UK-based sports nutrition specialist Myprotein has secured BRC accreditation for its products, as it steps up its international expansion plans to add four new markets by the end of the year.
Myprotein, part of The Hut Group, gained BRC’s ‘Global Food Safety Standard’ quality assurance certification after a factory inspection in June. Its BRC accreditation sits alongside its ISO certification and LGC Informed Sport-certified products, and the company may seek out some additional certification in the near future, according to Myprotein general manager Andy Bott.
It becomes the first European sports nutrition firm to gain the certification with Myprotein highlighting its value in combating issues like protein spiking and products not meeting their label claims.
More accreditation, more markets
“We are looking to add some more things to this, and we’re currently working on that at the moment. We have some independent testing being done in the US by LabDoor, proving our quality is what it says it is on the label,” he said.
The company was keen to gain BRC accreditation to give customers assurance in its products – Bott explained BRC gave a different angle of accreditation to ISO and Informed-Sport.
“We see BRC as a certification body that gives us a quality stamp we can share with our customers – they know the products they’re taking have been made in a facility which has got one of the highest levels of accreditation you can get at the moment,” he said.
While BRC is commonly required for brands sold through supermarket and other retail channels, Bott said Myprotein had no plans to use retail distribution. The firm sells its products direct to consumers, and Bott said this allowed it to maintain a significant cost advantage compared to its retail competitors.
But while channel expansion is off the cards, Myprotein is continuing its push to expand internationally. Currently the company sells its products across Europe, with 18 native-language websites, as well as a US site, and plans to launch four more by the end of the year.
65% year-to-date growth
The firm is also seeing strong growth in its existing markets, said Bott: “The US is growing really well at the moment, obviously starting from a lower base. In the UK we are still growing really well, at 30-35% year-to-date. For the company as a whole this year, we’re probably growing around 65% compared to last year, well above industry average.”
Myprotein invested €10m+ in its UK production facility in the past 12 months. It uses FT-NIR spectrometers to perform checks on its ingredients and finished products including protein blends and herbal extracts, to confirm they match advertised nutrition profiles.
“We think we’re quite transparent with all our products. Our compliance team are all over the latest regulations we need to adhere to, and we have regular reviews of all our products – we have nearly 1,800 SKUs, which is a lot more than most other brands, so we need to make sure we’re above board,” said Bott.
Myprotein gains BRC accreditation, plans expansion
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