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Approval & Compliance

Food supplier management software: compliance and approvals in days, not months.

Supplier approval and compliance on one two-sided network. Approve faster, stay audit-ready and cut supplier risk.
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Built for food supplier compliance at scale.

Whether a business ranges thousands of lines as a retailer, supplies them as a manufacturer, or runs many sites in foodservice, it starts with knowing the suppliers, because every product’s risk starts at source.

The problem

Risk hides in paperwork. Whether a business is onboarding a new range or remediating after an incident, an expired certificate, a late audit or a missed corrective action slips through unseen, and approving a new supplier takes months of chasing.

The Solution

One two-sided network. Onboard and approve suppliers in days, not months, track certificates and audits in one place, and let AI surface risk before it reaches customers.

70,000+

suppliers on the platform already connected, keeping their own details current.

Days, not months

to onboard a new supplier with risk-based onboarding and AI surfacing risk early.

One live view

of every supplier and site approval, certificate and audit status in one place, so buyers and senior teams can see where risk sits without asking for a report.

30–40%

typically saved on audit programme costs for customers who run their audits on one platform.

Benefits

One supplier data ecosystem from source to shelf.

Connected supplier data means every update reaches everyone who needs it, from the first invitation to the audit pack.
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    Faster supplier approval

    Each supplier gets the checks that match its risk level, so the team can approve with confidence and new suppliers can start supplying sooner.

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    Less follow-up time wasted

    Fewer reminder emails and spreadsheet trackers for the team to manage.

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    No lapsed certificates

    Renewals are raised before certificates run out, so a gap is dealt with before an auditor or customer finds it.

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    Audit-ready, always

    When an auditor or customer asks for evidence, it can be shown straight away instead of assembled.

Live supplier risk visibility, from approval to audit.

Faster approvals, lower audit costs and live risk visibility by supplier and site. Commercial decisions rest on today’s data, not last quarter’s report.

approval

Approve suppliers in days, not months.

  • Risk-based onboarding sends each supplier the right checks
  • Questionnaires, documents and sign-off in one queue
  • Approved suppliers and sites visible to the whole team
  • Each supplier’s progress tracked from invitation to approval

~5.5 hours saved for every supplier onboarded, typically

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From supplier invitation to approval tracked end to end.

Every stage tracked on the same supplier record.
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    Invite

    Add the suppliers to be onboarded and send each one an invitation from the queue.

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    Documents

    Suppliers respond to the customer’s requirements and add their evidence, with progress visible to the team.

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    Risk check

    The team reviews the risk picture for each supplier and decides whether to approve, ask for more, or escalate.

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    Approved

    Approved suppliers move into ongoing monitoring, with status, renewals and audit actions visible in live reports

Ready for auditors. Easy for suppliers.

Approval only works if it stands up to audit, suppliers actually use it, and leadership can see what it delivers.

Supports the standards a business is audited against

Hold the evidence for the schemes, regulations and retailer requirements the sites are assessed on, and give leadership live visibility of where audit risk sits.

  • Evidence organised by supplier and by site
  • Insight into where compliance risk sits, so leaders can act before it becomes a finding
  • Records ready to share when an auditor or retailer asks
  • BRCGS
  • SALSA
  • IFS
  • SQF
  • FSSC 22000
  • GFSI
  • FSMA 204
  • Retailer codes of practice

Implementation made easy

Move existing supplier data across and go live in stages.

  1. Bring suppliers in

    Invite suppliers and move existing supplier data across from spreadsheets and other systems.

  2. Set the standards

    Choose the checks, certificates and audit requirements each supplier type needs.

  3. Go live

    Start approving suppliers, tracking certificates and closing audit actions. Go-live timing depends on the suppliers and sites, and the Foods Connected team plans the rollout with the customer.

Works with the rest of the platform.

Approval and compliance connects to quality, specifications, sourcing and sustainability, so a change in one part of the supply chain is visible in every other.

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    Food Safety & Quality

    Checks, issues and corrective actions, linked to supplier status

    Explore more →
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    NPD & Specifications

    Specifications and formulation, connected to approved suppliers

    Explore more →
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    Sustainability

    ESG and animal welfare data gathered from suppliers

    Explore more →
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    Procurement & Sourcing

    Sourcing decisions made with supplier risk in view

    Explore more →

What our customers say about Foods Connected

“Using Foods Connected has allowed us to drive standard processes across our business, helping capture data in a consistent way meaning the analytics allows us to easily see comparable performance on any level.”
Nick GollinsTechnical Controller, Ornua

Built for how food businesses work.

One platform, shaped around the way retailers, foodservice operators and manufacturers manage risk.

retailers
Retailers

Own brand and everything ranged

Typical challenge: approving and monitoring suppliers across thousands of own-brand and third-party lines.

For retailers →
QSR
Foodservice & QSR

Every ingredient, across every site

Typical challenge: keeping every supplier and site approved and certified as menus and sourcing change.

For foodservice & QSR →
audit
Manufacturers

Every product made, brief to shelf

Typical challenge: proving ingredient and packaging suppliers meet customer and retailer requirements.

For manufacturers →

Resources for Approval & Compliance.

Case studies, guides and webinars on supplier approval, audits and compliance, picked for this solution.

View all Approval & Compliance resources
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Resources

Go deeper on this solution

Guides, reports and expert articles to help you act on what you have just read.

FAQs

Answers to the questions heard most often about supplier approval and compliance.

Will suppliers actually use Foods Connected for supplier approval?

Suppliers get one place to maintain their own records, so they respond once rather than to each customer separately. With 70,000+ suppliers already on the network, some may already be connected.

Does Foods Connected cost suppliers anything?

The customer decides who to invite, and the team stays focused on quality and compliance rather than supplier support. Before anyone is invited, Foods Connected sets out exactly what supplier access involves for the business, including any supplier-side costs.

How long does it take to implement supplier approval software?

It depends on how many suppliers and sites there are and how much existing data is brought across. A first group of suppliers can go first, with expansion from there, moving supplier data across from spreadsheets and other systems as the rollout progresses.

What is supplier approval software for food businesses?

Supplier approval software manages how a food business onboards, checks and signs off its suppliers. Foods Connected runs this on one two-sided network: suppliers keep their documents and certificates current, and the team reviews questionnaires, documents and sign-off in one queue instead of email and spreadsheets.

How does Foods Connected track supplier certificates and audits?
Each supplier’s and site’s certificates sit on its own record, and renewal reminders go out before they lapse. Audits work the same way: findings are logged, corrective actions are assigned to an owner, and anything overdue is flagged so nothing stays open unseen.
How does AI risk scoring work for food suppliers?
Each supplier receives a risk score built from its documents, audit results and certificates. When a supplier looks high-risk, it is flagged with the reason, and the team can review it and decide what happens next.
What reporting and visibility does Foods Connected give over suppliers?
Every supplier’s approval status, certificate expiry, audit result and corrective action is visible in live dashboards and built-in reports, by supplier and by site. Senior teams can see where risk sits and what needs attention first, and the same data connects to Microsoft Power BI for board-level reporting.
Which food safety standards does Foods Connected help a business stay audit-ready for?
Foods Connected helps businesses evidence compliance with BRCGS, SALSA, IFS, SQF, FSSC 22000, GFSI, FSMA 204 and retailer codes of practice. Approval records, audit history and certificates are kept together, so an auditor can be answered from one place.

Ready to talk?

Book a demo and see how Foods Connected would work with the business’s own suppliers and sites.

  • Tailored to the suppliers and sites
  • Led by a food industry specialist
  • Takes two minutes to book