So your health and fitness business has decided to expand its supplements and protein powder production, that’s great! Now come all the questions: how to follow the proper guidelines; how to package supplements and protein powder correctly; how to create the best branding and packaging for health products. The list goes on and on. But fear not, because Print Bind Ship is here to help! And we’re going to discuss how to package supplements.
Packaging for Health & Fitness Products
There are various options when it comes to packaging for health products. Things to consider include materials used, space needed, the freshness factor, and overall design. And when it comes to packaging for supplements and powders, there are also rules and regulations to follow.
Rules & Regulations for Packaging Supplements & Powders
Supplements and powders produced in the United States or overseas must follow specific regulations laid out by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The most significant change to these regulations came in 1966 when the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act was passed.
This act determined requirements related to details such as what nutrition labels needed to include, which company produced the product, and the net quantity of contents. Let’s have a quick look at these and other regulations in place.
General Dietary Supplement Labeling
Every dietary supplement’s packaging must include a label with specific items. General dietary supplements include any vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, and amino acids intended to supplement a person’s diet.
Identity Statement
Every label must include the supplement’s name, either as specified by law or its common name. If a name does not exist, the identity must be clearly described.
Net Quantity of Contents
The net quantity of contents refers to the amount of supplement in the package. It can be measured in ounces, grams, or pounds.
Nutrition Labeling
For supplements, the nutrition label is known as the “Supplement Facts.” This panel shows specific vitamins, minerals, and other key ingredients as an amount per serving and % of the daily value.
Ingredient Labeling
If all of a supplement’s ingredients are listed on the nutrition label, there is no need to include an ingredient label. However, if there are additional ingredients not on the “Supplement Facts” label, these ingredients must be listed separately
Claims
Claims show the level of a nutrient within a product. For example, how many grams of protein are in a serving size, or how many milligrams of a vitamin are included in a serving.
New Dietary Ingredients
Any ingredients that were not marketed in the U.S. before October 15th, 1994, are called new dietary ingredients. Anytime a company creates a product with these ingredients, it must notify the FDA at least 75 days before introducing or distributing it.
Packaging Design for Supplements & Powders
How you design your packaging and branding really depends on who your target audience is. Will your audience want a package made from recyclable materials? Should it be resealable? Will your branding look good on various types of packages? Your answers to these questions will help you determine which packaging design(s) will work the best.
Types of Supplement Packaging
Supplement packaging is more complicated than you may think. Not only do you need packaging that is eye-catching, but you also have to decide which type of packaging works best for your kind of supplement.
Blister Packaging
This packaging is best for supplements that come in pill or tablet form. They are sheets of multiple small plastic pockets covered with foil that allow consumers to pop-out the number of tablets they need while keeping the remaining ones fresh.
Bottle Packaging
Supplement packaging using bottles works well for supplements that come in liquid or powder form. The bottles can be made from plastic, glass, metal, or a combination of these materials. For example, protein powder packaging works best as large plastic bottles.
Secondary & Tertiary Packaging
Secondary packaging is where you print your branding and details on, for example, the plastic label surrounding a bottle. Tertiary packaging protects the products, such as cardboard boxes and inserts, bubble wrap, and polystyrene foam.
How to Package Supplements
Getting your supplements and protein powder packaging to your consumers’ front doors is a complicated process. There are many steps involved, from filling each package to ensuring it travels safely. But the packaging process is also an opportunity to cut costs without cutting corners.
For example, if you plan on distributing your supplements in plastic bottles, you can purchase generic bottles in bulk and then add your branding to them. You can do the same for glass bottles, resealable pouches, packets, and boxes.
The Number One Challenge
The biggest challenge of health packaging isn’t the packaging itself, it’s the time and effort that it can take away from a business owner’s busy schedule. Because there are stricter guidelines to follow for health packaging, a lot more time and care is required to make sure it’s done properly. It can be challenging to find the packaging resources you need cost-effectively. It’s essential to find the best deals on the appropriate packaging, but resources are available to make the process less complicated.
How Third-Party Logistics Fulfill Supplement Orders
Of course, you want your supplement packaging to make its way around the world, but that might feel like an overwhelming task to accomplish. To ensure your ecommerce fulfillment goes smoothly, consider outsourcing it to a third-party logistics company or 3PL.
3PLs don’t just cover the shipping step of the supply chain—they can cover the entire order fulfillment. From production to packing to inventory, a reliable 3PL can warehouse your goods and manage shipping and receiving.
Packaging
Another way a 3PL can help is by producing your custom-designed boxes and packaging. If your packaging is too generic, it won’t hook your audience as you had hoped. But if you try to do all the custom work yourself, when you can outsource the time-consuming kitting and assembly process. A 3PL company takes the time to do it right and can ultimately make you more money in the process by increasing sales.
Order Management
As your supplement and protein powder business grows, it’s vital to keep up with incoming orders! The last thing you want is to keep customers waiting. A reliable 3PL can help find efficient ways to streamline your production process and avoid waiting for shipping supplies to arrive.
3PLs are already experts in the business, so they can utilize software and tools to track orders, make predictions, and adjust other aspects of the supply chain, all in one place.
Warehousing
Trying to store hundreds or thousands of products when you’re a small business can quickly eat a hole in your pocket. With a 3PL, warehousing space is a part of the deal and one more thing you can cross off your list.
Inventory Management & Product Returns
Your products will be coming and going faster than you can count them. Thankfully, a 3PL manages inventory for you, including when returns come in.
How Fulfillment Grows Your Audience
Another great benefit of working with a 3PL is that while they deal with everything else above, you can focus on improving marketing and scaling your business. It’s a win-win situation.
Expand Your Brand
Once your supplements and protein powders are doing well, it will be easy to consider expanding into other products when you’re working with a 3PL. They can help with DVDs and other multimedia, as well as books.
Marketing Engagement
3PLs can also help you find other marketing initiatives to engage with your customers; like creating those t-shirts you’ve always wanted to design.
Choosing Print Bind Ship for Packaging and Fulfillment
Creating customized packaging for your health supplements and protein powders is just the beginning. Once you can get your business off the ground, a 3PL fulfillment partner like Print Ship Bind can provide you with all sorts of services, from printing and warehousing to fulfillment and returns.
Get in touch with Print Bind Ship today for a free consultation using our Request a Quote form, and then watch your online sales grow.
