The National Horseracing Authority has become aware of a claim made by the company Natrofix EQUINE which stated on their website:
“Natrofix EQUINE has been screened and certified by The National Horseracing Authority Laboratory to be safe and free of prohibited substances.”
The NHA Laboratory does not provide a service to test equine products, supplements or feeds for prohibited substance label claims.
The NHA approached the company and informed them that this information was misleading and this claim has now been removed from the Natrofix EQUINE’s website.
Background
- The product called “Natrofix EQUINE” has never been tested (screened) by The NHA Laboratory.
- What did transpire during 2010, the then Chief Executive approved a request for the Laboratory to analyse a sample of a product provided called “GastricFIX”.
- We provided a statement to the supplier of “GastricFIX” that the particular sample we analysed did not contain any prohibited substances.
- Subsequently and after consideration, we became aware that such a result of a particular isolated product sample found not to contain any prohibited substances, could be misconstrued in its implication to be considered a certification that all future batches of a products would not contain any prohibited substances.
- For any laboratory or body to provide label claims or a label certification for such an equine product, this implies that every production batch (often also raw materials) must be tested for the full range of substances which form part of the label claim. There are organisations, such as LG Chemicals in the UK, which provide such a service to horse products, supplements and feed manufacturers. Should the NHA Laboratory be approached, we refer these requests to LG Chemicals.
- On that basis, the NHA Laboratory ceased to conduct such analyses of any products for commercial companies.