Supplement manufacturing glossary

A third party logistics company, often called a fulfilment warehouse. It stores your stock, packs orders and ships them to customers. We deliver duty paid to your 3PL.

The statement on a label that names any major food allergen in the product, such as milk, fish, shellfish, soy or tree nuts. US law requires it on every supplement that contains one.

The written record of how one lot was made: every ingredient weighed, every step, every check and who signed it off. An extract of the batch record ships with every lot we make.

A check that every part of a powder blend carries the same dose of each ingredient, so every capsule, tablet, stick or scoop matches the label, not just the average.

Collagen peptides made from cattle hide. It is the most common collagen source in supplements. Marine collagen, from fish, is the main alternative and must be declared as a fish allergen.

Hard capsules come in standard sizes, from small size 4 up to large size 000. A larger dose needs a larger capsule or more capsules per serving.

A lab report for one lot that lists each test, the method, the limit and the result. A COA from an independent lab is the main proof that a lot matches its label.

A flavoured tablet chewed before swallowing. It suits children and adults who dislike swallowing pills, such as vitamin C, creatine and kids multivitamins.

When a brand pays a manufacturer to make its supplement formula to a written spec. The manufacturer buys the ingredients, makes, tests and packs the product, and the brand sells it under its own name.

Creating a new supplement formula for a brand, with its own written spec, bench samples and often stability testing, rather than putting a label on an existing formula.

A shipping term where the seller delivers the goods to the buyer's door and pays the freight, the import duty and the customs entry. The buyer only receives the goods.

A small packet or canister that absorbs moisture inside a bottle, tube or tub, used for products that would clump, soften or lose potency in humid air.

The unit used on US labels for folate. It accounts for the fact that folic acid is absorbed better than folate from food, so a label shows a higher mcg DFE figure than the mcg of folic acid in the product.

In US law, a product taken by mouth that contains a dietary ingredient such as a vitamin, mineral, herb or amino acid, and is labelled as a supplement. It is regulated by FDA as a type of food.

A lab test that checks a tablet or capsule breaks apart within a set time in warm liquid, as it would in the stomach. It confirms the product can release its ingredients.

The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, the US law that defines dietary supplements, allows structure or function claims and sets the rules for supplement labels.

A tablet that fizzes and dissolves in water to make a drink. The fizz comes from an acid and bicarbonate base, so most effervescent tablets contain some sodium.

The amount of magnesium itself in a magnesium compound, rather than the weight of the whole salt. Labels must state elemental magnesium, and mixing up the two is a common label error.

An ingredient other than the active, used to make a product work, such as a filler, a flow agent or a binder. Good formulation uses the fewest excipients that still make a consistent product.

A shipping term where the seller makes the goods ready at its own premises and the buyer handles everything after that, including export, freight, import and duty.

The statement a US supplement label must carry wherever it makes a structure or function claim: that FDA has not evaluated the statement and the product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

An advance notice to FDA that a food or supplement shipment is arriving in the US. It must be confirmed before arrival, at least 4 hours ahead by air and 8 hours by sea.

The amount of product in each capsule, stick pack, tub or bottle. It is set in the spec and checked through the run so every unit matches the label.

A thin coat on a tablet that makes it smooth to swallow, hides strong tastes and protects it from moisture. It can be coloured to match a brand.

A shipping term where the seller clears the goods for export and loads them at its port. The buyer pays the sea freight, the import duty and the delivery.

The Foreign Supplier Verification Program, an FDA rule that requires the US importer of a supplement to verify that its foreign supplier makes the product safely. The FSVP importer must be the US owner or consignee of the goods.

A hard capsule shell made from animal collagen. It costs a little less than a vegetable capsule but does not suit vegan or vegetarian labels.

Lab tests for lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury. They matter most for botanicals, greens, minerals and marine ingredients, which can take up metals from soil or water.

A vegetable capsule shell made from plant cellulose (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose). It suits vegan and vegetarian labels and is our default capsule.

The Harmonized Tariff Schedule code that classifies a product for US customs. It sets the base duty rate, and a supplement's code depends on what it is made of.

A lab test that confirms an ingredient or product is what the label says it is, such as the right botanical species or the right form of a vitamin.

The party responsible to US Customs for a shipment: it files the customs entry, pays the duty and answers for the goods. Under duty paid terms, the seller acts as importer of record.

Standard shipping terms, such as EXW, FOB, DAP and DDP, that set who pays for each leg of a shipment and who carries the risk at each point.

A foil seal bonded to the mouth of a bottle by heat, under the cap. It shows a customer the bottle has not been opened and keeps out air and moisture.

The international standard for testing and calibration labs. A lab accredited to ISO 17025 has shown an independent body that its methods and results are reliable. The accreditation belongs to the lab.

The full cost per unit of a product delivered to your warehouse: the product, packaging, testing, freight, import duty and delivery, in one number.

Sea freight where your goods share a container with other shippers. It suits shipments too small to fill a container, but takes longer door to door than a full container.

A code that identifies every unit made in one production run. It links a bottle to its batch record and lab report, and it is printed on every pack.

Vitamins in their active, methylated forms, such as methylfolate for folate and methylcobalamin for B12. Many informed buyers look for these forms on a label.

Lab tests for bacteria, yeast and mould, including screens for pathogens such as E. coli and Salmonella. Every lot we make is tested, and it matters most for liquids, powders and botanicals.

The smallest run a manufacturer will make of one product. It is set by the cost of setting up and cleaning a line, and it varies by format and plant.

A lab test that measures how much of each active ingredient a product contains, to confirm it matches the amount on the label.

The combination of preservatives, pH and base that stops bacteria, yeast and mould growing in a liquid supplement through its shelf life.

Selling a supplement under your own brand that a manufacturer makes for you, either from its ready formulas or from yours, with your label on it.

Our name for a small first run of a formula, tested by an independent ISO 17025 lab and shipped with its report, so a brand can prove the product before a larger order.

A sample kept from every lot after it ships, so the lot can be retested later if a question comes up. Our retained samples are kept for 1 year past the expiry date.

The written document that sets exactly what a product must be: each ingredient and its form, the dose, the tests, the limits, the pack and the label. Every lot is made and tested to it.

Testing a product over time, often at raised heat and humidity, to confirm the label amounts and quality hold until the expiry date. New formulas need it before a commercial run.

A botanical extract made to contain a set amount of its key compound, such as turmeric at 95% curcuminoids, so every batch carries the same amount of the active.

A narrow single serve pouch of laminated film, sealed on three sides with a tear notch, that pours powder straight into a bottle of water.

A formula a manufacturer has already developed and can make with your label on it, with small changes such as flavour, sweetener or count.

A label statement about how a nutrient supports normal body structure or function, such as supports restful sleep. It is allowed with the FDA disclaimer, unlike a disease claim.

A small tablet that dissolves under the tongue rather than being swallowed. Vitamin B12 is the most common sublingual supplement.

The box on a supplement label that lists the serving size, servings per container and the amount of each dietary ingredient per serving. Its format is set by FDA rules.

Moving an existing product to a new manufacturer: sharing the spec, the lab reports and the label so the new plant can match the product.

When a brand supplies its own ingredients or blend and the manufacturer only fills or packs it. We work turnkey instead: we source, make, test and deliver.

When the manufacturer handles everything from ingredients to the finished, tested and packed product, so the brand does not supply anything but the spec and artwork.

A measure of the free water in a powder or food that is available for microbes and chemical reactions. Low water activity helps powders stay stable and free flowing.

A ready made product a manufacturer sells to many brands, each with its own label, with few or no changes to the formula.