Top 12 Grocery Stores & Retailers Requiring Food Safety Audits for Suppliers

Albertsons Food Safety Audit Expectations

• According to Albertsons, all food and food-contact packaging manufacturing facilities and all packing houses, coolers and processing facilities for Produce must be certified to a Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) recognized scheme.
• Albertsons prefers that all Alcoholic Beverage Facilities be certified to a GFSI benchmarked scheme with a minimum cGMP Audit required. 
• All growers/ fields/ farms/ ranches/ greenhouses for Produce must have an annual third-party Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certificate. 

ALDI Food Safety Audit Expectations

• All ALDI private label food production facilities must be GFSI certified and warehouse facilities must be GMP Certified. 90% of ALDI’s core range is private label.

Amazon Food Safety Audit Expectations

• Depending on the type of supplier, Amazon may accept either a Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) recognized audit such as SQF, BRCGS, PrimusGFS, or FSSC 22000, or a non-GFSI certified audit such as a Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) certification audit, or Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) audit.
• Amazon recognizes GFSI benchmarked certifications for chilled and frozen foods and high-risk raw produce.
• Amazon accepts GFSI-recognized audits , Primus Standard Audit (GMP or GAP), and USDA Harmonized Audit (GMP or GAP) for Non High-Risk Raw Agricultural Commodity And Rarely Consumed As Raw Produce.
• Amazon requires a Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) certificate or a Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) certificate for each Infant Formula manufacturing facility and Baby Food Manufacturing facility. 
• For Dietary Supplements (Other Than Sports Nutrition Or Bodybuilding) Amazon requires a GMP certificate or evidence of participation in one of the following certification programs: NSF/ANSI 173 Product Certification, NSF Certified for Sport®, BSCG Certified Drug Free®, Informed-Choice/ Informed-Sport Program, USP Dietary Supplement Verification Program, or UL Brand Certification Program.
• For Supplements Intended For Sports Nutrition And Bodybuilding you may be asked to submit a finished product Certificate of Analysis (COA) for certain compounds or evidence of participation in one of the following certification programs: NSF/ANSI 173 Product Certification, NSF Certified for Sport®, BSCG Certified Drug Free®, Informed-Choice/ Informed-Sport Program, USP Dietary Supplement Verification Program, or UL Brand Certification Program.

Costco Food Safety Audit Expectations

• Costco requires a Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) audit, called the “Costco Food Safety Audit”. Costco will also accept a Costco Addendum for a Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) benchmarked audit.

Kroger Food Safety Audit Expectations

• Kroger requires that all Vendors that manufacture/produce Kroger private label (Our Brands) ingredients and food contact items be certified to a Global Food Safety Initiative (“GFSI”) benchmarked audit scheme for each manufacturing plant producing such ingredients and food contact items. 

Meijer Food Safety Audit Expectations

• Food facilities supplying to Meijer must submit a Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) audit report conducted under an acceptable scheme, such as SQF, BRCGS, PrimusGFS, or FSSC 22000 prior to doing business with Meijer.
• Meijer prefers GFSI certification for produce, however, they will accept USDA GAP certification.

Sysco Food Safety Audit Expectations

• Sysco requires approved Sysco Brand food and food contact disposable suppliers to undergo an annual Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) audit.
• According to Sysco, all suppliers of Sysco Brand fresh, ready-to-eat produce are required to comply with Good Agricultural Practices (GAP).

Target Food Safety Audit Expectations

• All facilities that produce Target-branded foods are required to have Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) recognized certification.

UNFI Food Safety Audit Expectations

• UNFI conducts on-site visits to assess food safety compliance at supplier locations. UNFI relies on supplier certifications, including Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). 

Walmart Food Safety Audit Expectations

• Walmart will not accept local, state, and federal inspections in place of a GFSI recognized certification.
• Walmart offers some exceptions for fresh produce suppliers of a small size to be able to complete alternative food safety certification audits instead of GFSI recognized certification.

Wegmans Food Safety Audit Expectations

• To supply Wegmans Brand products, ingredients or packaging, suppliers must be certified by a Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) recognized certification program (or Harmonized GAP Plus+, produce only).

Whole Foods Market Food Safety Audit Expectations

• Depending on the type of supplier, Whole Foods Market (WFM) may accept either a Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) recognized audit or a non-GFSI certified audit such as a Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) certification audit, Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) audit, Global Markets Program (GMaP) audit, LGMA audit, or HACCP audit.

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