Our Made Traceable™ mission has always been a non-negotiable. Knowing (and trusting) exactly what you’re putting into your body and why should be a given—more necessity than a “nice-to-have.” That’s why we’re committed to taking Traceability to the next level, lifting the curtain on everything from our supply chain to the quality of our ingredients. Think radical transparency, backed by the receipts to prove it.

With that, we’re proud to announce that our Essential Protein line-up (Daily Shake 18+, Daily Shake 50+, and Daily Shake Pregnancy & Postpartum) is officially Informed Sport Certified—a comprehensive, third-party certification program considered the global gold standard for quality control in sports nutrition products.

Let’s dig a little deeper into what the mark means, and why it’s such a big deal.

What does it mean to be Informed Sport Certified?

Simply put, earning Informed Sport certification means that a product has been manufactured to extremely high standards. In this case, having the mark signifies 1) that Essential Protein has undergone an intensive screening/certification process for more than 250 banned substances in sport (including stimulants, narcotics, and diuretics), and 2) that Essential Protein meets the strictest standards for quality control in manufacturing.

Some context worth noting: Informed Sport is backed by LGC, a renowned sports doping control and research laboratory with more than 55 years of regulatory experience. Recognized as a global leader and trusted partner in the field of anti-doping and supplement analysis, LGC continuously reviews, refines, and develops testing methodologies to ensure new and emerging threats within the supplement industry are being addressed.

Often, this means conducting preemptive surveillance of (and investigation into) any suspicious compounds before they end up being banned by the wider anti-doping community. As a brand that prides itself on clinical testing and looking to the evidence, we strive to choose certification partners that reflect our science-first approach—so you can make informed choices about what you put into your body. (Case in point: our Essential for Women’s USP certification, and our Essential for Women & Essential Prenatal Non-GMO Project verifications.)

Why does it matter?

According to Informed Sport, as many as one in ten sports supplements may end up containing a banned substance. With Ritual, you can rest assured that each lot of Essential Protein has been carefully vetted. (In addition to partnering with Informed Sport to ensure each lot has been tested for the aforementioned 250+ banned ingredients, we also conduct our own thorough screening to ensure the quality and safety of every product—before it becomes available for purchase.) (1)

To be clear, earning—and maintaining—Informed Sport certification is far from easy. Not only is the entire development process reviewed against the highest possible standards (we’re talking everything from the manufacturing facilities and ingredients used to the packaging choices), Informed Sport takes it a step further after granting certification. By conducting random, additional, independent blind tests (purchasing one of our Essential Protein powders directly from the site without giving us a heads up), Informed Sport is able to assess the true quality on an ongoing basis—so you can trust that what’s on the label is what’s in the product.

References:

1. Informed Sport. (n.d.). About Informed Sport. Informed Sport.