How to Find a Reliable “Blue Hat” Health Supplement Contract Manufacturer for Your Brand?

The “Blue Hat” is the official certification mark for health foods in China, serving as the product's “identity card” for safety and efficacy. For brands, finding a compliant and reliable contract manufacturer is the first step to success. Keep these five key points in mind to effectively avoid pitfalls.

1. Check Qualifications: Verify Production “Entry Ticket”

This is the most critical step. A legitimate contract manufacturer must hold a valid Food Production License. Crucially, the license must explicitly list “Health Food” as a category and include the specific dosage form(s) required for your product (e.g., tablets, capsules, powders).

Pitfall Tip: Many general food factories hold production licenses but lack the health food category. Always verify the license scope.

2. Review Approvals: Distinguish Between “Lease” and “Creation”

Define your requirements:

Model A (Private Label/ODM): Directly utilize the contract manufacturer's existing “Blue Cap” approval. Ensure the approved functions and ingredient formulation align perfectly with your plans, and confirm the factory is willing to grant you usage rights. This is the fastest and most cost-effective approach.

Model B (Contract Manufacturing): Your brand acts as the “registrant” commissioning production. This requires you to complete the lengthy product registration process (obtaining a new blue cap approval) independently or through an agency, then commission a factory with appropriate production capabilities. This grants you intellectual property rights but involves a longer timeline and greater investment.

III. Conduct On-Site Inspections of Production and Quality Control Capabilities

Never rely solely on brochures. Conduct on-site inspections, focusing on:

Cleanrooms: Health supplement production typically requires clean environments. Observe whether workshop management is stringent.

Quality Labs: Verify if the factory can independently test critical indicators for raw materials and finished products (e.g., active ingredients, microorganisms). This ensures consistent quality.

Raw Material & Finished Product Warehouses: Check if storage conditions are standardized and if they implement FIFO (first-in, first-out) and traceability.

IV. Audit the Quality Management System

A reputable factory maintains comprehensive management documentation to ensure consistent product quality. Request to review or inquire about:

Whether a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) system for health supplements is established and operational.

Availability of clear, complete batch production records and inspection logs.

Implementation of rigorous supplier audit protocols and raw material acceptance standards.

V. Evaluate Case Studies and Collaboration Readiness

Successful Case Studies: Request examples of the factory producing similar dosage forms or functional products to assess their expertise.

Communication & Service: Evaluate the professionalism and responsiveness of the factory's R&D and regulatory teams. A partner who helps you understand regulations and optimize formulations far surpasses a mere contract manufacturer.

Finally, ensure a contract with clearly defined rights and responsibilities is signed. Specify intellectual property ownership, quality accountability, scope of authorization for approvals (if applicable), and after-sales service terms.

Summary: Selecting a “blue cap” contract manufacturer fundamentally means choosing a compliant, professional, and stable long-term partner. Following these five steps—“verify qualifications, define the model, inspect the site, review systems, evaluate case studies”—will help you systematically identify reliable candidates, ensuring your brand journey stays on solid footing.

Guangzhou Changshengkang Biotechnology Co., Ltd. was established in 2008. Changshengkang is founded on honesty, based on quality and empowered by technology. Our company's products cover three major sections of health food, nutritional food and cosmetics, layout research and development, production, sales of the whole chain closed loop, We provide health food OEM and cosmetics OEM services, welcome to inquiry and visit our factory, please email to gzcsk2@163.com.