Supplement testing and batch release
British VitaTech, a custom supplement manufacturer for premium wellness brands, tests every batch through accredited partner laboratories, covering identity, active content, heavy metals and microbiology, and QC releases every batch against its specification.
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What we test and how we release every batch
Supplement testing at British VitaTech covers every custom and private label supplement we make in Leicester for premium wellness brands, from capsules and gummies to powders and liquids. Every batch is tested by accredited partner laboratories (ISO/IEC 17025) as part of every order: the panel, set for each product and market, confirms identity, active content and contaminants, plus live cultures and allergens where they apply. Quality control then releases every batch against its agreed specification, and nothing is dispatched without QC sign-off. You receive a certificate of analysis for every batch, a batch release confirmation and the specification each batch is released against.
What supplement testing and batch release cover
Supplement testing proves that a product matches its label and stays inside legal limits. We build the testing plan into development rather than bolting it on at the end.
The tests and what they prove
| Test | What it proves | Common method | Where it matters most |
|---|---|---|---|
| Identity, botanicals | The right plant, plant part and preparation, with no substitution | HPTLC fingerprint against an authenticated reference | Botanical extracts and powders |
| Identity, defined compounds | The right molecule | FTIR spectrum against a reference | Vitamins, amino acids and other single compounds |
| Active content | The label claim is delivered | HPLC against a reference standard | Vitamins, caffeine and botanical marker compounds |
| Heavy metals | Lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic within limits | ICP-MS | Botanicals, minerals, proteins and marine ingredients |
| Microbiology | Counts within limits and named pathogens absent | Culture methods: total viable count, yeasts and moulds, E. coli, Salmonella | Powders, botanicals, gummies and liquids |
| Probiotic counts | Live cultures at the level claimed, to the end of shelf life | Plate count in colony-forming units (CFU), or flow cytometry | Products with live cultures |
| Allergens | Allergen status, and allergen-free or gluten-free claims | ELISA or PCR | Products with allergen claims or shared-line risk |
The science behind the methods
HPTLC (high-performance thin-layer chromatography) separates the compounds in a botanical on a coated plate. The band pattern is a fingerprint, and comparing it with an authenticated reference exposes substitution with a cheaper species or the wrong plant part. FTIR (Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy) reads how a material absorbs infrared light. Its spectrum identifies a single compound quickly, but it cannot separate the many compounds in an extract, so botanical extracts are usually identified by a chromatographic fingerprint, the approach set out in United States Pharmacopeia General Chapter <203>. HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography) separates each active and measures it against a reference standard, which confirms the amount on the label. ICP-MS (inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) turns a digested sample into ions in an argon plasma and sorts them by mass-to-charge ratio, measuring heavy metals at microgram per kilogram levels.
Microbiology follows the format. Water activity measures the water available to microbes, so a liquid carries a different risk from a dry powder or capsule, and the microbiology plan reflects that. Live culture counts fall over time, so products with live cultures are formulated and tested to hold the claimed count to the end of shelf life. ELISA kits detect allergen proteins with antibodies, while PCR detects allergen DNA. A gluten-free claim requires no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten in the food as sold, under Regulation (EU) No 828/2014 as retained in Great Britain (as of October 2026).
What it means for your brand
Your label is a promise to consumers, retailers and regulators, and testing is how you keep it. Consumers now search for "third party tested supplements", and buyers ask for certificates before they list a product. Three pressures drive this.
Legal limits on contaminants
As of October 2026, food supplements sold in Great Britain must not exceed 3.0 mg/kg of lead (wet weight), the maximum level in Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006 as it applies in Great Britain. In the EU, maximum levels for lead, cadmium and mercury in food are set by Regulation (EU) 2023/915, as amended. Botanical, mineral and marine ingredients are common sources of heavy metals, so they get the closest attention in a testing plan.
Marketplace rules
Marketplaces now demand evidence before they list. As of October 2026, Amazon's US store requires dietary supplements to be verified through a third-party testing, inspection and certification (TIC) organisation before they are eligible for sale. TikTok Shop's US Dietary Supplements Policy asks sellers for a recent product test report from an approved laboratory, covering microbiology, heavy metals, contaminants such as pesticides or residual solvents, and label claim verification, in the same company name and address as the selling account. We make products for both marketplaces and prepare the specifications, samples and batch documents they ask for. Amazon's US GMP verification needs a third-party 21 CFR 111 audit, which we plan around our US programmes.
Proof you can share
A certificate of analysis from an accredited lab is evidence that a buyer, a marketplace or an enforcement officer can rely on. If you say "third party tested" on pack or online, keep the certificates that prove it on file and ready to show.
How it works at our facility
Specification first
Every product starts with a specification agreed during development. It records the formula, the label claims, the checks quality control runs on every batch and the laboratory tests that apply to your product and markets. Ingredient choice is the first control. Every material, including those in our ingredient library, comes from an approved supplier, and its supplier lot and certificate of analysis are recorded at goods-in, so each batch traces back to the evidence behind every ingredient.
Every batch released by quality control
Quality control runs in-process and finished checks on every batch against its specification. Labelling is the critical control point in our HACCP study: before release, every batch's labels are verified for ingredient accuracy, allergen declarations and batch coding. Nothing is dispatched without QC sign-off, and a non-conformance closes only with sign-off from both QA and Operations. If a result falls outside its limit, the batch is held and investigated, and your QA team hears from us before any decision. Our digital quality platform records each stage as it happens, so the batch record is complete the moment the batch is made.
Choosing a supplement testing lab
Our accredited partner laboratories work to ISO/IEC 17025, the international standard for testing laboratories. In the UK, UKAS accredits laboratories to ISO/IEC 17025. Accreditation is granted for named tests, so each test in your plan goes to a lab accredited for that method. The plan sets the panel for each market: a product for UK and EU retail can need a different panel from one bound for a US marketplace.
Testing by format
The format shapes the panel. Plant-based protein and greens powders carry heavy-metal and microbiological risk from their raw materials. Live culture capsules need counts that hold to the end of shelf life. Gummies get an active assay on every batch as standard. Gummies and liquids need microbiological limits matched to their water content and preservation. Softgels add oxidation checks on their oil fills, such as peroxide value, and liposomal formats add vesicle size. Drinks add pH checks, and bars, gum and functional coffee and tea add water activity. Botanical blends in any format need identity testing that can tell one species from another.
Retained samples
We keep three retained samples from every batch for the product's shelf life plus one year. If a customer, retailer or regulator raises a question, the retained sample from that exact batch is there to test.
Stability and shelf life
A label claim has to hold to the end of shelf life, not only at manufacture. Stability studies, part of our research and development work, track how actives, live cultures, colour and taste change over time. They set the shelf life and any overage: the extra active added so the label claim still holds when the product reaches its best before date.
Documentation you receive: certificates of analysis and batch records
You receive documents you can share with retailers, marketplaces and regulators.
- Certificate of analysis: issued for every batch by our accredited partner laboratories, showing the product, batch code, method, result and specification limit, and naming the lab that ran each test.
- Batch release confirmation: QC sign-off against the specification, tied to the batch's full traceability record.
- Product specification: the agreed limits each batch is released against, with the test panel your QA team signs off before the first batch.
- Audit access: your QA team can audit our Leicester facility and review the batch record behind any certificate.
- Quality pack: our BSI certificates, a HACCP summary and a worked traceability example, shared under confidentiality. We are ISO 9001, HACCP and GMP certified by BSI, and FDA registered, and our page on quality and accreditations explains each credential and its scope.
Request our quality pack to see the documents before your first batch.
How to read a certificate of analysis
Check four things. The batch code matches the stock you hold. The method suits the test, for example ICP-MS for heavy metals or HPLC for active content. Each result sits inside the specification limit, in units that match the label. The lab holds accreditation for that method. A certificate for a different batch, or from a lab without accreditation for the method, will not satisfy a careful buyer.
What we add for new markets and new rules
As of October 2026, California law requires a representative sample of each lot of prenatal multivitamins to be tested for arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury from 1 January 2027, with the results published by the brand. For a prenatal multivitamin sold in California, our accredited partner laboratories run that panel on every batch, and you receive the results to publish.
Buyers are raising the bar for manufacturers too. Our status: BRCGS implementation under way, certification expected in early 2027. Our guide to BRCGS certification explains what the standard adds for retail and export supply.
References: Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006, maximum levels for contaminants, as it applies in Great Britain (2006); Regulation (EU) 2023/915, maximum levels for contaminants (2023); Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, gluten-free statements (2014); ISO/IEC 17025:2017, testing and calibration laboratories (2017); United States Pharmacopeia General Chapter <203>, HPTLC identification of botanicals (2019); California SB 646, Chapter 602, Statutes of 2025 (2025); TikTok Shop, US Dietary Supplements Policy (2026); Amazon, dietary supplements TIC verification requirement (2024).
Where this is going
To 2030
Up: heavy-metal testing and disclosure laws spread from baby food to protein
To 2036
Becomes standard: published test results are expected
What to watch
Industry opposition can slow new heavy-metal limits and disclosure rules
Questions brands ask
Is every batch tested before release?
Yes. Every batch is tested by accredited partner laboratories (ISO/IEC 17025), and batch testing is part of every order, with the panel set for your product and markets. Quality control then checks the batch against its agreed specification and releases it only with QC sign-off, including verification of its labels for ingredient accuracy, allergen declarations and batch coding. Gummies get an active assay on every batch as standard.
What is a certificate of analysis?
A certificate of analysis is a lab report for one batch that lists each test, the method, the result and the specification limit. Ours come from our accredited partner laboratories (ISO/IEC 17025), one for every batch. When you read one, check that the batch code matches your stock, that each result sits inside its limit and that the lab is accredited for each method.
Which tests does a supplement need?
It depends on the ingredients, the format and where you sell. Most plans cover identity, active content, heavy metals and microbiology. Botanicals need identity testing such as HPTLC, products with live cultures need counts that hold to the end of shelf life, and allergen-free or gluten-free claims need allergen testing. We set the panel with you during development and record it in the specification.
Which labs do you use?
We use accredited partner laboratories working to ISO/IEC 17025, the international standard for testing laboratories; in the UK that accreditation comes from UKAS. Accreditation covers named methods, so each test goes to a lab accredited for it. Each certificate of analysis names the lab that ran the test, so your buyers and marketplaces can check its accreditation for each method independently.
What do Amazon and TikTok Shop require for supplements?
As of October 2026, Amazon's US store requires dietary supplements to be verified through a third-party testing, inspection and certification (TIC) organisation before they are eligible for sale. TikTok Shop's US policy asks for a recent test report from an approved laboratory, covering microbiology, heavy metals, contaminants and label claim. We make products for both marketplaces and prepare the samples, specifications and batch documents they ask for. Amazon's US GMP verification needs a third-party 21 CFR 111 audit, which we plan around our US programmes.
How long do you keep retained samples?
We keep three retained samples from every batch for the product's shelf life plus one year. If a customer, retailer or regulator raises a question about a batch, the retained sample from that exact batch is there to test, and its full traceability record, from supplier lot to dispatch, opens in seconds on our digital quality platform. When your QA team needs a result, our accredited partner laboratories test that sample and you receive the certificate.
How are heavy metals tested in supplements?
Heavy metals are measured by ICP-MS, which turns a digested sample into ions in an argon plasma and sorts them by mass-to-charge ratio. It quantifies lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic at microgram per kilogram levels. As of October 2026, Great Britain sets a 3.0 mg/kg maximum for lead in food supplements, and California requires prenatal multivitamin lots to be tested from 1 January 2027.
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