INFORMED
INFORMED is a UK-based global supplement testing and certification program operated by LGC Limited, offering ISO/IEC 17025-accredited banned substance screening across five certification brands (Sport, Choice, Protein, Ingredient, Manufacturer) serving 900+ sports nutrition brands, supplement manufacturers, and elite athletes in 130 countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1990
- Headquarters—
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What INFORMED does
INFORMED is a global supplement testing and certification program operated by LGC Limited, part of the LGC Group, headquartered in Fordham, Cambridgeshire, UK. The program was developed in the 1990s at the request of professional athletes and their coaches to address inadvertent doping risk from contaminated dietary supplements, and has grown to test more than 230,000 samples for over 900 companies worldwide, with certified products available in 130 countries. INFORMED's core technology is an ISO/IEC 17025-accredited laboratory (UKAS number 1187) screening for over 300 banned substances and compounds prohibited in sport, and is the only global program that tests every single batch of a certified product before release to market.
The portfolio comprises five certification sub-brands: Informed Sport (every-batch banned substance testing for finished products), Informed Choice (monthly retail monitoring), Informed Protein (protein label claim verification and adulterant screening), Informed Ingredient (raw material testing), and Informed Manufacturer (facility-level certification). Supplementary services include Custom Testing Solutions (one-off and surveillance testing for brands, retailers, elite sports teams, and anti-doping bodies), Amazon Product Adulterant Testing (NSF/ANSI 173-2024 compliant), and Amazon Compliance Fast-Track (automated GMP certification sharing with Amazon). A 2025 mobile app and 2026 podcast series extend direct engagement with athletes and consumers.
INFORMED generates revenue through B2B certification subscriptions on annual billing cycles (quote-based, not publicly disclosed) and professional services for custom testing engagements. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting sports nutrition brands, supplement manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, retailers, and anti-doping organizations, with secondary distribution through the Amazon Compliance Fast-Track channel. Customer segments span elite athletes and drug-tested personnel (primary), sports nutrition brands (primary), supplement manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, retailers, sports teams, coaches/dietitians, and anti-doping bodies. The program has no external funding rounds and operates as a division of privately-held LGC Group.
INFORMED firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- INFORMED
- Legal name
- LGC Limited
- Website
- https://wetestyoutrust.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1990
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- INFORMED is a UK-based global supplement testing and certification program operated by LGC Limited, offering ISO/IEC 17025-accredited banned substance screening across five certification brands (Sport, Choice, Protein, Ingredient, Manufacturer) serving 900+ sports nutrition brands, supplement manufacturers, and elite athletes in 130 countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
INFORMED industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Supplement Testing and Certification
- NAICS
- Testing Laboratories and Services (54138), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)
- SIC
- Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Food Safety Certification Bodies (ISO 22000, FSSC 22000, BRCGS, SQF) (AFALAAAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Nutrition Facts / Nutrition Panel Verification (macro/micro nutrients, calories) (AFALAHAA), Labeling & Claims Compliance Review (Nutrition, Allergen, Country-of-Origin) (AFALADAF)
Keywords
INFORMED business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Product Certification Programs: INFORMED offers multiple certification programs (Informed Sport, Informed Choice, Informed Protein, Informed Ingredient, Informed Manufacturer) for supplement brands and manufacturers. Brands pay for certification services including batch testing and facility assessments.
- Custom Testing Services: Custom testing solutions for brands, manufacturers, retailers, elite sports teams, coaches, dietitians, anti-doping bodies, and research practitioners. Testing conducted as one-off activities or ongoing surveillance programs.
- Amazon Product Testing: Amazon-specific adulterant testing services for sellers requiring compliance verification for dietary supplements sold on Amazon US platform, including sports nutrition, weight management, and other categories.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Annual | Certification programs are customized based on product type, testing requirements, and program selected (Sport, Choice, Protein, Ingredient, Manufacturer). |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
INFORMED product offering
Product offeringCore offering
INFORMED is a portfolio of independent supplement testing and certification programs operated by LGC Limited (part of LGC Group). It tests every batch of certified products before market release, screening for more than 300 banned substances and compounds prohibited in sport, and issues certifications covering finished products, retail monitoring, protein label claims, raw materials, and manufacturing facilities for the sports nutrition and dietary supplement industry.
Product overview
INFORMED is a portfolio of quality assurance and certification programs for the sports nutrition and dietary supplement industry, operated by LGC Group. The portfolio comprises five core certification programs: Informed Sport (every-batch tested certification for finished products), Informed Choice (monthly retail monitoring), Informed Protein (protein label verification), Informed Ingredient (raw material testing), and Informed Manufacturer (facility-level certification). Custom Testing Solutions provides tailored laboratory services for unique challenges. Sub-products include Amazon Product Adulterant Testing (for Amazon marketplace compliance) and Amazon Compliance Fast-Track (automated certification sharing). The programs are backed by a world-class ISO/IEC 17025-accredited laboratory with over 60 years of anti-doping experience, having tested more than 230,000 samples for over 900 companies worldwide.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Informed Sport: Global independent supplement testing and certification programme for elite athletes and drug-tested personnel. Every batch pre-release banned substance testing programme.
- Informed Choice
- Informed Protein
- Informed Ingredient
- Informed Manufacturer
Products and services
- Informed Sport
Quantifiable outcome
- Conversion rates increase after Informed Sport certification due to added credibility
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use INFORMED
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
INFORMED technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
INFORMED partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- AmazoncoreAmazon and INFORMED collaborate through the Compliance Fast-Track Program for dietary supplements. The program automatically shares certification status with Amazon when INFORMED verifies that a product is manufactured and packaged in a GMP-certified facility, eliminating manual documentation uploads and helping products launch faster on Amazon marketplace.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
INFORMED competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- NSF International (NSF Certified for Sport): NSF's Certified for Sport program is the most direct competitor to Informed Sport, offering third-party banned substance testing and certification for sports nutrition and dietary supplement brands. Both serve athletes, brands, and manufacturers with similar lot-testing and facility-audit offerings.
- Banned Substances Control Group (BSCG): BSCG provides drug-free certification programs for supplement brands and athletes, competing head-to-head with INFORMED for sports nutrition certification mandates. Their Certified Drug Free and Certified Sport programs address the same athlete-risk-of-contamination pain point.
- Labdoor: Labdoor offers independent third-party testing and quality certification of supplements, including label verification and contaminant screening. Its consumer-facing testing reports overlap directly with INFORMED Protein and Informed Choice programs.
- ConsumerLab.com: ConsumerLab independently tests health products, supplements, and nutritionals for label accuracy and contaminants, providing quality assurance signals similar to INFORMED's Protein verification and ingredient testing services.
Broad incumbents
- Eurofins Scientific: Eurofins is a global contract laboratory services giant offering food, supplement, and pharmaceutical testing at much larger scale. While not sports-specific, Eurofins competes for the broader third-party testing and certification budgets INFORMED targets, and could expand its sports certification offering.
- NSF (broader testing services): Beyond Certified for Sport, NSF provides general dietary supplement and food safety testing, GMP registration, and auditing services. It competes with INFORMED's Custom Testing, Manufacturer, and broader quality assurance programs.
- SGS: SGS is a global testing, inspection, and certification company serving food, supplement, and consumer goods industries. Its broad food-safety and quality assurance capabilities overlap with INFORMED's Custom Testing Solutions and Informed Manufacturer offerings.
- Bureau Veritas: Bureau Veritas provides testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) services across food, consumer products, and commodities, including supplement-related testing. As a broad incumbent, it can compete for larger brand and manufacturer testing mandates.
- Intertek: Intertek offers product testing, certification, and quality assurance across food, supplements, and consumer goods. Its Assurance and Science services are adjacent to INFORMED's custom testing and facility certification programs.
Emerging players
- Athletic Greens / AG1 (in-house testing-led brand): AG1 and similar premium sports nutrition brands increasingly invest in proprietary testing and transparency programs. While not direct certification competitors, they influence buyer expectations around third-party verification and pressure INFORMED's positioning.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
INFORMED social profiles
Digital presenceINFORMED compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
INFORMED financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
INFORMED leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
INFORMED funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
INFORMED M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about INFORMED
What does INFORMED do?
INFORMED is a portfolio of independent supplement testing and certification programs operated by LGC Limited (part of LGC Group). It tests every batch of certified products before market release, screening for more than 300 banned substances and compounds prohibited in sport, and issues certifications covering finished products, retail monitoring, protein label claims, raw materials, and manufacturing facilities for the sports nutrition and dietary supplement industry.
Is INFORMED a public or private company?
INFORMED is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was INFORMED founded?
INFORMED was founded in 1990.
How does INFORMED make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Product Certification Programs are the primary driver. The others are custom Testing Services and amazon Product Testing.
Who are INFORMED's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are NSF International (NSF Certified for Sport), Banned Substances Control Group (BSCG), Labdoor and ConsumerLab.com. Broad incumbents are Eurofins Scientific, NSF (broader testing services), SGS, Bureau Veritas and Intertek. Athletic Greens / AG1 (in-house testing-led brand) is listed as an emerging player.
Does INFORMED have an API?
No public API is recorded for INFORMED.
What industry is INFORMED in?
INFORMED's product category is Supplement Testing and Certification. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFALAAAC, Food Safety Certification Bodies (ISO 22000, FSSC 22000, BRCGS, SQF), with a secondary code of AFALAHAA, Nutrition Facts / Nutrition Panel Verification (macro/micro nutrients, calories). Its NAICS code is 54138 and its SIC code is 8734.