Food supplier evaluation checklist before an international sourcing relationship

Starting a sourcing relationship with a new food supplier abroad involves risk: quality that differs from the sample, missing documents at customs, delays that empty your shelves. A structured evaluation before the first order does not remove that risk, but it makes it visible and manageable.

Below is a checklist organised in seven areas, followed by a scoring grid you can adapt to your own priorities.

Area 1 — Supplier identity and business model

• Legal name, registered address and company registration details obtained.
• Business model understood: producer, processor, or trading company sourcing from partners.
• For a trading company: clarity on how partners are selected and what is verified.
• References or track record in your target market, if available.
• A named contact person for commercial and quality questions.

Why it matters: you need to know who is responsible for what. A trading company can be an excellent partner, provided it is transparent about its role.

Area 2 — Product information

• Product specification sheet received for each item (recipe, allergens, net and drained weight, packaging, shelf life, storage).
• Key quality parameters defined (for example grade for olive oil, type and preparation for table olives).
• Labelling possibilities for your market clarified (language, private label).
• Shelf life at delivery agreed.

Area 3 — Documents and compliance

• Food safety documents for the production site obtained and checked (holder, scope, validity).
• Recent laboratory analyses available where relevant.
• Ability to issue export documents confirmed (invoice, packing list, certificate of origin, sanitary documents required by your country).
• Hygiene practices in line with recognised principles, such as the Codex General Principles of Food Hygiene.

Tip: verify certificates directly with the issuing body when possible. A certificate in someone else’s name, or out of scope, offers no protection.

Area 4 — Samples

• Samples received in the final packaging.
• Evaluated against a defined set of criteria (appearance, texture, taste, aroma, packaging condition).
• Ideally evaluated blind against your current product.
• Reference sample retained for comparison with future deliveries.

Area 5 — Logistics

• Carton and pallet configuration obtained.
• Lead times confirmed (preparation and transport).
• Seasonality and availability periods understood.
• Ability to consolidate several products in one shipment confirmed.
• Delivery terms defined with an ICC Incoterms® rule and a named place.

Area 6 — Commercial terms

• Written offer with prices, price units and currency.
• Minimum order quantities and price breaks.
• Payment terms acceptable for both parties.
• Offer validity.
• Claims procedure agreed (time limit, evidence, remedies).

Area 7 — Communication and responsiveness

• Questions answered within a reasonable time.
• Answers precise and consistent across exchanges.
• Supplier flags uncertainties (“to be confirmed”) instead of overpromising.
• Commitment to inform you before changes in recipe, packaging or origin.

Scoring grid

Score each area from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent), then apply a weight:

Area	Weight	Score (1–5)	Weighted
Identity & business model	10%
Product information	20%
Documents & compliance	20%
Samples	20%
Logistics	10%
Commercial terms	10%
Communication	10%
Total	100%

A common rule of thumb: approve for a trial order above 3.5, request improvements between 2.5 and 3.5, and do not proceed below 2.5 — or if any single critical criterion (food safety documents, for example) scores 1.

Adapting the checklist to the product

The same seven areas apply to every food category, but the questions inside them change with the product:

• Olive oil: commercial grade of the lot, harvest season, available physico-chemical and sensory analyses, storage conditions before bottling, and the protection offered by the bottle (tinted glass, plastic, tin).
• Table olives: type (green, black, turning colour), style of preparation, brine or oil, pitted or whole, calibre range and its consistency from one batch to the next.
• Spreads and condiments such as tapenades or harissa: complete recipe, allergens, heat level for chilli-based products, and shelf life after opening for large formats.
• Preserved lemons and prepared vegetables: salt level, texture, presentation in the jar and drained weight where relevant.
• Dried fruit and fruit pastes: grading, presentation and storage conditions.

Adding two or three product-specific criteria to Area 2 and Area 4 makes the scoring far more meaningful than a generic grid.

Request everything in one go

To save weeks of back-and-forth, send one consolidated request covering: specification sheets for every item, copies of food safety and quality documents, recent analyses, carton and pallet configuration, an indicative lead time, a written price offer with delivery terms, and samples in final packaging. A supplier who answers this request completely and accurately has already demonstrated much of what the checklist measures.

After approval: keep evaluating

Supplier evaluation does not end with the first order. Review each shipment against the reference sample, track lead-time performance and claims, and re-score the supplier once or twice a year.

How MARY JAD supports your evaluation

As a Moroccan trading company, we aim to make this checklist easier to complete: our offers state the product information and documents available for each item, flag what remains to be confirmed, and set out commercial terms in writing. Learn about our approach to quality & sourcing.

To start an evaluation, browse our products and send us a request for quotation mentioning the documents and samples you need. You may also find our guide on choosing a reliable Moroccan food supplier useful.