsible and complies with stringent European laws around the production, labelling and selling of its products.
“The public need not be worried or concerned when buying sports nutrition products and they need to understand that their safety and good health is the industry’s number one priority. But more than that, we want an informed public. It’s time once and for all – particularly as we see a huge growth in the sector as it moves further and further into the mainstream – to make sure the public understand what they’re consuming and how they can stay safe while consuming it. Our campaign will educate them on everything from what benefits they can expect to see, to what brands they can trust, to what ingredients they should avoid.”
