Your complete functional food toolkit
Every tool you need to go from idea to multi-SKU portfolio — built from 40+ product launches inside Master Food Lab. Free access. No login required.
Concept validation scorecard
20 questions across market, product, commercial viability, and regulatory readiness. Built from what separates the concepts that make it to commercial launch from the ones that don't.
Is this the right time to build?
18 questions across capital, time, knowledge, and motivation. The honest assessment most founders skip — the one that actually determines whether you are ready for this.
Functional food opportunity map
Where the market is growing, where it is saturated, and where the real white space is — from inside the manufacturing facility.
Functional food category decoder
Six market categories with full manufacturing reality, white space analysis, and Michael's real take from the facility floor. Click any card to expand.
Functional ingredient claim guide
14 major functional ingredients — exactly what you can say, what you cannot say, and what the FDA is watching right now. Always verify with a regulatory consultant before printing labels.
Find your category
Four questions to get your recommended market category and FDA regulatory starting point for your specific concept.
COGS and pricing calculator
Enter your real costs and see whether your margin model works across DTC, natural retail, and Amazon — before you commit to a production run.
FDA regulatory guide
The four FDA categories explained, and the five-step decision sequence for choosing the right one before your formula is locked.
White space map
Eight specific niches with low competition, growing demand, and realistic entry requirements — ranked by urgency.
Growth trends
The macro tailwinds driving functional food through 2028 — and what each one means for an emerging brand entering now.
5-day email course
The complete functional food launch framework — five emails, five days. The sequence, formulation reality, the co-man relationship, FDA compliance, and COGS truth.
How to brief a formulator — the complete template
The exact document to give a formulator before they start work. Most founders do not know this document should exist. Sending this brief before work begins prevents the most common formulation mistakes.
Pilot run preparation checklist
Everything that needs to be true before your first co-man run. What documentation to bring, what data to gather during the run, and how to evaluate the result.
Formulation red flags field guide
Signs your formula has commercial scale problems before you discover them on the production floor. Catch these early — they are expensive to fix after a pilot run.
Co-man vetting checklist — 47 questions
Every question to ask a co-manufacturer before signing anything. Built from 40+ product launches at Master Food Lab — from someone who is a co-man.
Functional ingredient sourcing guide
How to find, vet, and build supplier relationships for the top functional ingredients — and the questions that separate a reliable supplier from a liability.
FDA labeling compliance checklist
Every label element validated against FDA requirements. Run this before packaging goes to print — the mistakes caught here cost $40K–$100K to fix after units are produced.
Co-man contract red flags — what to negotiate
The five clauses in every co-man agreement that can cost more than the production run itself. Know these before you sign anything.
First retail pitch deck guide
The eight slides every retail buyer wants to see. Built from real buyer conversations — not theory.
Trade show preparation checklist
Everything to bring, prepare, and follow up on after Expo West, Fancy Food, or any natural products show — whether you are attending or exhibiting.
SQF and BRC audit readiness guide
What retailers require from your co-man before they will stock your product — and how to verify your co-man is actually certified.
Launch day checklist — 50 things before you ship
Every operational, legal, and logistical item that needs to be true before the first unit ships. Covers labeling compliance, UPC registration, insurance, fulfillment, and customer service.
COGS audit worksheet — post-launch reality check
Your actual COGS after the first production runs is always different from your pre-launch model. This worksheet finds the leaks and identifies the levers to improve margin.
90-day rolling production forecast
The planning tool that prevents stockouts. Enter your current inventory, committed orders, sales forecast, and lead time — it tells you exactly when to place your next PO.
Co-man performance scorecard
Monthly scorecard for evaluating your manufacturing partner. Gives founders the language and data for a difficult conversation with an underperforming co-man.
When to switch co-mans — decision framework
The signals that tell you your current co-man relationship is a ceiling not a floor — and how to transition production without a stockout.
Trade spend and deduction management guide
The hidden cost nobody talks about until it hits the P&L. What trade spend is, what is normal by channel, and how to build it into your pricing from day one.
Ingredient cost volatility protection playbook
How to build a procurement strategy that protects against price spikes — supplier diversification, forward buying, and the conversations to have with your co-man.
Second SKU decision framework
The seven questions to answer before launching a second product. Most brands expand too soon — this framework tells you when you are actually ready.
Brand portfolio vs hero SKU strategy guide
When to stay focused on one winning product versus when to expand — and what multi-SKU decisions mean for your co-man relationship and COGS.
Private label opportunity evaluation framework
How to evaluate whether running private label alongside your branded product makes financial sense — the economics, the risks to brand equity, and how to structure the relationship.
Manufacturing complexity scorecard for multi-SKU brands
How adding SKUs affects your co-man relationship, scheduling, ingredient sourcing, and quality management — the operational hidden costs most brand founders discover too late.