Case Studies
Our case studies cover some of the products our Asia Import Platform customers have developed in recent years.
Planning to import supplements from China to North America, Europe or Australia? In this comprehensive guide, we cover everything importers must know when procuring the following types of supplements:
Alibaba.com is the primary supplier directory for sourcing supplement suppliers in any category. More than 1900 suppliers are listed on Alibaba.com in the following supplement factories:
While most supplement suppliers listed on Alibaba.com are based in Mainland China, you’ll also find suppliers from India, Japan, Europe, and the United States.
We can help you manufacture products in China, Vietnam & India?
Supplement suppliers, including traders, can be found in most Chinese provinces. That said, many suppliers in this industry are based in Xi’an, Shaanxi province. Shandong, a coastal province, is also a production hub for supplements and food additives.
The minimum order quantity requirement largely depends on the type of supplier. Some factories only produce supplement powder, while others deliver bottled and encapsulated supplements.
Further, trading companies tend to offer lower MOQ requirements than manufacturers.
Below follows a few examples:
Held yearly in the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai, the trade show covers everything from supplements and traditional Chinese medicine to product packaging.
Key Facts
China International Health Industry Exhibition (CIHIE) has been held annually since 2004. Unlike most other trade shows, CIHIE is held in not only one city, but three:
Key Facts
Ensuring compliance when importing and selling supplements is critical. Keep in mind that regulators don’t go after foreign suppliers, but focus exclusively on domestic importers – in other words, you.
For example, this is what the FDA states on the official website:
Under existing law, including the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act passed by Congress in 1994, the FDA can take action to remove products from the market, but the agency must first establish that such products are adulterated (e.g., that the product is unsafe) or misbranded (e.g., that the labeling is false or misleading).
Don’t expect much guidance from your supplier. Instead, you must fully understand what compliance in this industry means in practical terms.
Supplement regulations cover everything from the introduction of new mixes and extracts placed on the market, to heavy metals and chemical content. For example, supplements that contain excessive amounts of heavy metals are illegal to import and sell. The only way to verify that your product is compliant is by sending a substance sample to a lab.
The US FDA and their counterparts in the EU and Australia are very strict when it comes to product labeling. At a minimum, you should expect to include the following information:
Don’t expect, or allow, your supplier to create the label for you. While they may have some sort of label template, you must always verify that the label is fully compliant with the requirements in your country.
Incorrect labeling alone is a good enough reason for the customs authorities to destroy your goods, or market surveillance authorities to issue a forced recall order.
Food contact materials regulations apply to all materials in contact with products made for human consumption – including supplement packaging. The only way to be sure that your packaging is compliant is by sending a packaging sample (e.g. plastic jar or aluminum bag) to a lab.
Substance testing is not enough when importing supplements. Regulators require that you verify that the supplier applies what is called Good Manufacturing Practice. At its core, the importer should verify that the supplier’s production facility is clean and up to standard.
It’s a complex topic, so I let this thrilling video explain what GMP is really about:
You always get what you specify in manufacturing, even when importing supplements. As suppliers can provide various types, qualities and mixes of a given product, you must prepare a product specification.
Assuming I’d buy creatine, a fitness supplement, I highly could use this (overly simplified) product specification:
Product Information
Packaging
The supplements supply chain is complex and involves the following stages:
The vast majority of suppliers don’t cover the entire supply chain, from farm to bottle. Some may only do processing, while others only encapsulant and bottle the product.
Understanding how your supplier operates is essential when importing supplements to the US or Europe, as product compliance is based on the principles of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP). Importers simply cannot afford to be left in the dark or make assumptions.
I recommend that you filter suppliers based on these criteria:
1. Product lab test reports
2. ISO Certificates
3. GMP Audit Reports / Factory Audit Report
You should ask them the following questions
1. Do you procure the raw material directly from the source?
2. Do you process the raw materials in your factory?
3. Do you encapsulate it in your factory?
4. From which factory do you procure bottles?
5. Do you have an in-house factory lab?
6. Do you have a standardized testing protocol?
The supplier should also be able to provide batch test reports covering, for example, the following*
For obvious reasons, it’s absolutely essential that the supplier has the technical expertise and capability to run batch testing. This is one reason why I recommend that you completely avoid buying from trading companies.
*The required tests depends on the substance
You also need to request this information:
Once you’ve selected a supplier it’s time to purchase product samples. At this stage you should’ve already verified the following:
If you intend to buy packaging from a separate factory, you should submit the following:
Most supplement suppliers can provide in-stock samples within a week or two. However, the packaging might take longer in case you intend to purchase custom-designed packaging – which can take more than 60 days to deliver.
If you’re only out to test the market, I recommend that start with standard packaging.
Once you’ve received the product samples it’s time to place your order. Before doing so, you need to prepare a sales agreement covering the following terms:
When importing supplements, the quality checks are normally limited to the following process:
However, a quality control report will not tell you what’s inside the bags or bottles.
Material analysis and compliance tests cannot be done on-site in the factory by the quality inspection agent. But, he or she can collect batch samples for submission to the testing company.
Lab testing is a critical part of the process when importing supplements. It’s absolutely essential to verify that your supplements batch is compliant with all applicable substance regulations.
The only way to do so is by sending samples, collected by an independent third party, from the factory to an accredited lab testing company.
When booking a lab test, you must confirm the following:
As hinted above, you should test both the supplement substance and capsule (if any), and the packaging material.
After 7 to 10 days, you’ll receive a lab test report that shows whether your imported product is compliant. Hopefully, that’s going to be the case.
In this section, we are going to introduce 7 Chinese supplement manufacturers, including a brief description of the company and a summary featuring certificates, MOQ, and other key information.
Listed Companies
Disclaimer
We are not affiliated with any of the companies listed in this guide. We have selected these companies based on their claimed product scope, history, certification, and capabilities.
Zhejiang Tianhecheng Biotechnology Shares is a manufacturer of nutritional enhancers and compound colorants with a factory based in Tongxiang, Zhejiang. The company is committed to the production of Vitamin A, D, E series, DHA, ARA series, and Beta-carotene series products supplying the milk powder, health products, food, and medicine industry.
Currently, the company has four production lines to produce micro-powder, micro-particles, and liquid vitamins, which amount to a total production capacity of more than 1,500 tons of products per year.
At the present, Zhejiang Tianhecheng Biotechnology mainly exports its products to the US, Italy, and Brazil.
Main Products
Summary
Location: No. 111, Leyuan Road, Shimen Town, Tongxiang, Zhejiang
Beijing Gingko Group is a manufacturing and sourcing company of supplements and food products from Beijing. The company mainly produces products including fruit extract, marine botanicals, natural vitamins, and herbal extracts.
Beijing Gingko Group currently has set up representative offices in Beijing, Tokyo in Japan, Irvine in California, and Lugano in Switzerland.
Main Products
Summary
Location: Room 1706, Tower A, Building 1, Tianzuo International Center, No.12, Zhongguancun South Avenue, Haidian District, Beijing
Jiangyin Tianjiang Pharmaceutical is one of the leading companies in the nutritional supplement industry in China. The company mainly produces Chinese herbal extract in the form of powder or capsules.
Jiangyin Tianjiang Pharmaceutical focuses on the research and development activities using traditional Chinese herbs and processing techniques to produce products to support anti-aging, cold and flu care, energy-boosting, and fertility.
According to the information in Jiangyin Tianjiang Pharmaceutical’s official website, the company has signed 65 joint venture agreements with 55 Chinese herb planting companies in China, which enables the company to produce around 200 different types of products using more than 120 herb species.
Currently, Jiangyin Tianjiang Pharmaceutical is a wholly subsidiary of China Traditional Chinese Medicine Holdings, which is headquartered in Hong Kong.
Main Products
Summary
Location: 1, Xin Sheng Road, Jiangyin, Jiangsu
Naturalin was founded in 2006 as a company that engages in the research, development, production, and export of nutritional supplements made of plant extracts and other natural ingredients.
Naturalin can customize powders, soft gels, essence oils, creams, or ingredients in other forms based on the client’s formula and requirements.
Naturalin is especially focusing on researching and developing new products with traditional Chinese herbs and processing techniques, such as Ginseng, Dong Quai, Ginkgo, Rhodiola, Astragulus, and Chinese knotweed. These ingredients can be made customizable into food and beverage, personal care products, and animal nutrition supplements.
Main Products
Summary
Location: B1-402, Lu-Valley Enterprise Square, No.27 Wenxuan Road, Lu-Valley Hi-Tech District, Changsha, Hunan
Nutritech Asia Group has more than 20 years of experience in the industry of supplement contract manufacture. The company has an R&D and manufacturing center in Shenzhen.
The company offers private label and custom manufacturing services for dietary supplements, sports nutrition supplements, and naturopathic medicines. These products can be made in the form of powders, soft gels, liquids, chewable tablets, and capsules.
Nutritech Asia Group develops and manufactures products with efficacies including nutritional support for people during the teen years, the reproductive years, menopause, and for those over the age of 50 years. On their website, they claim can offer support for cardiovascular health, vision, and weight loss.
Main Products
Summary
Location: No.366, Cuihu Business Center, Xueguang North Road, Longhua Street, Longhua New District, Shenzhen, Guangdong
BannerBio Nutraceuticals was founded in 2003, with the headquartered and R&D center in Shenzhen, a manufacturing site in Heyuan, and the distribution center in Los Angeles. The company focuses on making ODM and OEM nutritional products for dietary supplement, food, and beverage product companies.
The product categories offered by BannerBio include botanical extracts, amino acids, and carotenoids. Under these categories, there are more than 40 types of nutritional supplement formulas available to be customized.
Main Products
Summary
Location: Sanjiao Town, Lianping, Heyuan, Guangdong
Baotou Dongbao Biotechnology was established in 1997 as a manufacturer, wholesaler, and retailer of nutritional supplements from Inner Mongolia. The company mainly produces gelatin and collagen.
The target audience of Baotou Dongbao Biotechnology’s products is mainly young ladies and middle-aged women who are looking for products to replenish the receding collagen for their skin.
In recent years, the company also develops nutritional supplements used in animal feeds and plant fertilizers, including calcium phosphate.
Main Products
Summary
Location: No. 46, Huanghe Street, Rare Earth High-tech Development Zone, Baotou City, Inner Mongolia
Co-founder of Asiaimportal (HK) Limited and based in Hong Kong. He has been quoted in and contributed to Bloomberg, SCMP, Alibaba Insights, Globalsources.com, China Chief Executive, Quartz Magazine and more.
Comments are closed.
i want to buy the health supplement from china in bulk can you please help me out
Hi , is it possible to source supplements for personal use from China without the costly process of lab testing?
Hi Patricia,
I would not buy supplements for personal use that are not tested. That could be dangerous.
Hi
I am interested in having a company create a mix of herbs and vitamins to market as a health supplement. I would require the company to have the medical expertise to create the blend, as well as bottling, and labeling.
How could your company be of help?
Hello Matthew,
Yes, we can help you with supplier sourcing. I suggest you book a free consultation call on http://www.chinaimportal.com/call.