Choosing the right ingredient supplier

Choosing the right ingredient supplier is a critical decision for any business in the food industry. With countless options available, it's essential to approach the screening process with clarity and precision. To guide you through this crucial step, we spoke to Felicia of Dempsey Foods. Let's dive in.

What questions should you ask when screening a potential ingredient supplier?

One of the first things that you need to ask is are you manufacturing this product or are you a distributor?

Next question would be do you have any minimum dollars per order?

And my biggest thing is to ask if they provide any Technical Support.

During this process, what are the red flags that you should look out for?

If you can't find any clear office addresses or any online presence, just be aware of that.

Sometimes a company can over promise, you could call 5 different companies who have a wait time and one company who says I can get it to you tomorrow.

Everything should be on paper and make sure you have that paperwork. If the pricing is significantly too high or significantly too low, ask more questions and be critical if they are very vague on lead time or very vague on pricing or commitment.

What documents should you be asking your ingredients supplier for?

ISO, SQF or BRC, those are the standard food safety or documentation standardization that most companies should have.

Also, in terms of the actual ingredients; specification, nutritional analysis, green statement safety data sheets and sample certificate of analysis.

If it is important for your product to have some sort of claim such as halal, kosher, organic or non-GMO, make sure you have that for all your ingredients.

What is your favorite podcast?

My favorite podcast is ‘Where should we begin?’ with Esther Perel. I'm using it for personal development. It teaches you a lot about relationships, personal development and how to deal with people. I think for me and my kind of role it's important to understand.