Facility Receives European Organic Certification for Plant-Based Capsules

Capsugel's Colmar manufacturing facility in France has been awarded European Organic certification for the production of finished products using its new generation, plant-based Licaps capsules. Initially, six formulations, as well as the manufacturing process, have been certified as organic. Capsugel is working with customers to develop new products to expand its list of organic finished products. The European Organic certification is recognised by all European Union member countries.

Organic certified products have been gaining in popularity as they are produced without the use of artificial chemical products while using environmentally responsible approaches. According to the Global Organic Foods & Beverages Market Analysis (2010–2015), Europe is the largest consumer of organic food, beverages and supplements.

“With growing customer demand for high quality organic health and nutrition products, Capsugel worked closely with the Bureau Veritas to secure an Organic Certification for finished products using our established plant-based Licaps liquid-filled capsules,” said Erasmo Schutzer, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Capsugel. “With our expertise, we can support customers in developing new organic finished products — including feasibility testing and certification requests — using our next generation plant-based Licapscapsules.”

Capsugel’s next generation plant-based Licaps liquid-filled capsules are based on our well known Vcaps Plus capsule technology, made from plant derived cellulose called Hypromellose (HPMC). The new Licaps capsules ensure pH-independent release of active ingredients because the capsule shells do not contain any additional gelling agents. The capsule is hermetically sealed using the company’s novel Fusion Technology, resulting in a perfectly tight, one-piece capsule.

“The organic certification of Capsugel’s Colmar facility for plant-based Licaps capsules adds to the company’s comprehensive line of vegetarian products for the healthcare market,” said Catherine Lehmann, Director of Marketing for EMEA. “From our recently introduced Plantcaps capsules to our innovative Vcaps Plus capsules and DRcaps acid resistant capsules, customers have a range of vegetal origin capsule options that meet the demands of the savvy green customer.

Capsugel, www.capsugel.com.