INFORMED Visits University of Missouri to Speak With Athletics Department

20 September 2025

From September 18-20, US Business Development Manager Andy Holmes was invited to speak to the University of Missouri’s Athletics Department. While there, Holmes was working on educating the sports dieticians staff, collaborating with strength coaches, athletic trainers, meeting with team physician, and food service staff to help support safety, mitigation of risk, and overall wellness while explaining and detailing the risks of inadvertent doping to student-athletes.

In a recent study commissioned by the NCAA, over 90% of athletes reported that they regularly use sports supplements for performance gains, however, 48% purchased products outside of what is provided by their department, 38% that they used tested supplements part of the time, while 20% have never used tested products.

As part of our ongoing commitment to mitigate risk and protect the health and eligibility of collegiate athletes, INFORMED has been working with the leading NCAA universities in the US to provide sports performance dieticians, coaches, administrators, and the athletes themselves with information on the importance of third-party tested dietary supplements. This proactive approach aims to educate athletic departments and their athletes about the inherent risks of untested products and show them how to access certified tested products. The risk these schools face is compounded by the opportunities to sign lucrative Name/Image/Likeness (NIL) deals, with athletes at times being approached by sports nutritional supplement brands asking them to promote their products.

Andy was also given rare access to speak to Mizzou teams and individuals about the Informed Sport & Informed Protein certification. He was also allowed to teach two classes as a guest lecturer outlining anti-doping risks and addressing the issues faced when using non-third party tested products. Finally, he was also able to help provide information to the athletic department on LGC’s NIL Testing Service and how it can be used as a tool for schools interacting with brands that have not yet been certified with Informed Sport.

In a recent study conducted by Informed Sport, it was found that 47% of Strength and Conditioning Coaches expressed increased worry about what their athletes or institutions could be exposed to as a result of NIL deals, which might involve athletes independently endorsing or using supplements outside of institutional oversight.

With this all in mind, INFORMED has taken it upon themselves to shed further light on the importance of third-party supplement testing in the collegiate space by putting a larger emphasis on their NIL Custom Testing Service. Over the coming months, INFORMED will continue to visit a number of schools in the US to continue this work.