Dietary supplements are extremely popular in the U.S. and around the world. Before the Covid-19 epidemic started, supplement use had already reached an all-time high in U.S. markets, and their popularity is only increasing as people become more concerned with their health. The fact that dietary supplements can easily be ordered and shipped online these days also helps the industry, especially considering the popularity of online shopping during coronavirus. Cold and flu supplements are leading to increased projections for United States sales in the coming years, and they may even boost international sales as heavily affected areas start to buy more.
For those who don’t use supplements, multivitamins and nutrition supplements are typically the most popular (outside of the current pandemic). These are often used to help people achieve healthy diets or to maintain healthy levels of vitamin C, B12, iron, or whatever else they need. There are also supplements for things like muscle mass, weight loss, and even hormone treatment. If you’ve ever been curious about how the manufacturing side of things works, here are some of the basics and trends that are forming for the coming years.
Formulation and Mixing
Once a supplement company knows the kinds of products it wants to sell, it needs to create unique formulations and mix them in laboratories. This can be done by the sellers themselves, but it requires proper licensing and adherence to strict Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines. Generally speaking, most sellers will partner with a vitamin manufacturer like Makers Nutrition or another type of contract manufacturer.
Reliable manufacturers ensure product quality by using only the best raw materials in the formulations and best practices in mixing, whether it requires mixing the entire formula in one continuous motion or more complicated techniques. Vitamin product lines may exist in capsules, gummies, tablets, or chewable forms. The same goes for other product types. Exercise products often come as powders, but products can be made with high purity and in many forms for cosmetic appeal and practicality. The best facilities also receive FDA guidance, so sellers can be sure that they’re getting great products with high-quality control standards.
Packaging
Some manufacturers will even ship private label products, meaning that they already have your custom labels and are packaged ready to sell. For vitamin supplement companies without such as partnership, they have to rely on their own packaging solutions like a cartoner. Also called sleevers or multi-packers, these cartoning solutions are adaptable and can pack products with precision, resulting in less waste and reduce costs. They’re also compact, taking up less floor space than comparable solutions.
Cartoning will be used for large shipments, like sending dozens of pounds of supplement products to a single seller. Sleever settings may be used to wrap packaging around smaller packages or to individually wrap powders, bottles, and tinctures. A multi-packer is typically used to package food and beverages. The nutritional supplements industry relies on a variety of packaging systems to deliver products safely, and these systems may be owned and operated by manufacturers or individual sellers.
Industry Trends
Manufacturers and sellers alike definitely need to pay attention to trends developing for 2021. The pandemic has irreversibly moved the public’s perception toward health and wellness more than ever, and the most popular products are ones for preventive care and maintaining healthy lifestyles. This includes immunity-boosting products, nutritional supplements, and mental health products like herbal remedies and DHA.
It’s a good idea for supplement manufacturers to pay attention to the popularity of nutrition apps to find trends in personalized nutrition as well. Custom products and label designs can be made for whatever happens to be trending in a given year to take advantage of the craze.