Bespoke halal supplement manufacturing

Capsules to liquids, formulated halal-ready from the first sample

Custom capsules, tablets, gummies, softgels, powders and liquids from British VitaTech, a halal supplement manufacturer for premium brands, are formulated halal-ready from the first bench sample and made at our Leicester facility. Every material, from capsule shell to flavour carrier, is specified with its halal certificate or declaration, so certification becomes an audit rather than a reformulation. Halal certification is arranged for your product: we don't hold a site-wide halal certificate, so each product is certified by a body your target markets recognise, and the certificate names your product.

Halal products reach a large audience: Muslims made up 25.6% of the world's population in 2020 (Pew Research Center, 2025), and in England and Wales 3.9 million people, 6.5% of the population, identified as Muslim in the 2021 Census (Office for National Statistics).

Five parts of halal certification, from certifier to surveillance

Halal certification confirms that a product, every material in it and the way it is made meet Islamic dietary requirements as the certifier's standard defines them, such as Malaysia's MS 1500 standard for halal food. For your brand, it delivers three things: a certificate that names your product, the right to use the certifier's mark on pack, and acceptance by the buyers and regulators that recognise that certifier.

1. The certifier. It must be recognised in every market you plan to sell in.
2. Ingredient review. Every raw material, capsule shell, coating, carrier, flavour and processing aid is reviewed, with a halal certificate or specification for each.
3. Halal assurance procedures. Written controls for purchasing, storage, production, cleaning and traceability, with a trained team responsible for them.
4. Site audit. The certifier inspects storage, production, cleaning records and labelling at our Leicester facility.
5. Certificate and surveillance. The certificate lists the approved products, and surveillance audits keep it current. Any change of formula or supplier is approved by the certifier before it is used.

Gelatine, ethanol and the checks a halal supplement manufacturer runs

Gelatine and its alternatives

Gelatine is the first question. Porcine gelatine is excluded, so gelatine capsules, softgels and gummies use bovine gelatine from a halal-certified supply chain, or fish gelatine, which UK and EU labels declare as fish, an allergen. Plant-based formats remove the question altogether; see our page on vegan supplement manufacturing.

HPMC shells hold 4% to 6% moisture against 13% to 16% for gelatine, which suits hygroscopic fills such as plant extracts (Al-Tabakha, 2010). A set pectin gel does not melt back, so pectin gummies hold their shape in warm transit to the Gulf and South-East Asia, where gelatine gummies soften. Our pages on capsule and tablet manufacturing and gummy manufacturing cover those formats in depth, and our softgels are made in Leicester alongside them.

Where animal sources hide in minor materials

The base is rarely the hard part; the minor materials are. Magnesium stearate, glycerine and mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids can be animal or plant derived. Vitamin A, D and E and carotenoid beadlets are often coated in gelatine. Vitamin D3 comes from lanolin or from lichen. Enzymes and probiotic cultures are grown on media that need documenting. We specify plant or mineral grades, and hold a halal certificate or declaration for every material before it reaches production.

Ethanol in extracts and flavourings

Ethanol is the second question. Botanical extracts are often made with it, flavourings use it as a carrier, and liquid formats can contain it. Certifiers judge both its source and its residue. Indonesia's Ulema Council, for example, rules out ethanol from the alcoholic drinks industry, allows synthetic ethanol and ethanol from other fermentation, and tolerates residual ethanol below 0.5% in drinks (LPPOM MUI, 2021). We record the ethanol source and residual alcohol of every extract and flavour, and switch to water or glycerine extracts and alcohol-free carriers where your certifier requires it.

Testing

Every batch is tested by accredited partner laboratories (ISO/IEC 17025) as part of every order, against the specification agreed for your product, and gummies get an active assay on every batch as standard. For halal programmes, we add porcine DNA screening by PCR on gelatine lots and finished products where your certifier or market asks for it. Our page on supplement testing and batch release sets out the full approach.

Where halal certification decides market access, and who certifies

Halal certification in the UK and the EU is voluntary, and a recognised certifier's mark shows buyers that the claim has been independently checked. In parts of South-East Asia and the Gulf it decides market access, so the certifier must be one the destination recognises. As of October 2026:

We prepare products and documents for the UK, the EU and the US, and we design each formula and label to the rules of the markets you sell in. Our page on supplement manufacturing for every market covers the wider picture.

Dossier, segregation and audit: arranging halal certification

We arrange halal certification for your product and put the site controls the certifier asks for in place before its audit. You receive a product formulated, made and documented for certification.

1. Brief. Your markets, formats and claims decide the certifier, and we confirm its recognition in each market before formulation starts.
2. Halal-ready formula. Every material is specified with its halal certificate, and gelatine, ethanol and the minor materials are resolved at the bench, not at the audit.
3. Dossier. We compile what the certifier reviews: ingredient certificates and specifications, the process flow, our HACCP summary, cleaning and segregation procedures, and a worked traceability example.
4. Segregation and cleaning. Certified materials are stored apart and labelled, halal runs follow a full clean with verification, and line clearance is recorded. Certifiers differ on shared equipment: some accept validated cleaning between runs, while others require dedicated equipment, or ritual cleansing after contact with porcine material. We agree the line plan with your certifier before the audit.
5. Audit and certificate. The certifier audits our facility and your product's records, then issues the certificate, and your labels carry its mark under its rules.
6. Every batch. Materials arrive with current halal certificates, checked at goods-in, and the batch record shows the halal clean and line clearance. Quality control releases every batch against its specification, and we keep three retained samples from every batch for the product's shelf life plus one year.

The systems behind our existing certificates make the evidence quick to assemble. British VitaTech is ISO 9001, HACCP and GMP certified by BSI, and FDA registered, and our quality and accreditations page sets out each scope. We run a HACCP study for each product type, approve every supplier before any material is used, colour-code allergen equipment in yellow, and trace any batch from supplier lot to customer in seconds, with a full mock recall and mass balance. Our status: BRCGS implementation under way, certification expected in early 2027, as our guide to BRCGS certification explains. For US launches, we are an FDA registered food facility for dietary supplements.

Your formula is yours, including the halal-ready specification and the certification file built around it. Start your project with your formats and target markets.

References: Pew Research Center, global religious landscape 2010 to 2020 (2025); Office for National Statistics, religion in England and Wales, Census 2021 (2022); Emirates Drug Establishment, marketing authorisation for healthcare products (2026); UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, registration of halal certification bodies (2026); Saudi Food and Drug Authority, conditions for food clearance (2025); Government of Indonesia, Government Regulation No. 40 of 2026 on halal product assurance (2026); LPPOM MUI, ethanol in food and beverage products (2021); Al-Tabakha, HPMC capsules, Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (2010)