Capsugel Receives Vegan Certification

MORRISTOWN, N.J.Capsugel received vegan certification for four capsules in its line of vegetarian capsules.

The company's Vcaps®, Vcaps® Plus, DRcaps and Plantcaps capsules contain no animal ingredients or animal by-products (including honey and sugar refined with bone char), use no animal ingredient or by-product in the manufacturing process, and they are not tested on animals by any company or independent contractor.

 The vegan certification is enthusiastically welcomed for our plant-based dosage forms," said Pete Zambetti , global director of business development for health and nutrition, Capsugel. "It is an expansion of the appeal of our plant-based capsules into a very targeted niche in the booming lifestyle-driven market with its wide variety of health, dietary and cultural requirements."

The plant-based capsules are free of additives, preservatives, allergens, starch and gluten, and they are also non-GMO, kosher, halal-certified and approved by the Vegetarian Society.

The demand for vegan certification is growing," Zambetti said. "This is a group of customers for whom core values drive purchase decisions. In addition, by having our empty vegetarian capsules certified vegan, we also can help our supplement manufacturing customers expedite their process of applying for vegan certification for their finished products."

In the United States, 35 percent of supplement users say that a vegetarian or non-animal source is important when choosing a supplement, which is up from 26 percent in 2006, according to Natural Marketing Institute Supplements/OTC/Rx Database. In Capsugel's recent study of supplement users in Europe, more than 45 percent said they would be more likely to purchase a supplement if they knew it was in a vegetarian, plant-based capsule. Of the 70 million shoppers currently seeking vegetarian products (a market growing at a rate of 9 percent annually), 69 percent agree that regular supplement intake offers benefits.

Capsugels' recently launched Plantcaps Capsules are made from pullulan, and they are naturally fermented from tapioca to appeal to eco-friendly customers.