Bespoke gummy manufacturing

What we make as a gummy manufacturer: types, bases and dose ranges

We develop and manufacture custom gummies for premium wellness brands, in-house in Leicester, from the first bench sample to the finished, labelled pack. As a gummy manufacturer, we work in gelatine, pectin and starch, and make sugar-free, vegan, high-dose and multi-layer gummies, with doses from 5 µg of vitamin D to 3 g of creatine a serving. Gummies sit inside the scope of our HACCP and GMP certificate from BSI, and every batch gets an active content assay at release and ships with its certificate of analysis. Your formula is yours.

Gummies are one of the supplement formats we manufacture, and still the largest in the US: they took 24.6% of US supplement sales in 2025, according to Nutrition Business Journal data reported by Nutraceuticals World in March 2026. We take on large, multi-market gummy programmes with confidence and scale them in Leicester as your brand grows. Each gummy is built around three decisions: the base, the dose and the markets it will sell in.

Bases

• Gelatine: the classic chew. Gelatine gels melt close to body temperature, which gives a clean melt in the mouth. Bovine, porcine and fish gelatines suit different markets, and halal or kosher certification is arranged for your product.
• Pectin: a shorter, cleaner bite that holds its shape in warm conditions, because a set pectin gel does not melt back. Pectin is plant-derived, so it is the base for most vegan gummies.
• Starch and blends: modified starches give a dense chew and combine with pectin or gelatine to tune bite, set and cost of goods.

Types

• Sugar-reduced and sugar-free gummies, built on polyols and soluble fibres.
• Vegan gummies, with every ingredient and coating checked for origin.
• High-dose gummies for actives such as creatine, magnesium and fibre, with the serving count set honestly at concept stage.
• Pharma-grade gummies, as buyers call them: tight piece-weight control, active content assays at release and across shelf life, and full stability data.
• Multi-layer and centre-filled gummies, soft chews, chewables, functional chewing gum and functional chocolate, all made in Leicester.

Dose ranges

A gummy is mostly gel and sweetener, so the dose it can carry depends on how much active the piece takes before texture suffers. The nutrient reference values (NRVs) below are the ones used on UK and EU labels.

Formulation science for gummies

Gel chemistry

Each base sets by a different mechanism, and that decides what else the recipe can hold. Gelatine forms a gel as it cools and softens again when warmed. High-methoxyl pectin sets only when sugar solids are high and pH is low, so the acid goes in just before depositing; a sugar-free pectin gummy needs a different system, such as a low-methoxyl pectin that sets with calcium. Starch gels set slowly and need a long drying stage to reach their final texture. We choose the base that suits the actives, not the other way round.

Water activity, moisture and stickiness

Every gummy is dried to a target moisture and water activity, because water activity governs microbial stability, texture and active stability together. Too high and the gummy sweats, sticks and gives yeasts and moulds a foothold; too low and it turns hard. Acid sanding pulls water from humid air, so for humid markets and long supply chains we coat with an oil and wax blend instead. Packaging with a low moisture vapour transmission rate, often with a desiccant, finishes the job.

Active stability and overage

Heat, oxygen, light, moisture and acidity degrade many vitamins, and a gummy meets most of them in the cook and on the shelf. We add sensitive actives late, at the lowest workable temperature, and set overages from stability data rather than habit. The overage has to work in every market at once. As of October 2026, the European Commission's guidance on tolerances accepts vitamins in food supplements from 20% below to 50% above the declared value, and minerals from 20% below to 45% above. In the US, added vitamins and minerals must be present at no less than the declared value. A formula sold in the UK, EU and US therefore needs enough overage to stay at or above its label claim at expiry, without breaking the EU upper tolerance at release.

Creatine and other reactive actives

Creatine is the clearest case: it converts to creatinine in water, and the reaction runs faster as pH falls and temperature rises (Jäger and colleagues, Amino Acids, 2011), a fair description of a standard gummy recipe. A creatine gummy needs a gel system that tolerates a higher pH, a low water activity, late addition at a controlled temperature, and a test plan that measures creatinine as well as creatine. Other actives react with each other: amino acids and reducing sugars brown through the Maillard reaction, and traces of iron and copper speed the oxidation of vitamin C. We separate, protect or replace the actives that clash.

Sugar-free, vegan and taste

Polyols such as maltitol, isomalt and sorbitol, and soluble fibres such as inulin and polydextrose, replace the bulk and sweetness of sugar. They also change how the gel sets, how much water the gummy holds and how it feels in the mouth, and erythritol and xylitol add a cooling note. Vegan gummies need more than pectin: vitamin D3 from lichen or vitamin D2 instead of lanolin-derived D3, and carnauba wax rather than beeswax or shellac in the coating. Vegan certification is arranged for your product. Bitter, metallic and salty actives need masking, so our flavour and taste masking work starts with the first bench sample.

Ingredients that work in this format

Gummies suit actives that work at modest doses, taste good or can be masked, and survive a cook.

• Strong fits: vitamins D, B12, folate and C; zinc, iodine and selenium; standardised botanical extracts at low inclusion; prebiotic fibres; and heat-tolerant spore-forming probiotics such as Bacillus coagulans.
• Fits with formulation work: creatine, magnesium and collagen peptides, where serving count and stability shape the design.
• Better in another format: calcium or magnesium at full NRV in one serving, high doses of oils, and protein. A powder or drink mix, a sachet or stick pack or a liquid supplement often carries those doses better; softgels suit oils, and protein bars and ready-to-drink shakes suit protein. We make every one of these formats in Leicester.

We check every ingredient's status in each target market before we formulate, because an ingredient sold as a supplement in one market can be a novel food in another.

How gummies are made

Development runs from bench samples, where we fix taste, texture and dose, to a pilot batch on production equipment that proves the deposit weight, moisture and yield and starts stability in the final pack. From then on, every gummy runs through the same controlled sequence, documented in the batch record.

1. Specify and approve. We agree the specification with you: actives, overage, piece weight, texture, colour, flavour and shelf life. Every material comes from an approved supplier, and suppliers are reviewed every year.
2. Weigh and dispense. Materials are weighed against the batch record under our allergen management plan, which uses yellow colour coding, and each supplier lot is recorded so every batch traces back to its ingredients.
3. Cook. Sweeteners, water and the gelling agent are cooked to target solids, checked by refractometer.
4. Add actives. The mass cools to a set temperature before actives, colours, flavours and acid go in, protecting heat-sensitive ingredients and controlling the set.
5. Deposit. The mass is deposited into moulds, with piece weights checked through the run.
6. Dry. Gummies dry to their target moisture and water activity.
7. Coat and inspect. Gummies are demoulded, coated or sanded, and inspected for shape, colour and defects.
8. Pack and label. Gummies are filled by count or weight, sealed and labelled. Label verification on every batch is the critical control point in our HACCP plan.
9. Release. Quality control reviews the batch record and laboratory results against the specification before release, and every batch ships with its certificate of analysis and a batch release confirmation.

The HACCP study for gummies is reviewed every year, and any non-conformance is closed with QA and Operations sign-off.

Testing and batch release

Every batch is tested by accredited partner laboratories (ISO/IEC 17025), and batch testing is part of every order. The laboratories issue certificates of analysis you can share with retailers and marketplaces, and quality control releases every batch against its specification. For gummies, the panel includes these tests:

• Active content: HPLC for vitamins and for creatine with creatinine; ICP-OES or ICP-MS for minerals.
• Microbiology: total viable count, yeasts and moulds, and pathogens such as Salmonella.
• Heavy metals: lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic by ICP-MS.
• Physical checks: piece weight, water activity, moisture, texture and appearance.

Because under-dosing is the format's known weakness, an active content assay at release is standard on every gummy batch. Accelerated and real-time stability studies, run with our accredited partner laboratories, track the actives, creatinine where relevant, water activity, texture and microbiology across shelf life. That data sets the overage and the shelf life on your label.

We keep three retained samples from every batch for shelf life plus one year, and a full mock recall, forward and backward with mass balance, runs in seconds. British VitaTech is ISO 9001, HACCP and GMP certified by BSI, and FDA registered, and our gummies are GMP certified within that BSI scope. Next comes BRCGS: BRCGS implementation under way, certification expected in early 2027. Our testing and batch release page sets out the full approach, and quality and accreditations covers each certificate and its scope.

Packaging and presentation

Gummies trade moisture with the air around them, so packaging is part of the formula. For your packaging plan, we specify bottles and jars with induction seals and desiccants, or resealable high-barrier pouches, and choose each material for its moisture barrier against your shelf life and route to market. We also make single-dose sachets and blister packs in Leicester. Gelatine gummies soften in warm transit, so for direct-to-consumer shipping into hot climates we steer towards pectin or individually wrapped pieces.

Gummies look like sweets, which raises the stakes on child safety. As of October 2026, UK and EU food supplement labels must state that the product is to be stored out of the reach of young children, and US supplements containing iron must carry FDA's boxed iron warning. Child-resistant closures are worth specifying for any gummy that appeals to children.

Packaging rules are tightening in Europe. As of October 2026, EU rules require packs designed for recycling from 2030 at the earliest, and plastic supplement packs must then contain recycled plastic: 30% for PET and 10% for other plastics. We plan packs with those dates in mind and specify mono-material structures, which are easier to recycle, where the barrier allows.

Labels and claims for the UK, EU and US

United Kingdom

As of October 2026, gummies sold as food supplements in Great Britain carry claims only from the GB nutrition and health claims register. Labels carry the recommended daily dose, a warning not to exceed it, a statement that supplements are not a substitute for a varied diet, and the out-of-reach statement. Northern Ireland follows EU rules.

European Union

EU labels carry the same mandatory statements, and most member states require notification before launch. As of October 2026, four rules matter most for gummies:

• A "sugar-free" claim allows no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g, and "reduced sugar" needs at least 30% less than a similar product.
• Products with more than 10% added polyols must state that excessive consumption may produce laxative effects.
• Six synthetic colours, including E 102 and E 129, require the warning "may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children", another reason gummies are moving to colours from natural sources.
• Health claims come only from the EU register and must meet their conditions of use: the creatine performance claim, for example, needs 3 g of creatine daily.

United States

As of October 2026, gummies sold as dietary supplements carry a Supplement Facts panel and the statement of identity "dietary supplement". A "sugar-free" claim means less than 0.5 g of sugars per labelled serving. FD&C Red No. 3 must be out of US foods and dietary supplements by 15 January 2027, and we build US gummies on colours from natural sources. Structure/function claims need FDA's disclaimer and a notification to FDA. Added vitamins and minerals must meet their label values whenever FDA tests them, which is where overage and stability data earn their keep. We prepare labels and supporting documents for each market with you and check every claim against the register or rule that governs it.

Our research and development is a paid stage, and it can be included with an order of the right size. Send us your brief through Start your project and we will come back with the base, dose and testing plan that fit your gummy.

References: Nutrition Business Journal via Nutraceuticals World (2026); SuppCo creatine testing (2025); Jäger and colleagues, Amino Acids (2011); FDA order on FD&C Red No. 3, Federal Register (2025); European Commission tolerance guidance (2012); 21 CFR 101.36 (1997); Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 (2011); Regulation (EU) 2025/40 (2025).