Food and beverage
Wholesalers: the link that only moves goods
You make nothing and are still asked for documentation on everything, in both directions.
A wholesaler sits in the middle: buying from whoever makes it and selling to whoever serves or resells it. You transform nothing, and precisely for that reason you have a particular documentary problem — you are asked for papers on products you did not make, and asked from both sides.
The two directions
| Who asks | What they ask for | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Your customer | Specs, allergens, product certificates | The manufacturer, through you |
| Your customer | Your own registration and storage conditions | You |
| An inspection | Where each batch came from and where it went | Your own intake and dispatch records |
| Your supplier | Sometimes, who you sold their product to | You, during an alert |
Important
The second row gets forgotten: besides passing on the manufacturer's material, you have **your own** documentation that will be asked for — your registration, how you store and transport, and what you do if the cold chain breaks. A wholesaler who only forwards third-party papers holds half of what will be demanded.
The costliest mistake
Watch out
Forwarding a product spec **without checking it is current**. You received it two years ago, the manufacturer updated it, and your customer gets the old one with your email on top. If that spec no longer tells the truth — a different allergen, another composition — you are the one who sent it. It does not make you the manufacturer, but it does make you responsible for having distributed outdated information.
How to organise it without going mad
- 1
One spec per reference and supplier, versioned
And knowing when it was last updated.
- 2
An alert when the manufacturer sends a new one
And a review of which customers received the previous version.
- 3
Intakes and dispatches with batch numbers
It is the only thing that answers "where did this batch go?" in an alert.
- 4
And your own documentation current
Registration, temperatures, cleaning, staff: what does not come from the manufacturer.
When a manufacturer alert arrives
The order matters because time works against you: every hour, that product is closer to the end consumer. And whoever must warn your customers is you, not the manufacturer — they do not know who you sold to.
Worth knowing
What each link must keep and for how long depends on the product and the country, and it gets updated. **Confirm it with your adviser or certifier**; this describes the mechanics of which documentation is passed on and which is yours.
›Can I hand over the manufacturer's spec as it is?
Yes, if it is current. What does not work is forwarding the one on file without checking.
›What if a customer asks for something the manufacturer will not give?
Request it formally and keep their answer: a refusal also places you.
›How long should dispatch notes be kept?
Longer than the product's shelf life, with margin: they are the thread of forward traceability.
A real case
The situation
A distributor forwards a customer the spec it had on file from two years ago.
What you do
- Checks the version with the manufacturer before forwarding
- Reviews which customers received the earlier one
What you get
Spots an added allergen and corrects it before it reaches a restaurant's menu.
The situation
A client asks for documentation on something you only moved.
What you do
- Passes the request to the maker and keeps the reply
What you get
You provide what the maker declares.
The situation
Documentation arrives from the supplier and is filed by supplier.
What you do
- Also attaches it to the consignment shipped
What you get
You answer per specific shipment.
The situation
A consignment must be flagged and nobody knows where it went.
What you do
- Records what went out and to whom
What you get
Those affected are warned.
The situation
Each client asks in a different format.
What you do
- Serves them from one current file
What you get
The underlying work happens once.
The situation
A supplier ceases to exist and their documentation is missing.
What you do
- Keeps its own copy of what was received
What you get
The supplier closing does not leave you with nothing.
This article answers
- food distributor documentation
- wholesaler traceability what to keep
- they ask me for specs of products i do not make
- food distributor paperwork