For at least the second time this year, there have been announcements that professional triathletes have tested positive for banned substances, and we want continue to reassure our customers and athletes that SaltStick products have been banned-substance-free since our start, more than 11 years ago.This month, a professional triathlete announced on Facebook a positive test for ostarine, a banned substance under the WADA code. The athlete alleges that further investigation has found the ostarine was due to contaminated salt supplements, although the athlete did not publicly name the supplement company for legal reasons.We wish to emphatically confirm that the product containing ostarine was neither SaltStick Caps nor any SaltStick-branded product.The risk of contamination by banned substances of nutritional supplements remains an ongoing concern, not just for professional athletes, but all athletes concerned about their health and wellbeing. However, measures can be put in place by concerned manufacturers, such as SaltStick, to minimize that risk to a negligible level.Jonathan Toker, Ph.D., CEO of Toker Engineering, LLC, the makers of SaltStick Products, has this statement in response to the recent announcements:“SaltStick is an industry leader for independent banned substance testing, as the first solid electrolyte supplement in the market tested, since 2008. We have been strong advocates for drug-free sport, and have been involved with popularizing scientific concepts of concern to athletes. We are proud of SaltStick’s spotless safety record, which is corroborated by thousands of athletes worldwide, many of whom are in various sporting body testing pools.”SaltStick products are produced in USA cGMP facilities that are certified to produce banned-substance-free sports nutrition products. This means that NO banned substances are present on site in any capacity, at any time. Furthermore, as a further commitment to our athletes’ safety, representative samples of SaltStick products have been voluntarily tested at our cost by certified lab LGC since 2008, with dozens of lots tested representing a significant majority of production. Raw ingredients are simple minerals and vitamin D, which are sourced from dedicated suppliers and provided with assayed purity. Our final products are shipped in sealed containers (two container closures for bottles, tamper-proof foil for packets). We have exceeded all industry recommendations for minimizing the risk of cross-contamination or inadvertent inclusion of banned substances in our products.Since SaltStick was founded, our products have been clean and safe, because we care about you.