The words "third-party tested" on a label leave three questions open: tested by whom, for what, and where can you look it up? This page covers NSF, USP, and LGC's Informed Choice and Informed Sport. We searched each program's registry on October 29, 2026 and read its published rules (USP's on October 16, 2026). We did not test any product ourselves: label-checked, not lab-tested. There are no product links or affiliate cards here. Our method is on the how we review supplements page.
Before you decide
This page is for shoppers comparing a bottle with a seal against one without, and for athletes in drug-tested sport. A seal tells you how a product was checked; it says nothing about whether you should take it. The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements says it plainly: "These seals do not guarantee that a product is safe or effective."
This is general information, not medical advice. If you take prescription medication, ask a pharmacist before adding any supplement, with or without a seal. Price is a separate question, covered in our look at whether expensive supplements are worth it.
What "third-party tested" means, and what the FDA checks
On a label, "third-party tested" is a phrase, not a program. If no program is named, there is nothing to look up. A named program publishes its rules and a list of the products that met them, and that list is what you check.
The FDA does not do this job. Its dietary supplement Q&A says that under DSHEA, the federal law for supplements, the agency "does not have the authority to approve dietary supplements before they are marketed," and that "FDA does not test dietary supplements before they are sold to consumers." It does analyze samples collected in inspections or pulled from store shelves, but its role is mostly after a product is on sale: the FDA "is limited to postmarket enforcement," and the FTC regulates advertising. Our supplement regulation explainer covers the law in more depth.
What the FDA does require is a manufacturing rule, 21 CFR Part 111. Under section 111.75, a manufacturer must run at least one identity test on each dietary ingredient and verify finished product on "a subset of finished dietary supplement batches" picked by a sound statistical sampling plan, "or for every finished batch." Testing every batch is not required. For other component checks, the rule lets a manufacturer rely on a qualified supplier's certificate of analysis (COA). A COA is a supplier or company document, not a listing in an outside program's registry.
NSF: dietary supplement listings (NSF/ANSI 173) and Certified for Sport
NSF runs two programs that are easy to confuse, and a product can sit in one NSF list and not the other.
NSF says it led the development of NSF/ANSI 173, a dietary supplement standard. NSF's supplement certification page lists three parts: a "label claim review to certify that what's on the label is in the bottle," a "toxicology review to assess safety of intentionally added ingredients," and a "contaminant review to ensure the product contains no undeclared ingredients or unacceptable levels of contaminants." NSF "conducts annual audits and periodically retests each dietary supplement," with no retest frequency given. A banned-substance screen is not one of the three parts.
The 173 listing search separates "Finished Products" from "Raw Ingredients," and on our visit its results carried the stamp "current as of Thursday, October 29, 2026." The listings we read show product, form, serving size and facility, but no lot numbers.
Certified for Sport adds the screen. NSF's explanation of the mark says products contain none of "290 substances banned by major athletic organizations," that contents "actually match what is printed on the label," that contaminants stay below unsafe levels, and that the facility is "audited annually or bi-annually based on grade." Under NSF's certification steps, "production lots are then tested" for those 290 substances, and tested lots are listed online. That lot list is what lets you check the sport mark against your own bottle. NSF's pages disagree on the count, since one nsf.org article says 280; we use 290 from the program pages.
Two other NSF labels need a closer look. A facility in NSF's "GMP Registration" or "GMP Certification NSF/ANSI 455" lists (read October 16, 2026) describes the plant and does not show which of its products passed product testing. NSF's blue "Contents Certified" mark, which NSF's January 2019 announcement says covers contaminant levels and label claims, is not tied to a named standard on any NSF page we opened, so look for the product's listing instead.
USP Verified: what the mark covers
USP's consumer site says its mark means a product "contains the ingredients listed on the label in the declared strength and amounts," has no harmful levels of specified contaminants such as heavy metals and pesticides, follows FDA good manufacturing practices, and "will break down and dissolve within a specified amount of time." USP lists no banned-substance screen. The checks (facility audit, document review, lab testing) repeat every year, and USP also pulls products off store shelves for testing.
USP is direct about the limit. Its verification FAQ says the program "does not comprehensively address the issue of efficacy of a dietary supplement." Treat the mark as a quality check, and look elsewhere for evidence that a supplement works. USP also says it does not certify "Natural" or "Organic" claims, and it runs a separate verification program for raw ingredients that does not cover the finished product.
The USP Verified products list said on October 29, 2026 that "more than 160 different dietary supplement formulas" carry the mark. Its search is loose: "nature made" returned 135 names that mixed in other brands. Check the brand on every result line. Our Nature Made vs Nature's Bounty comparison compares how widely the USP mark appears across two brands that share a shelf.
Informed Choice and Informed Sport: banned-substance screening by batch
LGC, an anti-doping laboratory, runs both Informed programs. Both use ISO 17025 accredited methods and "test for more than 285 banned substances and impurities." The difference is how many batches get tested.
On LGC's comparison page, Informed Sport means "every batch/lot of a product is tested prior to being released to the market," with blind buys from retail on top. Informed Choice tests "at least twelve lots/batches" a year at random, and "it is not guaranteed that every batch has been tested." If you compete in a drug-tested sport, that is the reason to match your batch number, and the Informed Sport FAQ recommends doing exactly that.
Two limits matter. Neither program describes an on-site factory audit: for both, LGC says the manufacturing review is "a paper-based assessment." And none of the Informed pages we read lists a label strength test; LGC runs a separate program, Informed Protein, for protein content and label claims. On dose accuracy, an Informed logo makes no claim. LGC's Informed Choice FAQ also warns that "no supplement testing program can test for all substances which would be considered prohibited."
NSF vs USP vs Informed, side by side
Cells come from each program's own pages: NSF and LGC read October 29, 2026, and USP's program pages October 16, 2026, because they blocked our request on October 29. Where a program does not name a check, the cell says so.
| Check | USP Verified | NSF/ANSI 173 listing | NSF Certified for Sport | Informed Choice | Informed Sport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Run by | USP | NSF | NSF | LGC | LGC |
| Label strength | declared strength and amounts | label claim review | label content verification | not listed by the program | not listed by the program |
| Contaminants | specified contaminants, such as heavy metals and pesticides | contaminant review, including undeclared ingredients | contaminants, microbiological and heavy metals | impurities, within the banned-substance screen | impurities, within the banned-substance screen |
| Banned substances | not listed by the program | not listed by the program | 290 substances | more than 285 | more than 285 |
| Dissolution or disintegration | dissolves within a specified time | not described on pages we could open | disintegration testing, among product-specific tests | not listed by the program | not listed by the program |
| Facility review | audit against USP General Chapter 2750 and 21 CFR Part 111 | annual audits | GMP audit, annually or bi-annually based on grade | paper-based assessment | paper-based assessment |
| Retesting | yearly evaluation plus store-shelf testing | periodic retests, frequency not stated | annual product testing; production lots screened | at least 12 batches a year at random, not every batch | every batch before release, plus 1 to 4 retail blind samples a year at first |
| Lot or batch lookup | no lot numbers in the product list | no lot numbers in the listings we read | tested lots listed online | tested batches listed | search by batch number |
| Registry | USP Verified products | NSF dietary supplement listings | NSF Certified for Sport products | Informed Choice search | Informed Sport search |
USP does not claim a banned-substance screen, and the Informed programs do not list label strength. Only NSF Certified for Sport claims both, and its listings show lot numbers.
How to check a bottle in five steps
- Read the exact mark. Which program does the label name? "Third-party tested" alone gives you nothing to search.
- Open that program's registry: the NSF 173 listings with the type set to Finished Products, the NSF Certified for Sport directory, the USP Verified list, the Informed Choice search or the Informed Sport search.
- Match the product, not just the brand. Compare name, form, flavor and package size.
- For sport programs, match the lot. The KLEAN-D 5000 listing showed 17 lot numbers when we opened it on October 29, 2026, and Informed searches by batch number. Our Klean Athlete creatine review examines one such claim.
- Write down the date. If the product does not show up, read the next two sections before you decide anything.
Claims that look like certification but are not
Each of these sounds like certification. None of them is a product listing you can match to your bottle.
- "Third-party tested," with no program named. There is no registry to search.
- "Made in an NSF-registered or GMP-certified facility." That describes the plant's processes.
- A certified ingredient. USP's ingredient program and NSF's "Raw Ingredients" listings do not cover the finished bottle.
- A COA on the brand's website. It can be useful reading, but the company chose to publish it, and it is not a registry listing.
- "WADA approved." LGC quotes the World Anti-Doping Agency: it "does not certify or endorse manufacturers or their products."
- A USP mark next to "organic" or "natural." USP says it does not certify those claims.
What "not found" means
"Not found in the USP Verified list on October 29, 2026" says nothing about what is in the bottle. It is a fact about one registry on one day, which is why we always date it. Empty results have ordinary causes:
- The company name differs from the brand. In NSF's 173 listing, Klean Athlete products sit under HVL LLC DBA Nestlé Health Science and Centrum under Haleon US Holdings LLC, so search by product name too.
- The product is in a different program from the one you searched.
- Listings change. NSF's 173 listing for Benefiber gained Benefiber Caplets between our October 16 and October 29 checks, and three other products dropped off.
- Search boxes behave oddly. USP's search mixes brands, and NSF's sport results page prints "No results matched your filter selections." even when products are listed.
If a product is not found, ask the brand which program certifies it, under which product name, and where the public listing is. A brand with a listed product should be able to point you to it.
Registry check: brands we looked up
On October 29, 2026, we searched five registries for five brands that UsefulVitamins already covers. Each cell is a dated observation about a registry, not a judgment of the products. A listing covers a named product under a trade name. It does not extend to the brand's other products, and it does not tell you which label version is on the shelf.
| Brand | NSF/ANSI 173 listing | NSF Certified for Sport | USP Verified list | Informed Sport | Informed Choice |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thorne | listed: 216 products under the trade name Thorne® | listed: 58 product names | not found | not found | not found |
| Nature Made | not found | listed: 1 product, Micronized Powder Creatine Monohydrate, 3 lot numbers | listed: 100 product names under the Nature Made brand filter | not found | listed: 15 products named Nature Made, market not stated |
| Centrum | listed: 25 products, company Haleon US Holdings LLC | not found | not found | not found | not found |
| Klean Athlete | listed: 3 products, company HVL LLC DBA Nestlé Health Science | listed: 51 product names | not found | not found | not found |
| Nutricost | not found | not found | not found | not found | not found |
Thorne had 216 products in the 173 listing and 58 product names in Certified for Sport, but Thorne Basic B Complex appeared in 173 and not in the sport list. One NSF program for a product does not mean both. Our Who Makes Thorne brand file covers the company behind these listings.
Centrum's 25 listed products included Centrum Silver Adults 50+ Tablets but no tablet named Centrum Adults, a gap our Centrum vs Nature Made comparison walks through. A brand in the listing is not the same as your bottle in the listing. Nature Made's 15 Informed Choice entries did not state a market, so we do not assume they match US bottles.
Nutricost was not found in any of the five registries. That result tells you whom to ask and is silent on what is in the bottle. Our Nutricost review covers the brand, and more brand files are on our brands page.
FAQ
What does NSF certified mean for supplements?
It depends on the program. An NSF/ANSI 173 listing covers NSF's label claim, toxicology and contaminant reviews. NSF Certified for Sport adds a screen for 290 banned substances and publishes tested lot numbers. Check the product in the matching NSF registry.
What does USP Verified mean?
USP says the product contains its listed ingredients in the declared strength and amounts, has no harmful levels of specified contaminants, follows FDA manufacturing practices and dissolves within a set time. USP lists no banned-substance screen and says its program does not comprehensively address efficacy.
What is the difference between Informed Sport and Informed Choice?
Both are LGC programs that screen for more than 285 banned substances and impurities. Informed Sport tests every batch before release. Informed Choice tests at least 12 batches a year at random, so not every batch is covered. Neither program lists a label strength test.
Does the FDA test supplements before they are sold?
No. The FDA says it "does not test dietary supplements before they are sold to consumers" and has no authority to approve them before marketing. It analyzes some samples from inspections and store shelves, and it requires manufacturers to follow the manufacturing rules in 21 CFR Part 111.
Does a seal or GMP certification mean a supplement works?
No. USP says its program "does not comprehensively address the issue of efficacy," and the NIH says seals "do not guarantee that a product is safe or effective." GMP certification describes how a facility runs. Whether an ingredient helps you is a separate question.
Is a certificate of analysis the same as certification?
No. A certificate of analysis lists test methods, limits and results for a component or batch, and federal rules make a manufacturer qualify a supplier before relying on one. Certification means an outside program keeps a public listing of the product that you can search by name and, for sport programs, by lot.
The bottom line
The programs check different things. USP Verified covers label strength, contaminants and dissolution; an NSF/ANSI 173 listing covers label claims, a toxicology review and contaminants; NSF Certified for Sport and both Informed programs screen for banned substances. None of them is an FDA approval, and none of them shows that a supplement works.
Read the exact mark, search that registry for the exact product, match the lot if you compete, and date the result. A dated listing you found yourself tells you more than the seal on the bottle. For other quality signals, see our guide to supplement quality indicators.
Sources and corrections
We opened each source on the date shown. Registry results are dated October 29, 2026.
- FDA dietary supplement Q&A, content current as of August 27, 2026; eCFR 21 CFR Part 111 and section 111.75; NIH ODS Dietary Supplements: What You Need to Know, updated January 4, 2023. Read October 29, 2026.
- NSF supplement certification, Certified for Sport program, what the mark means and certification steps, read October 29, 2026. NSF listings hub, read October 16, 2026. NSF Contents Certified announcement, dated January 22, 2019.
- USP what the mark means, USP Verified FAQ, verification program, verification FAQ and ingredient program, read October 16, 2026; these pages blocked our request on October 29.
- LGC Sport vs Choice, Informed Choice process, Informed Sport process, Informed Choice FAQ, Informed Sport FAQ and Informed Protein, read October 29, 2026.
- Registries searched October 29, 2026: NSF 173 listings, NSF Certified for Sport including the KLEAN-D 5000 and Nature Made creatine listings, USP Verified, Informed Sport and Informed Choice.
Published November 5, 2026. Program rules and registry listings checked October 29, 2026; USP's program pages were last read October 16, 2026. No corrections so far.
