---
id: KB-AL-012
url: https://app.codecontract.io/help/food-and-beverage/wholesalers-the-link-that-only-moves-goods
idioma: en
categoria: sector-alimentacion
subcategoria: mayoristas
audiencia: usuario
nivel: intermedio
actualizado: 2026-08-13
tambienEn: [es]
relacionados: [KB-CS-019, KB-AL-011]
citadoPor: [KB-AL-030, KB-LG-026]
---

# Wholesalers: the link that only moves goods

_You make nothing and are still asked for documentation on everything, in both directions._

**Responde a:** food distributor documentation · wholesaler traceability what to keep · they ask me for specs of products i do not make · food distributor paperwork

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

> [!WARNING]
> 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 It does not make you the manufacturer, but it does make you responsible for having distributed outdated information.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

**En corto**

- First, forwards: which customers received that batch.
- Second, whether you still hold stock to be quarantined.
- And third, communicating it with evidence, not by phone.

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.

> [!NOTE]
> 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.

## Ejemplos

**A distributor forwards a customer the spec it had on file from two years ago.**

- Checks the version with the manufacturer before forwarding
- Reviews which customers received the earlier one

→ Spots an added allergen and corrects it before it reaches a restaurant's menu.

**A client asks for documentation on something you only moved.**

- Passes the request to the maker and keeps the reply

→ You provide what the maker declares.

**Documentation arrives from the supplier and is filed by supplier.**

- Also attaches it to the consignment shipped

→ You answer per specific shipment.

**A consignment must be flagged and nobody knows where it went.**

- Records what went out and to whom

→ Those affected are warned.

**Each client asks in a different format.**

- Serves them from one current file

→ The underlying work happens once.

**A supplier ceases to exist and their documentation is missing.**

- Keeps its own copy of what was received

→ The supplier closing does not leave you with nothing.