standardized compliance: supplier job aid
TRANSCRIPT
Standardized Compliance: Supplier Job Aid
STANDARDIZED COMPLIANCE PROGRAM: SUPPLIER JOB AID
Congratulations! Your Sponsor (Buyer/Merchant) wants to evaluate your product(s) for sale at Whole Foods
Market!
Before we can put your product(s) on the shelf, we need to ensure it meets our food safety and
Quality Standards.
FoodLogiQ will serve as your Whole Foods Market Food Safety and Quality Assurance
information hub. This platform will be used to onboard and maintain your product/location
information and collect required documents. There is no cost to the supplier for using
FoodLogiQ.
PRO TIP
Your Welcome Email A. You should have received a welcome email unique to your FoodLogiQ account from
B. You will continue to receive additional system notifications from this email address
throughout your time with Whole Foods. Please add this email to your safe senders
list to ensure these messages are delivered.
C. The initial email invitation to set up the FoodLogiQ account will be sent to the brand
owner. The brand owner is responsible for owning and maintaining the account.
However, we strongly encourage you to invite your business partners to help
manage your data.
Accepting Invites: A. Click the ACCEPT INVITE button in the email to navigate to the form pictured in the next
step where you will input your company's information.
B. Fill out each field in the form below with your company information. a. For more information on how to fill out your business information click HERE.
Dashboard Orientation This is your FoodLogiQ Dashboard. It will serve as your home base for communicating with
Whole Foods Market compliance. This dashboard makes it convenient for you to share
documents, new products, and new locations.
1. Workflows - Workflows are guided checklists used by Whole Foods Market to facilitate
compliance reviews. The work in these flows must be completed in order to sell your
products to Whole Foods Market.
2. To-do List Items - Action items i.e. assessments and documents you need to complete will
show up on your to-do list. This list is driven by the information shared in relation to your
products and locations.
3. Navigation Pane - The navigation pane is where you can find a full list of your products,
locations, workflows, and uploaded documents. This is where you will go to edit
information/records that have already been shared.
4. Quick Actions - Quick actions give you the ability to invite new Team Members to
help manage your account, share new or existing product information, and share new or
existing locations.
5. Settings/Notifications - Click on the gear icon to access your settings. Settings allow you
to maintain user access by modifying your user permissions for your FoodLogiQ account.
Click on the bell icon to access your notifications. This will show new notifications and a
history of your previous notifications.
6. Support - This is your resource center. It contains information and links to learn more
about FoodLogiQ and request assistance. Click to access knowledge base articles,
announcements and get technical support.
Onboarding Step by Step The Whole Foods Market onboarding and vetting process evaluates suppliers, products, and
locations to ensure they meet our food safety and Quality Standards before the product is sold
in stores. The supplier onboarding process has five main steps that must be completed in the
order below. These steps appear in the workflow section of your FoodLogiQ dashboard.
1 Download User Guide A. This document is available for download use step 1. This is where we will
house the most current version of this document.
B. Click Mark Complete, to proceed to your next step
2 Add Additional Users
A. Add additional members from your team by clicking the Add Users button.
B. Fill out the required fields (indicated by *), then click Send Invite
Email. This will send the user a link to the listed email address.
C. Once the appropriate users have been added, click Mark Complete.
NOTE
3 Add Locations
A. Click Add Locations.
B. Locations refer to the facilities that handle the products requested by Whole Foods
Market. Continue this process until all locations are added before marking it
complete.
C. Fill out the required information, which is determined by the type of location you are
submitting.
• All are required fields except for GLN/GGN and Internal ID (you can add
the information if needed).
• If the form is submitted without a complete Company Address the process
will be delayed.
D. Click save and share. Repeat this process until all locations are
added.
E. Mark the workflow step as Complete on your dashboard.
PRO TIP
4 Add Products
A. Click Add Products.
B. Fill out the required information.
Due to system limitations, not all required fields are marked with an *.
These unmarked required fields are listed below.
• GTIN (If your product doesn't have a GTIN select "product does not
have a GTIN")
• GPC Brick Brand Name Description Net Contents
• Country of Origin Packaged Product
• UPC (Required if the item is sold to customer)
Mark the workflow step as Complete on your dashboard once all products
have been added. As a reminder, only upload products that Whole Foods
Market has requested as we will not accept any additional information.
PRO TIP
PRO TIP
unique identifiers
5 Complete Open To-Do List Items
NOTE
6 Next Steps A. Well done! You have now completed the initial onboarding steps. B. Once you provide your basic compliance information in FoodLogiQ, it will be
reviewed and Whole Foods Market Compliance will reach out to you regarding the next steps. Please note additional requirements might be required. The next steps vary by supplier and product category.
PRO TIP
Status Updates and Tracking your Progress Throughout the process, you can view your status with Whole Foods Market directly from the
dashboard main page.
A. Click here to review the list of statuses and corresponding definitions that you might see on
your profile.
• This status communicates your overall standing with Whole Foods Market. To track
the status of an individual location, document, workflow, or product, navigate to
that tab on the navigation pane.
Ongoing Maintenance It is your responsibility to ensure all information about your products remains accurate.
A. This includes making sure all documents, product information, and location information are
up to date and always correct. Any changes to your product, location, and business could
remove the original approval. Changes must be reviewed and the information re-certified.
• These changes include but are not limited to: Formulation change, Sourcing
change, new claims, new locations (opening new location or closing an old
location), Expired documents, now your product contains added caffeine, any
location involved in handling your products changed (processing facility,
manufacturing facility, farm, etc.), you have a new production facility you need
to add, your audit expired
i. If there is a reformulation change in a product that introduces an
allergen that did not previously exist, Whole Foods Market must be
notified. All formulation changes will require the item to be treated
as a new product with a new UPC.
• You can see all the information you have shared with Whole Foods Market by
navigating to the Products, Locations, or Documents tab on the navigation.
Once you click on the tab you can select Edit to update the provided
information.
Updating Documents Documents will need to be regularly updated. Documents can be accessed via the Documents
tab on the left-hand navigation pane or by accessing them directly from the product record or
location record to which it is associated.
A. If a change is requested, you will be notified and able to review detailed notes from Whole
Foods Market. Be sure to click Complete Request to notify Whole Foods Market the
requested changes were made.
Renewals Each year we review suppliers and their associated locations/products to ensure
compliance has been maintained to continue selling to Whole Foods Market. Ongoing
proactive maintenance will alleviate time and effort and make the process much smoother
for you.
Supplier Renewals The focus of a supplier renewal is to ensure that compliance is maintained. Supplier
renewals focus on the supplier's overall standing with Whole Foods Market, including
your products and any locations that didn't have an audit requirement. Example: If your
original approval date is 3/9/21, your next supplier level renewal date is 3/9/22. The
renewal date will always fall on the same date each year.
1 Locate and complete the supplier renewal assessment.
• Be sure to click Submit once completed.
• This Supplier Renewal Assessment can be located by selecting Audits & Assessments from the navigation pane.
2 From your supplier dashboard, follow the Renewal workflow instructions and mark steps complete as you complete them. Similar to onboarding.
• The following are standard assessments and activities
you will need to complete annually during your
Supplier Renewals timeframe: Supplier Expectations
Agreement (e-sign) Annual Company Contact
Assessment
3 Whole Foods Market will review your assessment and will contact you if additional information is needed.
• This is a great opportunity to make any needed updates to your
products, locations, and documents. Also, if there are any changes
made to the formulation of a product, you must reach out to Whole
Foods Market to update your records. All products we sell are approved
based on the on-record formulation that was initially approved.
Facility Renewals You will only be triggered for a facility renewal if you have a facility that requires a
third-party food safety audit. A facility renewal is a formal annual review of your
locations to ensure location data and programs meet compliance requirements. Often,
this includes a thorough review of critical location programs to confirm that programs
are still meeting food safety standards and that all information is still current.45 days
prior to your renewal you will be assigned a renewal assessment. In addition, when it
comes time for you to start working on the renewal, Whole Foods Market will kick off
the renewal workflow in FoodLogiQ that will guide you through the steps.
1 Locate and complete the facility renewal assessment. Be sure to click Submit once completed.
• The facility renewal assessment can be located by selecting Audits & Assessments from the navigation pane.
2 From your supplier dashboard, follow the Renewal workflow instructions and mark steps complete as you complete them. Similar to onboarding.
• Review the location record thoroughly, in addition to updating documentation be sure to edit any location information that was previously shared and out of date. Please do not edit the location address if a facility move occurred.
• New locations should be shared by creating a new location record. • Please review the Editing Locations article for additional information on
how to edit shared information.
3 Whole Foods Market will review your assessment and will contact you if additional information is needed.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? After you finish your renewal activities, the Compliance Team will review the information you
provided and reach out with any questions.
Remediation and Non-Conformance As a part of Whole Foods Market's commitment to practicing win-win partnerships with our
suppliers, we want to set you up for success by establishing and communicating realistic
expectations regarding compliance. Remediation is the back-and-forth communication
between a supplier and Whole Foods Market with the goal to work together to correct or
prevent a loss of compliance.
• Examples include, but are not limited to
o New Whole Foods Market Standards, such as a new audit requirement
o Low audit score
o Noncritical issues identified during a site visit or a third-party audit
• Levels of Remediation Nonconformance
o Minor Nonconformance: Deficiency in food safety and quality programs, but
not likely to cause a significant risk to product safety.
o Major Nonconformance: Deficiency in food safety programs that could
produce an unsatisfactory condition and would affect product safety if not
addressed.
o Critical Nonconformance: A breakdown in a Critical Control Point/Process
Controls (CCP/PC), prerequisite program, or process step that could cause a
significant public health risk and affect product safety; a product safety
condition could affect the reputation of Whole Foods Market; a falsification of
food safety records; or a condition that could lead to a Class 1 or 2 recalls.
• What does remediation nonconformance mean to you?
o There is no hard and fast rule as to what remediation will look like to any
specific supplier. If you need to enter the remediation process, know that you
will have time to get back into compliance.
Appendix Resources • Calendly- Schedule a call with us.
• [email protected] Email Us
• Supplier Tool Kit / Portal- Food Safety Resources
• FoodLogiQ Training Site-Instructions for adding products in FoodLogiQ • GS1 US: Home of the GTIN and U.P.C. Barcode-Help Obtaining a GS1 barcode • FoodLogiQ Resources
Viewing and Completing To-Do Action Items Editing Locations Adding Products Finding and Completing Workflows Completing Assessment Change Requests Completing Document Change Requests
FAQs How do I get help?
• Reach out to [email protected] What is FoodLogiQ?
• FoodLogiQ is the software Whole Foods Market has chosen to host and review all Food Safety and Quality Assurance compliance information.
Who is expected to be the primary FoodLogiQ account owner? • Whole Foods Market requires the Brand Owner to be the primary account owner in
FoodLogiQ. Third party representatives can be invited as a user to help manage the account as needed.
Can Suppliers change their company name in FoodLogiQ? • We ask that suppliers refrain from changing their company names in FoodLogiQ.
Unknown name changes make searching for and locating supplier accounts difficult for the Whole Foods Market Supply Chain Compliance team. If a business name change is necessary suppliers should alert the compliance team prior to making updates to ensure our records are updated appropriately.
Can a supplier delete products, locations, or documents in FoodLogiQ? • If the FoodLogiQ record is under review or the review has been completed do not delete
it. Deleting items may result in your product being removed from shelves. Please reach out to [email protected] to review any issues with your account
If a supplier would like to sell a new product at Whole Foods Market, should they add it to their FoodLogiQ account?
• Suppliers should only add items if they are asked to by Whole Foods Market. Products
will not be reviewed unless they have been requested by a Whole Foods merchant using the New Item/Supplier Request form.
What information are suppliers required to keep updated in FoodLogiQ? • All FoodLogiQ information MUST remain accurate and up to date. This includes contact
information, etc. If the supplier needs to change a detail about their product or facility, they should reach out to [email protected].
What are the different unique identifiers for an item and how are they used? • GTIN (Global Trade Item Number): The globally unique 14-digit number used to identify
items/products. It exists for consumer trade items or base unit levels as well as higher level packaging.
• UPC (Universal Product Code): The 12-digit barcode printed on a retail item scanned at the Point of Sale (POS). This barcode is a representation of the GTIN-12 which consists of twelve numeric characters that uniquely identify a company’s individual product.
• VIN (Vendor Identification Number): The identifier used for distribution. Distributors assign different VINs so it could be possible that a product could have more than one VIN if it is sold by different distributors.
• MIN (Manufacturer Identification Number): The identifier a manufacturer uses to describe its item within their inventory.
How often do suppliers need to update their organic certifications? • The document must be renewed each year.
Does Whole Foods Market allow suppliers to recycle UPC's? • Suppliers are not permitted to recycle UPC's. Whole Foods policy states that a supplier
must create a new UPC upon formulation change. What is the Whole Foods Non-GMO Policy?
• Non-GMO claims made outside of the ingredient statement may only be made on foods that are: Non-GMO Project verified, NSF Non-GMO Certified, USDA Certified Organic (or equivalent program).
What third party audit providers are approved by Whole Foods Market? • This differs by product category, check out the next section of the appendix for specific
audit requirements. How often do suppliers need to schedule and pass a third party audit?
• If required to obtain an audit the suppliers facilities should be audited annually. The due date is based on each locations renewal date.
Whole Foods Market risk levels and Category Reviews Below are definitions and criteria for how Whole Foods Market classifies risk levels. Risk
is often assigned to facilities to encompass the variety of products handled.
Level 1 (L1) Co-packed Whole Foods Market branded (not EB) products; packaged and labeled by the
supplier with a Whole Foods Market brand and ready to be placed on the shelf.
Product State: Unpackaged product or ready for shelf placement
Minimum Food Safety Audit Requirement: GMP
Level 2 (L2) High-risk categories of products that are repacked or an ingredient in a recipe prepared in
store.
Product State: Repacked or used as an ingredient
Minimum Food Safety Audit Requirement: GMP
Level 3 (L3) High-risk categories of supplier branded products that are ready to place on the shelf and
unpackaged products with supplier brand on label or signage.
Product State: Unpackaged product or ready for shelf placement
Minimum Food Safety Audit Requirement: GMP
Local/regional audit will be available for some L3 suppliers based on criteria
Level 4 (L4) Non-high risk categories of supplier branded products that are ready to place on the shelf and
unpacked products with supplier brand or label on signage
Product State: Unpackaged product or ready for shelf placement
Minimum Food Safety Audit Requirement: No audit requirements
Level 5 (L5) Non-high risk categories of products that are repacked or an ingredient in a recipe prepared in
store.
Product State: Repacked or used as an ingredient
Minimum Food Safety Audit Requirement: GMP
Meat Requirements and Review Applies to fresh or frozen meat products that do not have Whole Foods Market branding and
are sold to any department.
Seafood Requirements and Review Applies to fresh or frozen seafood products that do not have Whole Foods Market branding and
are sold to any department.
Produce Requirements and Review Applies to fresh produce products that do not have Whole Foods Market branding and are sold
to any department.
Whole Body Requirements and Review Applies to topical and ingestible nonfood products that do not have Whole Foods Market
branding and are sold to any department.
Exclusive Brands (EB)
Finished Product Branding: Whole Foods Market Exclusive
Risk: High risk and Non-high risk
Product State: Unpackaged product or ready for shelf placement
Minimum Food Safety Audit Requirement: GFSI
Locations Required Based on Product Type Locations needed in FoodLogiQ vary by overall category and product type. See below to determine which location types should be shared and associated based on the product type being evaluated for sale at Whole Foods Market.
Unique Product Identifiers The product identifiers required in FoodLogiQ vary by how the product is sold. See below
to determine which identifiers should be shared and associated based on the product type
being evaluated for sale at Whole Foods Market.
A. All products sold at Whole Foods Market must be added to FoodLogiQ.
B. Each product record in FoodLogiQ is required to include at least one of the
following unique Identifier(s).
o GTIN- Required if the product is assigned a GTIN. All GTINs and Barcodes (UPCs) must be issued by and validated by GS1
o UPC- Required if the product is packaged and sold to customers.
o VIN or MIN - Required if you don't have a UPC/barcode on your product or if
your UPC/barcode is not for consumer purchase (e.g. bulk flour).
All GTINs and Barcodes (UPCs) must be issued by and validated by GS1
Unique Product Definitions GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) The globally unique 14-digit number used to identify items/products. Exists
for consumer trade item or base unit levels as well as higher level packaging
(e.g., pack, case, pallet).
UPC (Universal Product Code) The 12-digit barcode printed on a retail item scanned at the Point of Sale
(POC).
This barcode is a representation of the GTIN-12 which consists of twelve
numeric characters that uniquely identify a company’s individual product.
VIN (Vendor Identification Number) The identifier is used for distribution. Distributors assign different VINs so it
could be possible that a product could have more than one VIN if it is sold by
different distributors.
MIN (Manufacturer Identification Number) The identifier a manufacturer uses to describe its item within their inventory.
Supplier Status Status Definition
Accepted Invitation
The supplier accepted their FoodLogiQ invitation and created a profile. This is the default supplier status.
Business Compliance Review in Progress
Existing/Legacy supplier has completed all Food Safety and Quality Standards requirements and will have business compliance reviewed to ensure requirements have not changed based on new product compliance approvals.
Business Compliance Onboarding
Net new supplier to Whole Foods Market has completed all Food Safety and Quality Standards requirements and is in the process of completing business requirements. This status indicates the supplier is compliance approved but cannot be fully approved until business compliance work has been completed.
Approved The supplier is approved to sell all products in an approved status to Whole Foods Market.
Approved - Temporary Exception
The supplier is temporarily approved via the exception request process and granted permission to proceed to shelf while the remaining requirements are completed. This status indicates the supplier is required to fulfill one or more outstanding requirements to reach full compliance. An agreed-upon timeline is set to obtain full compliance, in the event a supplier does not meet the timeline the supplier's products will be deactivated and removed from shelf.
In Remediation
The supplier is missing requirements and is on a remediation plan to gain full compliance before they can be placed in the Approved status.
Re-Review
Status for suppliers that were previously rejected or inactivated. All data must be re-reviewed before the supplier can be fully approved.
Suspended The supplier was previously approved to sell but is now not allowed to sell to Whole Foods Market
Rejected The supplier is not approved to sell to Whole Foods Market due to critical compliance issues. This status indicates the supplier is required to fulfill one or more outstanding requirements to reach full compliance.