Operation Supplement Safety (OPSS) is the Department of Defense's official supplement program, and it maintains the DoD Prohibited Dietary Supplement Ingredients List. Every service member must follow that list. It is run from the Consortium for Health and Military Performance (CHAMP) at the Uniformed Services University. To check a product, search each ingredient on the DoD list and score the label with the OPSS Scorecard. Then look for a recognized third-party seal. If you are still unsure, ask OPSS before you take it.
This article is educational and is not medical or legal advice. Rules can change, so always confirm on opss.org and with your unit's medical team.
What is OPSS?
OPSS started after a January 2012 request from the Assistant Secretary for Health Affairs for a DoD-wide education campaign on supplements. The DoD Dietary Supplement Subcommittee, the US Army Public Health Command and CHAMP at the Uniformed Services University (USU) built it (OPSS, About).
Its stated mission is to give service members, families, healthcare providers and leaders "the best evidence-based information about dietary supplements." OPSS says it receives no funding from private industry. The Army's H2F field manual also points soldiers to the OPSS site for supplement decisions (FM 7-22, 2020).
What is DoDI 6130.06?
Department of Defense Instruction 6130.06, Use of Dietary Supplements in the DoD, was signed on March 9, 2022. It made OPSS the DoD's "go-to" program for dietary supplements and set up an official list of prohibited substances (OPSS, DoDI 6130.06). According to OPSS, the instruction:
- Applies across the DoD, including the military departments, combatant commands and defense agencies.
- Bars any retail outlet on a military installation from selling products with ingredients on the prohibited list.
- Requires supplement education for all service members and for people who provide health services to them.
- Requires DoD healthcare providers to record all supplement use in the electronic health record.
- Requires providers to report suspected serious adverse events from supplements.
What is on the DoD Prohibited Dietary Supplement Ingredients List?
The list includes controlled substances and other substances on the World Anti-Doping Agency list (sections S0 to S5). It also covers many drugs found in supplements. OPSS says it holds more than 800 substances. Each entry includes other names that might appear on a label for the same substance (OPSS, DoDI 6130.06).
The rule is simple. "Service Members are prohibited from using any substance identified in this database as ingredients in dietary supplements." Prescription, over-the-counter and unapproved drugs are also prohibited as supplement ingredients (OPSS, DoD Prohibited List).
The list is updated when the FDA acts or new science appears. At the time of writing, the list page showed a last update of September 3, 2026. Check it each time rather than relying on memory.
How do I check if a supplement is safe for military use?
OPSS lays out a three-step process (OPSS, Evaluating Name Brand Supplements):
- Search the DoD Prohibited List. Enter one ingredient at a time, spelled exactly as on the label. Do not search a brand name. Read any warnings shown with the results.
- Score the label with the OPSS Scorecard. Answer seven yes-or-no questions.
- Ask the Expert. If you are still unsure, send OPSS a question through its Ask the Expert service.
The OPSS Scorecard asks:
| Scorecard question | A "yes" means |
|---|---|
| Is a recognized third-party certification seal on the label? | The product was independently tested |
| Are there fewer than six ingredients on the Supplement Facts label? | Fewer chances for a problem ingredient |
| Is the label free of the words proprietary, blend, matrix or complex? | Amounts of each ingredient are disclosed |
| Can you easily pronounce every ingredient? | Fewer obscure or novel compounds |
| Is caffeine 200 mg or less per serving (or not listed)? | Lower stimulant load |
| Is the label free of questionable claims? | Less hype, fewer red flags |
| Are all % Daily Values under 200%? | No megadoses (a missing %DV scores "no") |
A score of four or more "yes" answers is okay. Fewer than four is a "no-go." Any ingredient on the DoD Prohibited List is an automatic no-go.
Which third-party certification programs does OPSS recognize?
OPSS's article on third-party certification, last updated May 29, 2024, tells service members to look for four seals (OPSS, Third-Party Certification):
- BSCG Certified Drug Free
- Informed Sport
- NSF Certified for Sport
- USP Verified
OPSS notes that three of these test for substances prohibited in sport. USP Verified does not. It checks that ingredients and amounts match the label and that the product is free of certain contaminants. The seal graphic on the current OPSS Scorecard also shows a fifth mark, Eurofins Clean Sport (TruShield Certified). Check opss.org for the current set before you rely on any seal.
Two limits matter. First, OPSS says certification "does not mean the product has been evaluated for safety" or effectiveness. It means the contents match the label. Second, programs differ in how they test. No regulator reviews supplements before sale. So leaders from USADA, Major League Baseball, the UFC and CHAMP published a consensus on what sound certification should include (Eichner, 2019).
Why does this matter so much for service members?
The consequences can include a positive drug test, adverse health effects, poorer performance and damage to a military career. OPSS lists all four.
The products service members ask about are often the riskiest. A USU team tested 41 products frequently raised through OPSS Ask the Expert. Only 11 (26.8%) had accurate labels, and 26 (63.4%) were misbranded. Ten (24.4%) were adulterated, and 35 (85.4%) rated "no-go" on the Scorecard (Crawford, 2022).
The FDA flagged 776 adulterated supplements from 2007 through 2016. Most were sold for sexual enhancement, weight loss or muscle building. Among muscle-building products, 89.1% contained synthetic steroids or steroid-like ingredients (Tucker, 2018).
What are the red flags on a supplement label?
- Proprietary blends. Words like blend, complex, matrix or proprietary formulation hide individual amounts. FM 7-22 notes many such blends contain stimulants.
- Named stimulants. FM 7-22 lists DMAA, DMBA, BMPEA and methylsynephrine as illegal stimulants found in supplements.
- High caffeine. More than 200 mg per serving fails a Scorecard question.
- Risky categories. Pre-workout, weight loss, testosterone boosters and sexual enhancement products dominate the problem lists above.
- Stacking. FM 7-22 warns that the effects of combining products are mostly unknown.
- Big promises. FM 7-22 puts it plainly: "if a product or claim sounds too good to be true, it probably is."
- No seal and no answers. If the maker cannot show independent testing, treat that as information.
Where does food fit in?
FM 7-22 names dietitians, sports dietetics specialists, healthcare providers and pharmacists as the best sources on supplements. Its nutrition chapter puts the everyday diet first. For tactical eating on shift or in garrison, see our guide to nutrition for tactical athletes and The Tactical Plate. If you are weighing an olive polyphenol product, our olive oil supplement guide explains what is in them.
A note on Pomoni and Phenolia
Pomoni publishes lab results by lot on its testing page. Phenolia has been screened for banned substances by LGC, but final certification has not been issued. Neither OPSS nor the DoD has approved Pomoni or Phenolia. Service members should check each listed ingredient on the DoD list themselves. The full ingredient list is on what's in Phenolia.
Sources
- Operation Supplement Safety. About OPSS. Consortium for Health and Military Performance, Uniformed Services University. opss.org
- Operation Supplement Safety. DoDI 6130.06: Use of Dietary Supplements in the DoD. opss.org
- Operation Supplement Safety. DoD Prohibited Dietary Supplement Ingredients. Last updated September 3, 2026. opss.org
- Operation Supplement Safety. OPSS Scorecard: Check Your Supplement. opss.org
- Operation Supplement Safety. Evaluating Name Brand Dietary Supplements. 2024. opss.org
- Operation Supplement Safety. Why is third-party certification important for dietary supplements? Updated May 29, 2024. opss.org
- Headquarters, Department of the Army. FM 7-22, Holistic Health and Fitness. October 1, 2020. Chapter 8. PDF
- Eichner AK, Coyles J, Fedoruk M, et al. Essential features of third-party certification programs for dietary supplements: a consensus statement. Current Sports Medicine Reports. 2019;18(5):178–182. doi.org/10.1249/JSR.0000000000000595
- Crawford C, Walter AR, Avula B, et al. Relative safety and quality of various dietary supplement products U.S. Service Members ask about. Clinical Toxicology. 2022;60(6):737–744. doi.org/10.1080/15563650.2022.2036751
- Tucker J, Fischer T, Upjohn L, Mazzera D, Kumar M. Unapproved pharmaceutical ingredients included in dietary supplements associated with US Food and Drug Administration warnings. JAMA Network Open. 2018;1(6):e183337. doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.3337
