In this episode of the PricePlow Podcast, we’re joined by Andy Holmes, Business Development Manager for LGC Science’s Informed family of certification programs. This fascinating conversation dives deep into the world of dietary supplement testing and certification, focusing on how these programs help ensure product safety and quality for athletes and everyday consumers alike.
1 in 10 Non-Certified Supplements May Have Banned Substances?! Time to Get Informed…
Andy Holmes, Business Development Manager for LGC Science’s Informed certification programs, comes onto the PricePlow Podcast Episode #162 and discusses the rigorous testing protocols and quality assurance measures that make Informed Sport, Informed Choice, and Informed Protein the global gold standards in supplement certification. Learn how these programs protect athletes from inadvertent doping while providing brands with meaningful market differentiation.
Andy explains the rigorous testing standards and quality control measures that make Informed Sport, Informed Choice, and Informed Protein the global leaders in supplement certification. From testing every batch for over 280 banned substances at parts-per-billion levels to auditing manufacturing facilities for cross-contamination risks, Informed’s programs provide critical quality assurance in an industry where approximately 1 in 10 non-certified supplements may contain prohibited substances. Throughout the discussion, we learn how these certifications not only protect athletes from inadvertent doping but also provide brands with meaningful market differentiation and consumer trust.
Beyond the science of supplement testing, Andy shares his unique background as a former competitive judo athlete who trained at the Olympic Training Center, his experience working with military special forces, and even his life operating a family cattle ranch. This wide-ranging conversation offers valuable insights for supplement brands, athletes, and any consumer concerned about supplement quality and safety.
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https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/informed-supplement-testing-162
Video: Andy Holmes Explains LGC’s Informed Programs
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:00:04 — 58.2MB)
Detailed Show Notes: The Informed Testing Programs with Andy Holmes
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0:00 – Introductions
Mike and Ben welcome Andy Holmes, Business Development Manager for LGC Science, the parent company behind the Informed certifications. They’re all together at the Sensapure Flavors booth at Natural Products Expo West 2025.
Andy explains that LGC has been around for almost 200 years, with 60 years of anti-doping expertise and 20 years specifically testing finished supplement products—about 10 years longer than their closest competitor. The Informed programs test for banned substances on the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) list, including steroids, methamphetamine compounds, beta-blockers, and masking agents that could cause athletes to fail drug tests or pose risks to health-conscious consumers.
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3:00 – How Informed Certification Works
The three-stage quality control process for Informed certification programs, beginning with manufacturing audits, followed by rigorous testing protocols, and culminating in the Informed Ingredient certification seal that ensures product safety and quality.
Andy details the comprehensive certification process, which starts with manufacturer assessment. After twenty years of experience, they’ve identified two primary ways banned substances end up in products: through contaminated raw ingredients (often from questionable sources) or through poor manufacturing practices. The Informed programs conduct a Manufacturing Control Unit (MCU) assessment to verify proper segregation of ingredients, cleaning processes, quality checks, and review of manufacturing and raw material manifests — all designed to mitigate contamination risks.
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6:00 – Testing Protocols and Standards
The Informed Sport certification requires testing of every unique lot before release, with a minimum of three to five blind samples tested from each production batch. Informed Sport tests for 285+ banned substances at extraordinary sensitivity levels — down to parts per billion, which Andy illustrates as being able to detect a teaspoon of methamphetamine in an Olympic-sized swimming pool. This extreme precision is necessary because even trace contamination can cause athletes to fail drug tests. Unlike commodity testing for label claims, Informed’s specialized testing is conducted in ISO17025 accredited laboratories with equipment and expertise few labs can match.
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8:30 – Protein Testing and Label Claim Verification
While the main Informed Sport and Informed Choice certifications focus on banned substance testing, Andy introduces their newer Informed Protein certification that specifically verifies protein content matches label claims. In 2023, LGC conducted an in-house study testing 63 different protein products purchased off retail shelves and found only 1 in 14 actually hit their label claims for protein content. Informed Protein certification tests within 2% accuracy of label claims, much stricter than industry standards. It looks beyond simple nitrogen testing (which can be manipulated via amino acid spiking) by examining carbon-to-nitrogen ratios, screening for free amino acids, and testing for adulterants like melamine that could cause liver toxicity.
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15:00 – Global Reach and Testing Volume
Informed’s certifications now appear on over 6,000 products sold in 127 countries worldwide. Andy reveals the incredible scale of their operation — they currently conduct more banned substance tests in a single month than their closest competitor performs in an entire year. This extensive testing capability is centered at their UK facility, where specialized equipment and expertise have been consolidated to maintain consistency and quality. The company maintains a publicly accessible database where consumers and athletes can verify tested batches by lot number, providing transparency and trust.
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19:00 – Andy’s Athletic Background
The conversation shifts to Andy’s personal background as a competitive athlete. He reveals he trained in judo at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs under coaches including Eddie Liddie (1984 Olympic competitor) and Ryan Reser (Beijing Olympian). Andy describes judo training as “having a car wreck every week” due to the physical demands of being repeatedly thrown. After his competitive judo career, he transitioned to Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which he finds less damaging to the body while still challenging. This athletic background gives Andy firsthand experience with the importance of supplement quality and safety for performance athletes.
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24:00 – LGC’s History and Corporate Structure
Andy explains that LGC (Laboratory of the Government Chemist) has nearly two centuries of history, beginning as the government chemistry lab of the UK. The company has evolved through various divisions, with Andy working in the standards division that handles human drug testing and supplement testing. LGC’s experience with testing began with horses, then expanded to dog racing, pigeon racing, and eventually human athletes.
Their expertise in detecting performance-enhancing substances has grown alongside the evolution of doping methods, continuously expanding their testing capabilities as new compounds like SARMs (Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators) emerge.
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29:00 – Contamination Risks and Prevention
One shocking revelation from Andy is the rate of contamination found in non-certified supplements. LGC’s research shows about 1 in 10 non-third-party tested products worldwide contain banned substances. The most common causes are inadvertent contamination through cross-contamination at manufacturing facilities or from raw materials.
DHEA Problems: It sticks to everything!
Andy shares an example of DHEA, which he describes as “like velcro — it gets into everything” and can remain detectable in manufacturing facilities for months despite cleaning efforts. This explains why they require strict segregation of production areas during their facility assessments.
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35:00 – Notable Brand Partners
The discussion turns to some of the brands working with Informed certification programs. Andy mentions Applied Nutrition as a key partner using both Informed Sport and Informed Protein certifications. Other notable brands include Transparent Labs, GNC with their Pro Performance and AMP lines, and Kaged. Andy points out that even GNC, which conducts extensive in-house testing, still values the additional third-party verification from Informed programs. This highlights how certification provides not just quality assurance but also market differentiation and consumer trust.
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39:00 – Military Applications and Special Forces
Andy shares his experience working as a military subcontractor focusing on stress mitigation and resiliency training for special operations personnel. He notes that military personnel, particularly those in special operations, take supplement quality extremely seriously since their lives depend on optimal performance.
He explains that the Department of Defense and SOCOM (Special Operations Command) now prioritize third-party certified supplements to protect their personnel from contamination risks. Military personnel are regularly drug tested when returning from deployments, making supplement safety a critical concern beyond just performance enhancement.
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44:00 – Consumer Education and Market Trends
The conversation shifts to the growing consumer awareness around supplement quality. Andy cites a statistic that by 2017, approximately 30% of all adolescents in the United States were taking supplements, representing the first generation where many parents also took supplements. This demographic shift has created a new market segment of quality-conscious consumers who demand higher standards.
Informed should market to mothers!
Mike notes that women, particularly mothers buying supplements for their children, represent a significant growth opportunity for certified products, as they tend to research product safety extensively before purchasing.
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47:00 – Real-World Contamination Stories
Without naming specific brands, Andy shares some alarming contamination discoveries from their testing. In one case, they found morphine in fish oil supplements at levels high enough to cause an athlete to fail a drug test. He explains this was likely due to contamination somewhere in the supply chain rather than deliberate adulteration. In another instance, someone asked them to test hamburger meat for banned substances, highlighting the growing concern about contamination throughout the food supply. These stories underscore why even seemingly “safe” supplements like fish oil can benefit from testing.
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52:00 – Testing Process and Chain of Custody
Andy details the robust testing protocols that ensure integrity throughout the certification process. For Informed Sport certification, every production batch must be submitted for testing before release to market. LGC additionally conducts “blind” sampling where they purchase products directly from retail outlets without the manufacturer’s knowledge to verify consistency. If they discover untested lots on shelves or find discrepancies between retail products and submitted samples, it raises immediate red flags that can jeopardize certification status. This dual approach of pre-release and post-market testing creates a comprehensive safety net.
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54:00 – Economic Benefits of Certification
Andy discusses the business case for certification, explaining that while there are costs involved, brands typically see significant return on investment. According to research, certified products often command higher market share, maintain better pricing, and build stronger brand loyalty. The certification serves as both quality assurance and a powerful marketing tool, allowing brands to differentiate themselves in a crowded marketplace. For smaller brands particularly, the Informed seal can open doors to athletic organizations, sports teams, and retail channels that require third-party testing as a prerequisite for consideration.
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56:00 – Andy’s Recovery Supplements for Athletes
When asked about his personal supplement regimen from his days as a competitive athlete, Andy shares his focus on recovery supplements. He mentions whey protein isolate, multivitamins, fish oil, creatine, and beta-alanine as his core supplements.
He specifically highlights beta-alanine’s importance for combat sports athletes due to its ability to buffer hydrogen ions and delay lactic acid buildup during intense gripping exchanges. He explains that for larger athletes, maintaining gas tank and endurance becomes increasingly challenging, making recovery supplements particularly valuable.
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58:00 – Jiu-Jitsu Training and Injuries
Senactiv is an Informed Ingredient (formerly known as “Informed Choice / Informed for Sport”), meaning it’s tested and shown to be free of banned substances.
The conversation turns briefly to Andy’s ongoing jiu-jitsu training and the physical toll of combat sports. He shows the hosts some of his injuries, including multiple broken fingers and toes from years of training, commenting that jiu-jitsu is somewhat less damaging than judo but still physically demanding. Andy mentions that many in the grappling community, including his instructor who is a Charles Gracie black belt, have incorporated aspects of judo into their submission grappling, creating a more complete approach to the sport.
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1:00:00 – Education and Closing Thoughts
As the podcast wraps up, Andy mentions he’s currently pursuing additional education in practical theology and leadership, demonstrating his diverse interests beyond the supplement industry. He expresses his passion for working with athletes and helping them navigate the complex world of supplement safety. The hosts thank Andy for sharing his expertise and personal journey, emphasizing the value of the Informed certification programs in promoting higher standards throughout the supplement industry.
The rigorous three-stage process for Informed Sport certification includes manufacturing critical control audits, batch-by-batch testing with additional blind sampling, and authorization to use the distinctive yellow Informed Sport logo that signals products have been tested for over 280 banned substances.
Alarming findings from LGC’s 2023 in-house study revealing that approximately 25% of tested protein supplements contained less than 98% of their claimed protein content. The data shows distribution across different protein sources, with whey protein products accounting for the majority of discrepancies at 18%.
Comprehensive breakdown of the protein products tested in LGC’s study, showing 61 products from 35 different brands were examined across various protein sources. Whey protein dominated the sample at 62%, followed by milk protein at 13%, with the vast majority (90%) being protein powders rather than ready-to-drink beverages.
The Informed Choice certification pathway featuring the three key stages: manufacturing facility audits to prevent cross-contamination, monthly blind sampling to verify ongoing compliance, and authorization to use the green Informed Choice logo indicating products meet stringent quality standards.
Where to Find Andy and Informed’s Programs
Thank you very much to Sensapure Flavors for allowing us to host this podcast in your booth, and thanks to Andy and the entire Informed and LGC teams for partnering with us – this was a fun and wildly informative episode!
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