Compliance & quality
How a program is controlled before it ships: producing-site qualification, destination-market entry for the European Union and the United States, the documents that travel with each lot, and the controls behind them.
Start an RFQA clearer way to work
Every producing site is qualified before it enters a program: HACCP as the baseline and, where the program requires it, a recognized food-safety certification - FSSC 22000, BRCGS, IFS Food, or ISO 22000 where a buyer accepts it - held by the selected site, with the certificate, its scope and its expiry confirmed in writing for the selected product, and the registrations the destination market requires. What is verified, and what ships with each lot, is set out below.
Control points
Qualification happens once per producing site and product; release happens on every lot, against the same agreed specification.
What is verified
The site is qualified before it enters a program, and audited where the program requires it. Relevant certifications and audit documentation are confirmed against the selected producing site and program requirements before order, and the certificate, its scope and its expiry are confirmed in writing for the specific product. Producing sites subject to FDA food facility registration must hold a current registration. What to verify when buying from a new origin.
Products for the European Union are checked against the food-law framework for the product and origin concerned: labeling to Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, contaminant maximum levels under Regulation (EU) 2023/915, pesticide residue limits under Regulation (EC) No 396/2005, and the reinforced official import controls of Regulation (EU) 2019/1793 where they apply. Where a product is subject to border control, the pre-notification is arranged before arrival. How goods are classified, and who is responsible for it.
FSVP, FDA food facility registration, Prior Notice and, where applicable to low-acid canned and acidified foods, FCE registration of the processing establishment and scheduled-process filings identified by SID. Set out on the US import compliance page.
Each shipment carries the commercial invoice, packing list and transport document, the certificate of origin - with preferential-origin documentation where the destination allows it - a batch-specific certificate of analysis against the agreed specification, and the health, phytosanitary or fumigation certificates the product and destination require. Which rule decides who holds which document.
Certified producing sites maintain lot traceability from raw-material reception through processing to dispatch, a documented withdrawal and recall procedure, and complaint and non-conformance handling with corrective action. ALPHATRADE confirms these procedures for the selected site before the first order and carries any buyer complaint through to closure.
Buyer or third-party audits of the producing site are arranged as part of program qualification. Ethical audit reports (SMETA or BSCI) and Halal certification are available from selected producing sites and confirmed for the program before order; organic certification for the herbs and botanicals range is confirmed against the selected producing site and program before order. Independent pre-shipment inspection (SGS or equivalent) is arranged on request at loading.
Buyer qualification
Documentation is agreed for the selected product and destination. The stages below separate quotation information, site qualification documents and shipment records; availability and any disclosure conditions are confirmed for the program.
Proposed product specification, pack and case configuration, and origin; available allergen, GMO-status and nutrition information, with outstanding information identified for confirmation before specification approval. Any buyer-required reference standard is agreed for the product.
Selected producing-site certificate, scope and expiry; confirmation of current FDA food facility registration where required; and, subject to availability and partner authorization, summaries of audit findings, HACCP controls, traceability and recall procedures. For private-label programs, artwork proofs follow agreement of the product and packaging specification and require approval before printing.
Commercial invoice, packing list and transport document; certificate of origin and preferential-origin documents where applicable; batch certificate of analysis against the agreed specification; health, phytosanitary or fumigation certificates the product and destination require.
Pre-production and pre-shipment samples, subject to product availability, production stage, agreed timing and costs. Buyer or third-party site audits during qualification, and independent inspection at loading, subject to agreed scope, site access, scheduling and costs. Ethical audit reports and relevant Halal or organic certification may be available for selected products and sites, subject to scope verification and disclosure authorization.
Producing-site identity is disclosed for buyer qualification before the first order, subject to agreed confidentiality arrangements and partner authorization. Full audit reports require the site’s consent. ALPHATRADE is the contracting seller: any certification referenced concerns the selected producing site and its certified scope, confirmed in writing for the program.
Request qualification documents for your productThe working process
The producing site is qualified and its certification, scope and expiry confirmed for the specific product.
Labeling, contaminant and residue requirements, registrations and controls are checked for the product and the destination before the program is quoted.
Lot analysis, certificates and shipping documents are assembled and reviewed against the destination requirements before the goods move.
Common questions
Yes. The producing-site qualification is the same for every destination. What differs is the destination review: EU labeling, contaminant and residue rules on one side; FSVP, FDA registration, Prior Notice and, where applicable, FCE and SID on the other. Both are checked before the program is quoted.
Yes. Buyer or third-party audits are arranged as part of program qualification, and certification documents, scope and expiry for the selected site are provided to qualified buyers before the first order.
Ethical audit reports (SMETA or BSCI) and Halal certification are available from selected producing sites and confirmed for the program before order. Organic certification for the herbs and botanicals range is confirmed against the selected producing site and program before order.
A lot that fails release against the agreed specification is not shipped; it is corrected or replaced before the goods move. A non-conformance found after delivery is recorded, investigated with the producing site and closed with corrective action, and the outcome is carried into subsequent orders.
Yes. Independent pre-shipment inspection (SGS or equivalent) is arranged on request at loading, and the inspection report travels with the shipping documents.
Commercial invoice, packing list and transport document; certificate of origin, with EUR.1 or an origin declaration where preferential origin applies; a batch certificate of analysis; and the health, phytosanitary or fumigation certificates required for the product. The exact set is fixed on the program specification.
Professional buyer inquiries
Your requirement does not need to be complete. Share what you know: product, quantity, destination, packaging requirements and timing. ALPHATRADE will review the scope and outline the next commercial step.
Start an RFQ Request an appointment
