Bespoke vegan supplement manufacturing

Vegan capsules, pectin gummies and algal softgels, made in Leicester

British VitaTech is a vegan supplement manufacturer for premium brands: custom vegan capsules, tablets, pectin gummies, powders, liquids and softgels, developed and made at our Leicester facility. We make capsules with HPMC and pullulan shells, set gummies with pectin, fill algal omega-3 into softgels with plant-based shells and use vitamin D3 from lichen. Vegan registration is arranged for your product with a scheme such as the Vegan Society's Vegan Trademark: we don't hold a site-wide registration, so each product is registered in its own right. We prepare the application file, from supplier declarations to cleaning records. Your formula is yours.

The Vegan Society, which has certified products since 1990, says more than 70,000 products worldwide are certified with its trademark. NutraIngredients reported in October 2026 that a UK supplement brand built on vegan positioning had renamed itself to widen its appeal, because only 13% of its customers were vegan, while keeping every product vegan and every formula unchanged. So we build each vegan formula to sell on what it does, with a registration mark to confirm that it is vegan.

With no legal definition of vegan, a registration mark is the check

As of October 2026, "vegan" has no legal definition in UK or EU law, so the claim rests on the general rule that food information must not mislead. A recognised registration mark gives retail buyers and shoppers an independent check. The Vegan Society's Vegan Trademark standards set the bar:

• No animal ingredients. The development and manufacture of the product and its ingredients must not involve any animal product, by-product or derivative.
• No animal testing. No testing of any sort on animals, by the company or on its behalf.
• Cross-contamination minimised. Production lines are thoroughly cleaned down before a vegan run, and where lines are shared, the Society strongly recommends running vegan products first.

Registration works product by product. The brand applies, every ingredient, processing aid and carrier is declared with supplier evidence, the scheme's team checks the application, and the trademark is licensed for the registered products. For your brand, that means a mark buyers recognise, backed by a file that answers a retailer's questions.

A vegan claim is not an allergen claim. Where milk or egg is handled on the same site, the allergen risk assessment decides whether a precautionary statement such as "may contain milk" is needed, and a vegan product can carry one (Food and Drink Federation, 2023).

Pectin for gelatine, algae for fish oil, lichen for lanolin D3

Capsules and tablets

Plant capsule shells are the standard vegan choice. HPMC, made from cellulose, holds 4% to 6% moisture against 13% to 16% for gelatine, which makes it the better shell for hygroscopic fills such as plant extracts and probiotics (Al-Tabakha, 2010). Pullulan, a fermented polysaccharide (E 1204), gives a clear shell that shows the fill, and UK and EU rules permit it in food supplements in capsule and tablet form. Tablets use plant-derived magnesium stearate or plant-based alternatives, and film coats without shellac. Our capsule and tablet manufacturing page covers both formats.

Vegan gummies

Pectin replaces gelatine. High-methoxyl pectin sets only when soluble solids are above about 60% and the pH is about 2.8 to 3.5, so the acid goes in just before depositing, and sugar-reduced vegan gummies move to low-methoxyl pectin set with calcium. A set pectin gel does not melt back, so pectin gummies hold their shape in warm transit and give a shorter, cleaner bite than gelatine. We finish them with carnauba wax rather than beeswax or shellac, and colour them with fruit and vegetable concentrates rather than carmine, which comes from insects. Every gummy batch gets an active assay as standard; see gummy manufacturing.

Algal omega-3 and softgels

Algal oils from microalgae such as Schizochytrium supply DHA, or DHA and EPA, without fish, and they are authorised novel foods in the UK and the EU, strain by strain. Authorised claims follow the nutrient, not its source, so algal DHA carries the same claims as DHA from fish oil under the same conditions. For example, "DHA contributes to maintenance of normal brain function" applies to a product with at least 40 mg of DHA per 100 g and per 100 kcal, and the label states that the beneficial effect is obtained with a daily intake of 250 mg of DHA. We fill algal oil into softgels with plant-based shells, made in Leicester, or into liquids and gummies; see omega-3 supplement manufacturing.

Vitamin D3 and other nutrients

Standard vitamin D3 is made from lanolin, the grease in sheep's wool, so vegan products use D3 from lichen, or vitamin D2. Vitamin B12 is made by bacterial fermentation and suits vegan formulas as standard. Vitamin A, D and E and carotenoid beadlets are often coated in gelatine, so we specify plant-coated grades. Iron, zinc, iodine and calcium come from mineral salts or seaweed, each checked for its carrier.

Vegan collagen boosters

Collagen itself is an animal protein, so most vegan collagen products on sale are boosters: amino acids such as glycine, proline and lysine, several of them made by fermentation, with vitamin C and plant extracts. The claim rests on vitamin C, in a product that is at least a source of it: "Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of skin". Our page on collagen supplement manufacturing covers both routes.

Lactose, shellac, carmine and other hidden animal derivatives

We screen every material, including the minor ones: lactose fillers, shellac and beeswax glazes, carmine, lanolin-derived D3, fish gelatine, glucosamine from shellfish, chitosan, L-cysteine, stearates and glycerine of animal origin, and bee products such as propolis and royal jelly. Most have a plant, mineral or fermentation alternative, and we specify it at the bench, before the first sample.

One vegan registration for UK, EU and US shelves

A registered vegan product sells through the same channels everywhere: retail, pharmacy, online stores and marketplaces in the UK, Europe and the US. The Vegan Trademark is used worldwide, so one registration supports a multi-market launch, with labels and claims adapted to each market.

• UK and EU: authorised health claims only, which we word as the register does, alongside the vegan mark.
• US: structure and function claims with the FDA disclaimer, and the same vegan registration on pack.
• Halal and kosher buyers: a plant-based formula removes the gelatine question, though each needs its own certification, and halal certification also checks ethanol in extracts and flavours. Our page on halal supplement manufacturing explains how we arrange it.

We prepare products and documents for the UK, the EU and the US, and our clients sell across Europe, the USA and Mexico.

How a vegan supplement manufacturer prepares your registration

We arrange vegan registration for your product and run production to the scheme's standards, so your application goes in complete.

1. Brief. Formats, markets, claims and the registration mark you want on pack.
2. Vegan formula. Every material specified as plant, mineral, synthetic or fermentation-derived, with supplier declarations covering origin, processing aids, carriers, coatings and animal testing.
3. Production. Vegan materials stored and labelled, lines thoroughly cleaned and verified before vegan runs, and vegan products scheduled first where lines are shared.
4. Application file. We compile the ingredient list, declarations, process description and cleaning records for your application, and the trademark is licensed to your brand for the registered products.
5. Every batch. Every batch is tested by accredited partner laboratories (ISO/IEC 17025) as part of every order and released by quality control against its specification, and any change of material is declared before use.

Where a scheme or retailer asks, we add DNA screening for animal species by PCR through our partner laboratories, and our page on supplement testing and batch release sets out the full approach. Our allergen management plan already runs on the same discipline vegan registration asks for: yellow colour coding for allergen equipment, validated cleaning and line clearance between runs.

British VitaTech is ISO 9001, HACCP and GMP certified by BSI, and FDA registered, and our quality and accreditations page sets out each scope. For US launches, we are an FDA registered food facility for dietary supplements. Our status: BRCGS implementation under way, certification expected in early 2027, as our guide to BRCGS certification explains. Your formula is yours, including its plant-based specification. Start your project with your formats and the mark you want on pack.

References: The Vegan Society, Vegan Trademark standards (2026); Food and Drink Federation, guidance on allergen-free and vegan claims (2023); European Vegetarian Union, vegan and vegetarian definitions (2024); Al-Tabakha, HPMC capsules, Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (2010); Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, list of permitted health claims (2012); Commission Regulation (EU) 2018/1497 on food additives in food supplements (2018)