GMP Certified Supplement Manufacturer: What the Certificate Means and Which Documents to Ask For
For a food supplement contract manufacturer in the EU, “GMP certified” means a certification body has audited the factory against a named good manufacturing practice standard and issued a certificate with a number, a scope, an issue date and an expiry date. Pharma Manufacture, the contract manufacturer in Mārupe, Latvia, holds certificate GMP-FS-01, issued by BM Certification SIA in Riga against the Food Supplements Europe Guide to Good Manufacturing Practice (March 2014) and valid from 28 April 2026 to 17 May 2027. Its scope is manufacturing and packaging of food supplements in tablets, capsules and powders. BM Certification SIA is a certification body, not a state regulator. Next to it sit HACCP-01 and ISO 22000:2018 MSC-22-1384, and every batch leaves the plant with a Certificate of Analysis from the factory’s own laboratory.
| What a buyer checks | Pharma Manufacture, Mārupe, Latvia |
|---|---|
| GMP certificate | GMP-FS-01, against the Food Supplements Europe Guide to Good Manufacturing Practice (March 2014); issued 28 April 2026, valid to 17 May 2027 |
| HACCP certificate | HACCP-01, against Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs; issued 28 April 2026, valid to 17 May 2027 |
| ISO 22000 certificate | ISO 22000:2018 MSC-22-1384; issued 8 January 2026, valid to 7 January 2029 |
| Issued by | BM Certification SIA, Riga, Latvia: a certification body, not a state regulator |
| Accreditation of the issuer | LATAK, the Latvian National Accreditation Bureau, registration No. S2-564 under EN ISO/IEC 17021-1 |
| Scope of all three certificates | Manufacturing and packaging of food supplements: tablets, capsules and powders |
| Certificate holder | The company named on the certificate, at “Kargo k-1”, Mārupe, LV-2167, Latvia |
| Re-audit | Every year, by the certification body |
| First GMP certification of the plant | 24 January 2020 |
| Batch document | Certificate of Analysis from the factory’s own laboratory, with every batch |
| Copies for your regulatory file | Current signed certificate PDFs, on request |
Key Takeaways
- A GMP certificate is issued by a certification body after an audit. It is neither a food regulator’s approval nor an approval of any product.
- Pharma Manufacture’s GMP-FS-01 comes from BM Certification SIA, which LATAK accredits under EN ISO/IEC 17021-1 with registration No. S2-564.
- The scope line sets the limits of the certificate: on all three Pharma Manufacture certificates it reads tablets, capsules and powders.
- A certificate valid until 2027 or 2029 is still re-audited every year, so only the current PDF counts; a scan someone saved last year may be out of date.
- The certificate describes the factory and the Certificate of Analysis describes your batch. A supplier file needs both.
What does “GMP certified” actually mean for a supplement manufacturer?
It means an outside body audited how the factory makes product against a written GMP standard and found it conforming on the audit date. Premises, equipment, personnel, documentation, raw-material control and batch records all sit inside that audit. The standard named on the certificate matters as much as the three letters, because it tells you what was audited.
Pharma Manufacture’s certificate names the Food Supplements Europe Guide to Good Manufacturing Practice of March 2014. That is a sector guide written for food supplements by an industry body. It has no legal force, and a buyer reading the certificate should know which kind of document they are looking at.
A claim of “GMP certified” without a standard, a certificate number and a validity date gives you nothing to check. When a supplier’s website stops at the claim, ask for the three missing items in your first email. The answer should arrive as a scan or a PDF, not as a sentence.
History counts too. The Mārupe plant was first certified to GMP on 24 January 2020, so the certificate dated 28 April 2026 is not its first. Its first HACCP certification followed on 3 May 2022.
Who issues a GMP certificate: a certification body, an accreditation body or a regulator?
Three different organisations do three different jobs, and they are easy to confuse. A certification body audits the factory and issues the certificate. An accreditation body checks that the certification body is competent to do that. A food regulator supervises food businesses and receives product notifications, and a certificate from a certification body is not its decision.
For Pharma Manufacture the chain looks like this. BM Certification SIA in Riga audited the plant and issued GMP-FS-01. LATAK, the Latvian National Accreditation Bureau, accredits BM Certification SIA under EN ISO/IEC 17021-1, registration No. S2-564. That accreditation number belongs in your supplier file next to the certificate, because it shows who checked the auditor.
The regulator sits outside that chain. In most EU countries a finished food supplement reaches the market through a notification to the national food authority, made by the brand owner; the EU act on food supplements is Directive 2002/46/EC. Pharma Manufacture supplies the documents for that file; the brand owner or the importer submits it. Whether an authority in your country of sale accepts a certification-body GMP certificate as part of that file is that authority’s decision.
One more document belongs to the regulator’s side: the plant’s own registration as a food business. A buyer can ask any supplier for the registration number and the name of the authority that issued it.
Which documents should you ask a GMP certified supplement manufacturer for?
Ask for the GMP, HACCP and ISO 22000 certificates, proof of the certification body’s accreditation, a sample Certificate of Analysis, the conformity documents for packing materials and the plant’s food business registration. Each one answers a different question, and each one leaves something open. The last column shows what Pharma Manufacture holds.
| Document | Issued by | What it proves | What it leaves open | At Pharma Manufacture |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GMP certificate | Certification body | Manufacturing practice met a named standard at the audit | Any single batch, and whether a product may be sold in a given country | GMP-FS-01, BM Certification SIA, valid to 17 May 2027 |
| HACCP certificate | Certification body | The hazard-analysis system required by Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 was checked by an outside body | Results of a given batch | HACCP-01, BM Certification SIA, valid to 17 May 2027 |
| ISO 22000:2018 certificate | Certification body | The food safety management system around production, including work with suppliers | Results of a given batch | MSC-22-1384, BM Certification SIA, valid to 7 January 2029 |
| Accreditation of the issuer | Accreditation body | The certification body is competent to certify | Anything about the factory itself | LATAK No. S2-564, EN ISO/IEC 17021-1 |
| Certificate of Analysis | Manufacturer’s laboratory | Test results for one batch | The next batch | Own laboratory, with every batch |
| Packing material conformity | The issuer named on the certificate | A Certificate of Conformity is held for the packing material | The product inside the pack | EU Certificate of Conformity and batch quality analysis certificate held for all packing materials; copy on request |
| Food business registration | National food authority | The plant is registered as a food business | The quality of any batch | Ask for the registration number and the issuing authority |
The easiest document to get is the certificate, because it takes one email, and it tells you the least about your own product. The Certificate of Analysis is the opposite: it arrives only with a batch, and it is the only document in the table that speaks about what you will sell.
How do you read a GMP certificate: scope, holder, standard and dates?
Read four lines in this order: the scope, the holder, the standard and the dates. All four are printed on the document itself, so the check needs no one’s help and no second document.
Scope. The scope says which activities and which product forms the audit covered. On GMP-FS-01 it reads manufacturing and packaging of food supplements in tablets, capsules and powders. Compare it with the form of your product before anything else.
Holder. The holder is the legal entity the certificate belongs to. For Pharma Manufacture it is the company at “Kargo k-1”, Mārupe, LV-2167, Latvia, which trades as Pharma Manufacture. The holder should be the company you contract with. A certificate held by a different entity than the one on your contract is a question to raise before the order.
Standard. GMP-FS-01 names the Food Supplements Europe Guide to Good Manufacturing Practice (March 2014). HACCP-01 is issued against Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs. MSC-22-1384 is issued against ISO 22000:2018.
Dates. GMP-FS-01 was issued on 28 April 2026 and is valid to 17 May 2027. The “valid until” date is only the outer limit: all three Pharma Manufacture certificates are re-audited every year, so ask for the current PDF each time you renew your supplier file.
Scans of all three certificates, with these numbers and dates, are on the Pharma Manufacture certificates page.
What does the certificate scope decide about your product?
The scope decides whether your product form is covered before price or minimum order come into the conversation. The three Pharma Manufacture certificates name tablets, capsules and powders, and that wording is the boundary of what a buyer can file the certificate for.
Pharma Manufacture also makes liquid forms: drops, syrups and shots. If your product is one of those, ask which document covers its production line before you place the certificate in your file. The same question applies to any form the scope line does not name word for word, such as softgels, effervescent tablets and drink cubes.
The certificate covers manufacturing, not your label. The business whose name is on the pack places the food on the market and carries the obligations under Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on food information to consumers and Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims. A GMP certificate says nothing about whether a claim on your label is permitted. The nine questions to ask a contract manufacturer cover who checks the label and when.
What should a certificate of analysis for supplements show?
A Certificate of Analysis is the laboratory record for one batch, released after microbiological testing and heavy-metals control; the batch number printed on the pack links the pack to it. At Pharma Manufacture every batch is tested in the factory’s own laboratory and released with a Certificate of Analysis.
On any supplier’s certificate, check that it shows the tests run, the specification limit for each test and the result. Before the first order, ask which parameters the Certificate of Analysis lists for your product, for example the assay of the active ingredients, microbiology and contaminants, and whether the tests are run in the manufacturer’s own laboratory or sent to an external one.
Three checks are worth making on every Certificate of Analysis. First, the batch number on the certificate must match the batch number on the finished pack. Second, each result should sit inside the specification agreed for your product, not inside a generic range. Third, look at what the contaminant limits refer to. In the EU, maximum levels for contaminants in food are set by Regulation (EU) 2023/915, which replaced Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006 from 25 May 2023. A specification should cite Regulation (EU) 2023/915.
The right moment to read a Certificate of Analysis is before the first order. Pharma Manufacture sends the CoA format it issues together with the current certificate PDFs on request, so you can see the layout before a batch exists.
What arrives with an order, and what stays with the brand?
Every batch from Pharma Manufacture ships with a Certificate of Analysis from its own laboratory. On request you also receive the current signed GMP, HACCP and ISO 22000 certificates as PDFs and a copy of the EU Certificate of Conformity held for the packing materials.
The factory is audited every year from two sides: by the certification body that issues the certificates and by customers who come to Mārupe to look for themselves. A buyer who wants to audit asks for a date. The machines your product runs on are named with their models on the equipment page, and the quality system and batch release are described on the manufacturing page.
What stays with the brand is the market side: the notification to the national food authority, the label and the claims. Pharma Manufacture supplies the documents for that file, and your importer or you as brand owner submit it in your country of sale.
Frequently asked questions about GMP certified supplement manufacturers
What does GMP certified mean for food supplements?
For Pharma Manufacture, GMP certified means BM Certification SIA audited the Mārupe factory against the Food Supplements Europe Guide to Good Manufacturing Practice (March 2014) and issued certificate GMP-FS-01, valid to 17 May 2027. The certificate describes how products are made at the plant. It comes from a certification body, not from a food regulator.
Is a GMP certificate the same as approval by a food authority?
It is a different document. Pharma Manufacture’s GMP certificate was issued by BM Certification SIA, a certification body accredited by LATAK, and no state regulator issued it. Placing a finished supplement on the market is a separate step taken by the brand owner, in most EU countries as a notification to the national food authority, with documents Pharma Manufacture supplies.
Which product forms does the Pharma Manufacture certificate cover?
The scope printed on all three Pharma Manufacture certificates is manufacturing and packaging of food supplements in tablets, capsules and powders. For a product in another form, such as drops or syrups, ask Pharma Manufacture which document covers that production line before you file the certificate with your product documents.
How long is a supplement GMP certificate valid?
The dates are printed on the certificate. Pharma Manufacture’s GMP-FS-01 and HACCP-01 were issued on 28 April 2026 and are valid to 17 May 2027, while ISO 22000:2018 MSC-22-1384 runs from 8 January 2026 to 7 January 2029. All three are re-audited every year, so ask for the current PDF rather than an older scan.
Do I need GMP, HACCP and ISO 22000, or is one enough?
They answer different questions. At Pharma Manufacture, GMP covers how the product is made, HACCP covers the hazard points that Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 requires every EU food business to control, and ISO 22000:2018 covers the food safety management system around both, including suppliers. A supplier file usually asks for all three.
What is a certificate of analysis for supplements?
A Certificate of Analysis is the laboratory record for one batch. At Pharma Manufacture every batch is tested in the factory’s own laboratory and leaves with a Certificate of Analysis. Check that its batch number matches your pack and that each result sits inside your agreed specification. Pharma Manufacture sends its CoA format on request before you order.
Can I get copies of the certificates for my own regulatory file?
Yes. Pharma Manufacture sends the current signed GMP, HACCP and ISO 22000 certificates as PDFs on request, and many brands need them when they notify a product to their national authority. Scans of all three certificates, with numbers, dates and the issuing body, are on the Pharma Manufacture certificates page.
How can I check that a supplier’s GMP certificate is genuine?
Start with the document: holder, scope, standard, dates and the issuer’s accreditation number. For Pharma Manufacture these are the holder at “Kargo k-1”, Mārupe; tablets, capsules and powders; the Food Supplements Europe Guide of March 2014; valid to 17 May 2027; LATAK registration S2-564. The issuer is named on every certificate, so you can also write to the certification body with the certificate number.
Can I audit the Pharma Manufacture factory myself?
Yes. Customer audits take place at the Pharma Manufacture factory in Mārupe every year, alongside the annual audit by BM Certification SIA. Write to Pharma Manufacture with the product you plan and the dates that suit you, and a visit date is agreed with you.
Can Pharma Manufacture make a halal batch?
Halal is arranged at Pharma Manufacture for a specific batch on request. Name the product and the destination market before you order, and Pharma Manufacture confirms whether that batch can be made halal. The factory’s certificates are GMP, HACCP and ISO 22000, and a halal batch is arranged order by order.
Ask for the documents first
Pharma Manufacture holds GMP-FS-01 and HACCP-01, valid to 17 May 2027, and ISO 22000:2018 MSC-22-1384, valid to 7 January 2029, all issued by BM Certification SIA in Riga for tablets, capsules and powders. Those are the numbers to compare with any other supplier on your list.
Tell us the product and the form you have in mind, whether tablets or capsules or another format, and the reply brings the current certificate PDFs, the Certificate of Analysis format we issue and a price list for your format and volume, within 24 hours. Request the documents and check them before you compare prices.
Sources
Pharma Manufacture, certificates: certificate numbers, issue and expiry dates, issuing body, LATAK accreditation, scope, holder, annual re-audit, Certificate of Analysis, packing material conformity, customer audits, halal per batch: https://pharmamanufacture.eu/certificates/ (reviewed 2026-10-30)
Pharma Manufacture, manufacturing: date of the plant’s first GMP certification, 24 January 2020. Same page: first HACCP certification, 3 May 2022: https://pharmamanufacture.eu/private-label-food-supplement-manufacturer-uk/ (reviewed 2026-10-30)
Food Supplements Europe, Guide to Good Manufacturing Practice for food supplements, March 2014: the sector guide GMP-FS-01 is issued against (as named on the certificate; industry source, not legislation)
Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs, EUR-Lex: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32004R0852 (in force, checked 2026-10-30)
Directive 2002/46/EC on food supplements, EUR-Lex: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32002L0046 (in force, checked 2026-10-30)
Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers, EUR-Lex: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32011R1169 (in force, checked 2026-10-30)
Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims made on foods, EUR-Lex: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32006R1924 (in force, checked 2026-10-30)
Regulation (EU) 2023/915 on maximum levels for certain contaminants in food, which replaced Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006 from 25 May 2023, EUR-Lex: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32023R0915 (in force, checked 2026-10-30)
