In food, a supplier is never qualified on price alone. They are qualified on their certification scheme — IFS Food, BRCGS, FSSC 22000 —, on that certificate being valid at the purchase date, and on the exact scope, which sometimes excludes precisely the line you need.
Upstream traceability is the second hard point. You must be able to trace a batch’s origin in under four hours during an alert. So we require a demonstration of the traceability test, not just the certificate stating one exists.
For co-packing and private label, the decisive contract points are recipe ownership, confidentiality, committed capacity at seasonal peaks, and the treatment of process losses. They determine whether you can ever change co-manufacturer without starting over.
Typical requirements
- Dry and liquid ingredients
- Flavours, additives and processing aids
- Contract manufacturing and co-packing
- Private label
- Organic and fair-trade raw materials
- Food-contact packaging
This sector, country by country
- Sourcing food ingredients in FranceThe certificate is valid — but does it cover the line you need?
- Sourcing food ingredients in LuxembourgMultilingual labelling and small volumes: two constraints to handle together.
- Sourcing food ingredients in the NetherlandsDutch co-packing: industrial, documented, and demanding on volume.
- Sourcing food ingredients in BelgiumA rare density of co-manufacturers, and labels in two languages.
