Health, fitness and the supplement aisle. An independent South African desk.
Safety and regulation · Answer
"Third-party tested" means an outside laboratory, not the brand, tested the product, but the phrase alone says nothing about what was tested or how often. Meaningful schemes such as Informed Sport test every batch for 285+ banned substances. In South Africa, check the scheme's public register for your product and batch number before trusting the claim.
Only that someone other than the manufacturer ran a test. It does not tell you what the lab looked for (banned substances, heavy metals, protein content, microbes), whether it tested your batch, or whether the result was good. Under the Consumer Protection Act (section 41) a claim must not mislead, but nothing in South African food labelling law defines the phrase.
| Scheme | Who runs it | How it tests |
|---|---|---|
| Informed Sport | LGC (formerly HFL Sport Science) | Every batch tested before release for 285+ prohibited substances, plus blind retail testing |
| Informed Choice | LGC | Same lab methods, but retail sampling (at least 12 lots a year), not every batch |
| NSF Certified for Sport | NSF | Lot-by-lot testing for roughly 290 banned substances, label review and facility audits |
None of these schemes is endorsed by SAIDS or WADA, and none guarantees zero risk. SAIDS says third-party testing reduces risk but does not remove it, and it does not certify or approve any supplement brand. Claims of "SAIDS approved" or "WADA approved" are false.
A product-level approval means a formula or label was reviewed; a batch-level result means the specific lot in your tub was tested. For a drug-tested athlete, batch testing is what matters, because contamination usually arrives with a raw-material lot. Informed Sport lets you look up the batch number online.
As of October 2026, our research found these claims, all made by sellers and none checked by us against a certifier's register:
Treat "stated by the seller" as a lead to verify, not proof.
Banned-substance schemes say nothing about whether the protein content matches the label. A University of Pretoria study of 70 SA protein products found measured protein differed significantly from the label in 68.6% of them (brands were not named). Heavy metals, taste and value are also outside the scope. For label accuracy, look for published certificates of analysis.
Athletes should read what Informed Sport certification means and how to check if a supplement is banned for sport. Under-18s should not rely on certification to justify performance supplements.
| Product | Size | Price (source, date) | Servings | R per 5 g | R per 30 g protein | R per 100 g powder | R per serving | Sweeteners |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biogen Creatine Monohydrate Unflavoured 500 g | 500 g | R445 (Dis-Chem (listing via PriceCheck), 2026-10) | 100 | R4.45 | — | — | — | None (unflavoured) |
| USN BlueLab 100% Whey Protein (1 kg) | 1 kg | R689 (USN shop (za.usn.global), 2026-10) | — | — | R28.03 | R68.90 | — | not stated |
| USN XTS Hyperdrive Pre-Workout 210 g | 210 g | R214-R232.99 (USN online shop, 2026-10) | — | — | — | — | R5.40 | not stated |
Educational information, not medical advice. Speak to a doctor, pharmacist or registered dietitian before using supplements if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, under 18, taking medication, or living with kidney, liver or heart disease. Prices were observed in October 2026 and are not offers.