Private label supplement manufacturing for the UK market
Manufactured in Mārupe, Latvia, European Union.
Great Britain has no pre-market registration for food supplements, so a UK brand can launch as soon as the product, the label and the importer are ready. PharmaEurope manufactures white and private label supplements at an ISO 22000-certified plant in Mārupe, Latvia: from 100 units on ready-made formulas, 500 bottles as the standard run, with the label designed and printed for UK rules.
In short: we manufacture in the EU and build the label for Great Britain; your UK company imports the goods, puts its UK address on the label and sells.
MOQ, production time and documents for the UK market
The figures a UK brand and its importer ask for before the first order.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Standard run | 500 bottles of capsules or tablets per product; 300 kg of finished blend for powders |
| First run | From 100 units on ready-made formulas |
| Production | 4 to 8 weeks from approved formula and label artwork |
| Label | Designed and printed at the plant for Great Britain: “food supplement”, the daily portion, the mandatory warnings and the UK address of your company or your importer |
| With every batch | Specification, Certificate of Analysis, site certificates: ISO 22000 MSC-22-1384, GMP-FS-01, HACCP-01 |
| Your company in the UK | Importer of record with an EORI number, registered as a food business with its local authority |
| Approval before sale | None for food supplements in Great Britain; only a novel food ingredient needs authorisation |
| Taxes on import | VAT at the standard rate of 20% on most food supplements; customs duty follows the commodity code, and goods of EU origin can qualify for a preferential rate under the UK–EU trade agreement |
What must a food supplement label carry in the UK?
A food supplement sold in Great Britain is named “food supplement” and states the categories of nutrients or substances it contains, the portion recommended for daily consumption, a warning not to exceed it, a statement that it is not a substitute for a varied diet, and a warning to keep it out of reach of young children. The general food rules add the ingredients with allergens emphasised, the net quantity, the best before date, the lot and the name and address of the food business. Since 1 January 2024 that address must be in the UK: an EU-only address is not enough for Great Britain. Claims come from the GB nutrition and health claims register, which has run separately from the EU register since 1 January 2021.
“Ordering a first batch from a small workshop is a real risk for a brand: quality is not guaranteed from batch to batch, and there is no capacity to grow when the product takes off. We went the other way and invested in new, flexible production lines, where switching to the next product does not cost hours of changeover and cleaning — the losses that make older plants ask for thousands of units. That is why a first run of a ready-made formula can start from 100 units, and the same line scales up when the product sells.”
How do EU-made supplements get to the UK?
1. Formula and label
We design the label for Great Britain, with your UK address and claims from the GB register, and print it at the plant.
2. Production
4 to 8 weeks at our plant in Mārupe, Latvia. The batch is released with its Certificate of Analysis.
3. Export from the EU
EXW Mārupe by default; FCA or DAP on request. The invoice carries no EU VAT once the export is proven.
4. Clearance in Great Britain
Your importer declares the goods and pays import VAT and any duty. Ingredients of animal origin can need extra border checks: tell us the formula and we flag it at the quote.
5. On sale
In shops, in your own online store or on Amazon UK, with your company as the business responsible for the product.
Do Northern Ireland rules differ from Great Britain?
Yes. Under the Windsor Framework, Northern Ireland follows EU food law for goods placed on its market, including the EU nutrition and health claims register rather than the GB one. A product sold in both Great Britain and Northern Ireland needs a label that works under both sets of rules. Tell us where you sell, and the label is built for it.
Questions about manufacturing supplements for the UK market
Do food supplements need approval before sale in the UK?
No product registration is required for food supplements in Great Britain. Your company registers as a food business with its local authority, and an ingredient that counts as a novel food needs authorisation before it is used. The label and the composition must meet the food supplements regulations from the first unit sold.
Whose address goes on the label?
The UK address of the business responsible for the product: your company, or your UK importer if your company is not based in the UK. Since 1 January 2024 an EU-only address is not enough for food sold in Great Britain.
Who is the importer of record?
Your UK company or an importer you appoint. It holds a GB EORI number, declares the goods and is responsible for the product once it is on the UK market. We manufacture, pack and document the product; we do not act as the UK importer.
Can we use the same health claims as in the EU?
Not automatically. Great Britain has kept its own nutrition and health claims register since 1 January 2021, and the two lists have drifted apart. A label for Great Britain takes its claims from the GB register; Northern Ireland uses the EU register.
What taxes are paid on import?
Most food supplements carry VAT at the standard rate of 20%. Customs duty depends on the commodity code of the product, and goods of EU origin can qualify for a preferential rate under the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement. Your customs broker confirms the code and the rate for your product.
Can we sell on Amazon UK?
Yes, through your company as the seller. The listing and the label have to meet the same UK rules, including the UK address, and Amazon can ask for documents such as a Certificate of Analysis and label images. We supply the Certificate of Analysis and the specification for every batch.
What is the minimum order for the UK?
The same as for the EU: from 100 units on ready-made formulas, 500 bottles per product as the standard run, and 300 kg of finished blend for powders. The full table is on the minimum order quantities page.
Which formats can you make for the UK market?
Capsules, tablets, softgels, effervescent tablets, powders, sachets, sports nutrition, syrups and vitamin oils, all made at the plant in Mārupe, Latvia. The full range is on the formats page.
Can you manufacture our own formula?
Yes. A formula developed from your brief starts from 500 bottles per product for capsules and tablets and 300 kg of finished blend for powders. It is turned into a sample first, and nothing is produced before you approve it. For a label sold in Great Britain, the claims come from the GB register.
Which ready-made formulas start from 100 units?
Ready-made formulas in capsules, tablets and softgels start from 100 units in stock packaging. Effervescent tablets have a low minimum quoted per tube count, and powders start from 300 kg of finished blend. The catalogue is on the ready-made formulas page.
Do the 4 to 8 weeks include shipping to the UK?
No. 4 to 8 weeks is production, counted from approval of the formula and the label artwork. Transport to the UK and customs clearance come on top of that.
What documents come with every batch?
A specification, the Certificate of Analysis for the batch and copies of the site certificates: ISO 22000 MSC-22-1384, GMP-FS-01 and HACCP-01.
Can we get samples before ordering?
Yes. Samples of existing products are sent to companies that are seriously considering an order, so you can see the product, the pack and the label before the first batch.
Sources
- The Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003, SI 2003/1387, and the equivalent regulations for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland: legislation.gov.uk.
- Retained Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on food information to consumers: legislation.gov.uk; GOV.UK guidance on packaging and labelling, including the UK address rule from 1 January 2024.
- Great Britain nutrition and health claims register, in force from 1 January 2021: GOV.UK.
- HMRC, Food products and VAT, Notice 701/14: gov.uk.
- GOV.UK, Classifying vitamins, supplements and herbal medicines for import and export.
- The Windsor Framework: Northern Ireland and EU food law, SI 2023/959.
Checked on 24 September 2026. Rules and rates change: your importer and customs broker confirm them for your product.
Tell us your formula and your market
Tell us the category, the serving size and how many units you need for the first run, and we will come back with the blend, the flavour options and a price for that quantity.