How to approve a food supplier in seven steps
A supplier approval procedure that holds up at audit: what to collect, what to check, and how to keep approval current after the first delivery.
Rate the risk of the supplier and the material, collect evidence that matches that risk, and check it rather than file it: a certificate only counts if it covers the site and product you’re buying. Record the decision, add the supplier to your approved list, then keep approval current by monitoring deliveries and reviewing on a set schedule. Under BRCGS this is a fundamental requirement, so a major finding here fails the audit.
Seven steps from enquiry to approved
Score the supplier, the material and its use
Who they are (manufacturer or trader, certified or not, track record), what the material is (micro, chemical, physical, allergen and fraud hazards), and how you use it. A raw material with no kill step after it is higher risk than one you cook.
Ask for evidence that matches the risk
Usually a GFSI-recognised certificate, a signed product specification and a completed questionnaire. Higher risk can mean a second-party audit or a testing program as well.
Read the certificate properly
Is it in date? Does it name the site that actually makes your material, not just a head office? Does its scope cover your product? Are there exclusions?
Treat questionnaires as claims
A questionnaire is what the supplier says. Check the answers that matter, such as allergens on site, against the specification, the certificate or an audit.
Approve, conditionally approve, or reject
Record who decided, on what evidence, and any conditions, such as extra receiving checks until the first three deliveries pass.
Add them to the approved supplier list
Contact details, the materials they’re approved for, certificate expiry and next review date. Goods-in should only accept materials from this list.
Keep approval current
Track receiving checks, rejections and complaints, renew certificates before they expire, and review each supplier on the schedule your risk rating sets.
A simple three-tier approach
Our suggested starting point. SQF and BRCGS expect a documented, risk-based approach but don’t prescribe tiers or review intervals.
| Tier | Typical materials | Evidence to approve | Review |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | Ready-to-eat ingredients, anything with no kill step after it, allergens, high fraud risk | GFSI certificate with scope checked, signed specification, and a second-party audit or testing program | Yearly, plus on any trigger |
| Medium | Ingredients you cook or process further, direct food-contact packaging | GFSI certificate with scope checked and a signed specification | Yearly |
| Low | Shelf-stable, low-hazard materials and secondary packaging | Specification and a verified questionnaire | Every two years, or on a trigger |
Triggers for an immediate review: an expired certificate, a recall or complaint, a failed delivery, or a change of site or ownership at the supplier.
Four traps auditors find
The wrong site on the certificate
The certificate belongs to a sister site or a head office, not the factory that makes your material.
Brokers and traders
Buying through an agent doesn’t exempt you. Approve the broker and know which site actually makes the product.
Expired certificates nobody noticed
Approval lapses quietly when a certificate expires and the list isn’t updated.
“Emergency” suppliers that stay
A one-off purchase turns into a regular supplier with no approval. Give emergency supplies an end date and record the receiving checks.
Approval that doesn’t lapse quietly
EthicalHub keeps your approved supplier list, certificates and specifications together, and flags certificates before they expire. Goods-in rejections feed straight into corrective actions, so a supplier’s track record builds up without anyone re-typing it. See supplier certificates.
See your supplier list in EthicalHub
A walkthrough using a few of your own suppliers.
Related guides
Supplier approval: common questions
How do you approve a new food supplier?
Is a GFSI certificate enough to approve a supplier?
Can I buy from a supplier who isn’t approved?
How often should supplier approval be reviewed?
Every supplier approved. Every certificate current.
See how EthicalHub keeps supplier approval up to date between audits.