Also known as dietary supplements, food supplements are products created to complement the food or diet of individuals, as their name suggests. Thus, they facilitate and help maintain a good state of health, in conjunction with a healthy lifestyle.
For quite some time now, the manufacture of food supplements has gained considerable relevance in the market. Due to the fact that more and more people wish to improve their health through these products and, in addition, experts also recommend them. Therefore, their demand is quite remarkable worldwide.
From there, the interest arises to know what is the manufacture of food supplements and how this process is done. In addition, many are interested in knowing which are the best manufacturers of these supplements in Europe, in order to enter this market and even become new distributors.
Top food supplement manufacturers in Europe
Want to know which are the top-rated dietary supplement manufacturers in the European market? Below, we mention each of them and everything you need to know about their operation in the industry:
It is a Spanish company that offers a wide range of natural products and among these, there are different options of food supplements. Throughout its more than 15 years of experience, 500Cosmetics has focused on promoting the physical and mental care of people, using natural cosmetics and technology.
One of its best features is that it supports the creation of private labels. Indeed, it is a manufacturer that makes all its products available so that others can start their own brand, create their own business and increase their profits. In the case of food supplements, it allows you to obtain up to 80% profit margin.
Regarding the categories it manages around its nutritional supplements, it contains the following: Take Care of Your Line, Anxiety, Skin, Hair, Hemorrhoids, Sexual Health and Breast Enhancement.
Martínez Nieto, S.A.
It qualifies as one of the leading manufacturers of drinkable vials in Europe and the world, as it has customers in more than 60 countries worldwide. This company has its own laboratory in Spain and internationally certified quality. It also contains more than 5,000 scientific evidences.
In the industry, they are listed as expert manufacturers and distributors of food supplements, vitamins and cosmeceutical products. They manage high quality standards, sustainable and responsible commitment, excellence in manufacturing processes and competitive prices.
Amix Nutrition
It consists of a manufacturer of food supplements that focuses on sports nutrition, so it offers numerous products suitable for bodybuilding and bodybuilding. From its headquarters in Manchester, United Kingdom, this brand is distinguished as one of the best manufacturers of food supplements in Europe, thanks to its professionalism when it comes to creating formulas that bring great results for athletes.
With these manufacturers and distributors, you can find from the most effective pre-workouts to the best fat burning products. In general, they promote the following categories in their catalog: Proteins, carbohydrates, amino acids, creatines, energetics, peptides, musclecore and complete packs.
Be Essential
It is a manufacturer and distributor of food supplements for women, exclusively. For more than 10 years, it has operated in the market with the objective of improving, enhancing and supporting women’s beauty, both internally and externally. Thus, it has the ability to meet the needs of any female, thanks to its wide range of supplements for different purposes.
For example, for sportswomen, Be Essential has supplements designed to increase muscle mass or tone the abdomen, in its sports and sports nutrition category. In addition to that, it has a complete line dedicated to healthy eating, it also promotes personal care with numerous products and even presents hairdressing options. In general, it contains everything a woman needs to take care of herself.
What are food supplements and how do they work?
In general terms, food supplements or food supplements are products that are responsible for improving the normal diet of people, thanks to the fact that they are composed of concentrated sources of nutrients and other substances that help to optimize a healthy diet. Therefore, they usually contain different types of vitamins and minerals, since they are products of natural origin that contribute to attenuate the deficiencies of the organism.
In terms of how they work, by default, food supplements are intended for people who want to improve some aspect of their body, optimize their daily routine and/or have a healthier lifestyle. Thus, they cannot be used as substitutes for food, but as complements to an ideal diet.
Thus, as each body has its own needs, users must choose a particular supplement according to what they wish to improve or preserve in their organism. In addition to this, its intake can also be therapeutic or preventive, depending on the user’s objective and the product he/she chooses to consume.
The main benefits of food supplements…
- They provide a good supply of energy that improves physical and mental performance, so they are recommended for high performance athletes.
- They help to lose weight by blocking the absorption of fats and carbohydrates, suppressing appetite, accelerating metabolism and reducing fluid retention.
- They prevent diseases, specifically, because many of them are designed to strengthen the immune system and also provide vitamins.
- They prevent fetal development problems and, consequently, are effective for pregnancy, since they avoid folic acid or vitamin B9 deficiency at this stage.
- They provide essential nutrients for the body to function properly and thus help people who need them to gain weight in a healthy way.
Food supplement manufacturing: What is it?
Basically, the manufacture of food supplements refers to the process of elaboration of these products. Thus, it consists of the transformation of selected raw materials to create the supplement that will be delivered to the end customer.
During the manufacturing stage of these complements, all the manufacturing processes must be previously defined in order to develop the desired product and guarantee an optimum result. These processes are carried out in an appropriate manner by trained personnel.
The main objective of this phase is to analyze the quality of the raw materials to check their efficiency and ensure that the finished products achieve the relevant quality standards. To achieve this, of course, it is essential to have qualified production machines.
How are food supplements manufactured? 5 steps
To create these products, food supplement manufacturers have to complete a series of stages to ensure their quality. If they are not met, the product will not be able to enter the distribution phase and, ultimately, will not reach the hands of the end customer.
In summary, the main steps for manufacturing food supplements are as follows:
1) Conceive the product idea
First and foremost, any food supplement is an idea. In that sense, the manufacturer is in charge of devising what kind of product he wants to create, whether it is a single substance or a combined formula containing different compounds.
Indeed, the team in charge of the project must consider whether it has to respond to a health concern or to a particular esthetic concern in order to make the final decision. Of course, such a decision must be based on scientific studies, clinical trials, personalized experiments, etc. This, in one way or another, will also facilitate the selection of raw materials and dosages required to provide optimum safety.
2) Appointment of the manufacturing laboratory
Also known as “manufacturing laboratories”, manufacturing laboratories are those spaces where the different processes are analyzed to produce a certain product, in this case, a food supplement. By default, they are in charge of establishing and manufacturing the final components of the project.
Thus, in the second stage of manufacturing, these laboratories come into play. Then, the company in charge of the new dietary supplement sets the manufacturing laboratory that will implement its equipment to manufacture the product (in many cases, it is owned by the same company). By doing so, they make sure that the manufacturing process of the products is correct, starting from the raw materials chosen.
3) Detailed analysis of raw materials
The next step is to study the nature of the raw materials selected, which can come from two types of suppliers: manufacturers or distributors. The latter usually provide larger volumes and are therefore suitable for large-scale production.
Now, among the types of raw materials are: Vitamins, minerals and probiotic microorganisms. If these come from plants, we can differentiate between powders and extracts. To obtain the former, the plant is dried and the remains are pulverized to obtain a powder that must be sieved. While, if they are extracts, these are liquids extracted by maceration of the plant, to obtain its active principles.
Many manufacturers and laboratories prefer to focus on extracts, as they provide a specific amount of active ingredients, which can also be adjusted. As a result, their utilization is much higher and even at the end of the manufacturing phase, food supplements will not vary from one batch to another.
4) Creation of the product format
The next step is to create the format of the food supplement to be manufactured. For example, in the case of capsules, the manufacturing laboratory has the task of inserting the raw materials established in this format, with the help of an encapsulating machine.
It should be noted that manufacturing experts almost always prefer to combine raw materials with excipients to facilitate capsule filling and prolong the preservation of the active ingredients. After devising and elaborating the designated format for the product, the contents of the product are rigorously analyzed and, if approved, each product obtains its corresponding certificate of analysis.
5) Packaging process
In order to finalize details and to be able to access the commercialization phase, the production stage concludes with the packaging process. In other words, for example, the capsules are placed in blister packs or jars, in order to obtain their label and seal. These elements are part of the packaging.
The products are then transported to a specific warehouse, which is responsible for centralizing the production of the different manufacturing laboratories that took part in the project. Since then, the new food supplement can begin its commercialization phase, either in stores or online.
Most common formats in the manufacture of food supplements
Depending on the type of food supplement, manufacturers of these products choose a certain presentation or format. Basically, this refers to the forms in which the supplement in question is marketed, which is chosen according to its suitability for the kind of mixture manufactured and/or the raw materials used.
Generally, the main formats in the manufacture of dietary supplements are the following:
- Capsules: These are usually capsules of vegetable origin that can be used in any type of formulation and allow the production of 100% vegan products. They have a gelatin shell or other similar substance, whose consistency is adapted by the addition of substances (such as sorbitol or glycerol), and also accept excipients.
- Softgel capsules: This is a soft gelatin-based format and stands out as a solution that provides a remarkable speed of action. It is also characterized as a flexible alternative, since it can be used for a wide range of formulations and applications.
- Powders: These are food supplements that must be mixed with a proportion of water to obtain their benefits. Consequently, it is an oral solution that is intended to be dispersed in a fluid before administration. In some cases, they are used topically.
- Gummies: They are also known as “shape tablets” and are chewable supplements made with natural gelling agents, which provide a unique texture. They are almost always sweet, as they contain natural flavors.
- Effervescent: They refer to small tablets made without coating that contain acid substances, carbonates or bicarbonates, which are distinguished from the rest because they react rapidly in the presence of water. Therefore, they are administered as a liquid solution.
- Syrups: These are liquids of viscous consistency containing concentrated solutions of the raw materials chosen for a given supplement. Generally, it is an aqueous preparation for oral use with a natural sweet taste.
- Controlled-release capsules: These are tablets that are released gradually over time at a rate limited by the release system, thereby prolonging their effect. In effect, they are supplements that act quickly in the body.
