A Complete Guide to Manufacturing Dietary Supplements

Dietary supplements have rapidly become more popular among Australian consumers, particularly since the pandemic which generated a greater awareness of personal health among consumers. As of 2022, the Australian nutritional and supplements market was valued at $4.58 billion — this is expected to more than double to $9.81 billion by 2030.

With increasing potential for profitability in the local supplement market, there has also been a rise in businesses looking to create their own line of dietary supplements. This complete guide to dietary supplement manufacturing in Australia will cover the key considerations and stages involved in creating supplement products. 

TGA guidelines on dietary supplements

According to Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), dietary supplements are considered to be complementary medicines and are generally regulated for safety.

Dietary supplements can contain a range of ingredients from minerals, vitamins, amino acids, enzymes, and probiotics, to different types of food extracts. To manufacture a supplement, the ingredients must be listed on the TGA's list of approved ingredients.

The dietary supplement product must have a list of uses chosen by the commercial sponsor (the business). These uses are selected from a pre-approved list provided by the TGA and can only relate to minor health problems.

It's worth noting that the TGA does not assess low-risk complementary medicines for efficacy. However, the TGA does carry out annual reviews of random products on the market to assess for efficacy. If a product is tested and found to be unable to offer the professed benefits, the product may be investigated further and potentially taken off the market.

The TGA also requires the dietary supplement manufacturing process to be carried out in certified facilities that adhere to strict safety standards. These standards are put in place to ensure a high standard of quality for all supplements manufactured in Australia. Keep this in mind when choosing a supplement manufacturer.

Defining your supplement product

Creating a line of supplement products starts with having a clear understanding of what the product will set out to achieve, or the gap it will fill in the market. Each supplement product on the market is designed to fill a certain niche or fulfil a specific nutritional need.

For instance, will it be a vitamin-based product, a probiotic product, or a nutritional supplement? What are the core ingredients it will contain? Are there any other existing dietary supplement products that already offer a similar benefit? Carry out market research or work with others in the supplement market to understand what kind of product is going to resonate with a consumer. 

How dietary supplement manufacturing works

Dietary supplement manufacturing follows a straightforward process that is primarily handled by the manufacturer your business works with. Here are the stages involved:

Initial brief

In the first stage of working with a supplement manufacturer, an initial meeting will be arranged to discuss the kind of dietary supplement that will be created. During this meeting, the manufacturer will present options such as the type of ingredients to be used in the supplement to the form of the supplement product (tablets, capsules, liquids, powers, or soft gels etc.).

The supplement manufacturer will have access to the list of TGA-approved ingredients to guide the choice of ingredients for the supplement, as well as provide advice about the best form for the supplement.

Creating a custom formula

The supplement formula will be refined through research and development using the chosen ingredients. At this stage, you can expect to receive prototype samples of the supplement product, as well as a report outlining the formulation and testing results. When the formula aligns with the requirements of the intended product, it is then manufactured at scale at the supplement manufacturer's facility.

Preparing supplement products for distribution

 When the product has been successfully manufactured, the next stage is packaging and labelling in line with business branding before it can be sold. Some supplement manufacturers (such as Lipa Pharmaceuticals) offer packaging and labelling services as part of their services for convenience.

Dietary supplements must obtain AUST L labelling on the packaging. The AUST L number on the label indicates that the dietary supplement products are approved for supply by the TGA. Dietary supplements that do not have an AUST L number may be barred from being sold in Australia due to health and safety concerns.

How long does dietary supplement manufacturing take?

It can take between 12 to 16 weeks from the initial inquiry to produce the desired dietary supplements. This timeframe is only an estimate, as there are factors like the complexity of the formulation that can delay the manufacturing process.

Custom formulations of dietary supplements may require more time to refine, especially if the product is designed to offer multiple health benefits. The volume of products can also increase the time taken for manufacturing — having a high volume of products will take considerably more time.

Businesses that want a turnkey solution to create their own dietary supplement products can opt for private-label supplement manufacturing. With private-label supplement manufacturing, businesses simply choose an existing dietary supplement formula that has been tested and refined by the supplement manufacturer. This cuts down on the time needed for research and formulation as the product proceeds straight to manufacturing. Once manufacturing is complete, the product is packaged with a custom design and label chosen by the business.