Has anyone created their own supplement? (NEED ADVICE)

[devbrah]

Hey guys,

Myself and a friend are thinking of creating our own workout supplements.

We've been looking into buying the ingredients at wholesale, places to get them mixed and packaged etc.

Has anyone had any experience with this? I know there's going to be some legal stuff to deal with, but I have no idea where to start looking.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Lazlo1967]

I was involved with a company years ago that produced a very popular (online) weight loss supplement. Basically, you do not want to do this yourself. They outsourced the development and production - there are companies that do this all the time. These companies will ensure that the ingredients used are at the correct levels and do not have any adverse interactions. Not sure about the legalities, but I think they take on some of the liability in case the supplement harms a user.

 

[loclhero]

I was involved in the bodybuilding supplement industry for almost 10 years. I owned, ran, built and maintained an e-commerce site that was very successful for me. Without getting into details other than to say that due to numerous Google updates killed me along with government regulations I shut it down some years ago. So I have not ever created my own brand but I knew people who did and I can tell you that it is a brutal, cutthroat industry with very low margins. There's a lot more than just your legal issues you'll have to deal with believe me. That's not to say you shouldn't try it, just a little insight.

Here's a brief read by bodybuilding.c0m

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/startyourownline.htm

 

[hindsight46]

In the documentary bigger stronger faster the guy makes supplements by getting ingredients wholesale and then hires illegal immigrants to package them lol....No FDA regulation so not super regulated
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThdFqGLq4QU

 

[devbrah]

@loclhero

Thanks a lot for the reply man.

We're thinking of ordering the separate ingredients in bulk, and then finding a facility that will mix them for us, as well as package and label.

We only plan on selling it through our website, so there won't be a middle man to take a cut. We'll ship out the orders ourselves, in the beginning at least.

Is there any other advice you can offer?

Thanks again!

 

[surfingthenet]

I will give you kudos for thinking about this, however, if you develop a product that is not backed up with some sort of scientific validation ie: testing by a nutrition expert or doctor etc, you could open yourself to a whole legal mess. The FDA is brutal with anything natural and you have to jump through a lot of hoops to get your product to market.

I knew a guy here in Canada that had a degree in nutrition who decided to do his own product development and he had a good product based on whole foods. It took him a long time to get approval etc from our Canadian government. He's still only selling to a few stores and is constantly trying to expand his business.

The fact is, when it comes to buying any supplements, I always check out who is behind the product and what their credentials are first. In many nutritional companies, they have an entire team of experts behind their products to validate the product. Just some things to consider so your eyes are wide open if you go down this route. It can be very lucrative because the health industry is many billions of dollars per year.

Cheers

 

[devbrah]

I will give you kudos for thinking about this, however, if you develop a product that is not backed up with some sort of scientific validation ie: testing by a nutrition expert or doctor etc, you could open yourself to a whole legal mess. The FDA is brutal with anything natural and you have to jump through a lot of hoops to get your product to market.

I knew a guy here in Canada that had a degree in nutrition who decided to do his own product development and he had a good product based on whole foods. It took him a long time to get approval etc from our Canadian government. He's still only selling to a few stores and is constantly trying to expand his business.

The fact is, when it comes to buying any supplements, I always check out who is behind the product and what their credentials are first. In many nutritional companies, they have an entire team of experts behind their products to validate the product. Just some things to consider so your eyes are wide open if you go down this route. It can be very lucrative because the health industry is many billions of dollars per year.

Cheers

Thanks for the reply man.

What if I were able to find a manufacturer/supplier that will take my ingredients, and mix, package and label it for me?

Does the legal liability still fall on me, or the facility producing the forumla?

We plan on selling it online, and not pushing to get it in any stores, as the profit margins will be very small, at least in the beginning when we are producing smaller quantities.

Also, each of the ingredients are FDA approved already (i'm in Cananda myself), and can be purchased at any shoppers drug mart.

Thanks again.

 

[Mobile1]

I've been a professional supplement formulator for over 15 years. To answer your liability question, no matter who manufacturers it, you're liable.

If it's manufactured in the United States it falls under FDA and FTC regulations. Using a website or any form of advertising, is the FTC's area. The FDA deals with what's on the label. If you make any claims for the product it's a legal minefield. Canada has its own set of regulations, which are also complex and restrictive.

Developing and selling your own custom formulas is not a game for beginners. Forget about purchasing the ingredients yourself wholesale and having someone mix them. The new FDA regs don't allow it. Plus, asking a manufacturer to do it is like bringing a steak to a restaurant and asking them to cook it for you. Not going to happen. And under no circumstances consider mixing it yourself, you'd be in violation of a ton of laws.

You could private-label existing products. Private labeling means the manufacturer will put your company info on their existing products. Pretty much all of them require you to use their labels, with only your company info added. Usually their minimum orders are small. Search Google for "private label supplements".