NOW, an independent and family-owned manufacturer of natural products in the U.S. health food store channel, said it is transitioning away from animal-source gelatin to vegetarian capsules for almost all of its capsule products. The company is also phasing out most use of the common flow agent magnesium stearate to accommodate consumer preference.
 
Capsugel’s Veg Capsules are made of vegetarian-friendly cellulose material from pine trees, which is preferred by many health-conscious consumers. These capsules have both Kosher and Halal certification, are certified by the Vegetarian and Vegan Action Society, are Non-GMO Project Verified, gluten-free, and preservative-free. 
 
“To date 97% of our capsule products are in Veg Capsules,” said Dan Richard, vice president of global sales and marketing. “NOW is Capsugel’s largest U.S. customer for Veg Capsules.”
 
NOW has also been eliminating magnesium stearate from most encapsulated products in response to customer requests. Commonly used in encapsulated products as a flow agent and derived from palm oil, magnesium stearate is on the FDA’s Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) list, but consumers have expressed a preference for avoiding it.
 
NOW has mostly substituted stearic acid, a common dietary fat, in place of magnesium stearate; though NOW believes that both ingredients are safe and without known health concerns. Initial test tube studies suggesting otherwise have not been supported by better human clinical studies, the company noted.