Which documents a buyer needs for surplus raw materials

A buyer decides from a distance. They do not see the goods, they see your documents. Every detail that is missing generates a query, and every query costs days — with a short remaining shelf life, days that are worth money. Every uncertainty that remains is priced in: a buyer who does not know what they are getting calculates with the worse case.

Then there is liability. On taking over the goods, the buyer becomes the food business operator for them and must ensure their traceability (Art. 17 and 18 Regulation (EC) No 178/2002). Goods without origin and batch details cannot lawfully be passed on — and therefore cannot be bought either. Complete documents are thus not only a price argument, but the precondition for a deal coming about at all.

The specification describes what the goods are supposed to be: designation and description, composition and ingredients, physico-chemical parameters with target values and tolerances, microbiological requirements, sensory characteristics, packaging, storage conditions and shelf life. It also covers the allergens under Annex II of the FIC (Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011), the GMO status under Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 and Regulation (EC) No 1830/2003, and the origin.

For off-spec goods the specification is particularly important, because it shows the target state from which the batch deviates. Name the deviation specifically: which parameter, by how much, evidenced by which analysis. A batch with a clearly named deviation can be valued immediately; a batch with vague details generates queries.

If you have no data sheet of your own because the goods come from an upstream supplier, their specification is sufficient. If that is missing too, the label, the list of ingredients and the details from the delivery note help — the buyer needs the parameters, not your recipe.

The certificate of analysis shows what the goods actually are: the measured values of the specific batch, not the typical values of the product. A usable CoA has a batch reference, a date, the laboratory and the parameters tested. For goods past their best-before date, an analysis taken after that date counts for more than any older certificate.

Which further analyses are relevant depends on the product: microbiology for powders and dry blends, mycotoxins for cereal, nut and dried fruit products, heavy metals and pesticide residues depending on origin and raw material, oxidation values for oils and fats, moisture for anything hygroscopic. Present what is available. What is missing need not be made up afterwards — the buyer decides whether to have a sample analysed.

Manufacturer and plant, production date, batch number per pallet or unit, best-before date per batch and quantity per batch: these are the details with which the buyer can continue traceability under Art. 18 Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 without gaps. If the goods come from an upstream supplier, that stage is part of it too. For export, the country of origin is relevant in addition.

Two details are often forgotten and always asked for: confirmation that the goods are not subject to a recall or an official hold, and the reason for withdrawal — best-before date, off-spec, mislabelling, overproduction, cancellation. Both belong in every offer. If the goods go into feed manufacturing, add whether you are supplying them as feed yourself (then with your registration number as a feed business operator) or as food to the registered buyer.

Origin and confidentiality are not mutually exclusive. For the valuation, product parameters, batch structure and a note that the origin is documented are enough; the manufacturer's name is disclosed in the purchase contract, not in the enquiry. Towards the end buyer, your identity remains protected if a trader buys the goods themselves and resells them.

Photos replace the inspection: packaging, label with legible batch and best-before date, pallet, storage location — and, honestly, the damage too, if there is any. A photo of a torn outer packaging saves a complaint after delivery.

A sample makes sense when the paperwork is not enough: for sensory deviations, for goods past their best-before date, when there is no analysis. Draw the sample representatively from several units, label it with batch and date, and size it so that sensory checks and analysis are possible. Keep a retained sample.

Sampling is not distrust, but the normal route when a batch cannot be fully assessed from the documents. The buyer sees exactly what they are getting before buying, and the quality can be referenced to the sample in the contract. That protects both sides.

Not every document is a precondition. This overview shows what a buyer absolutely needs and what can be substituted:

If these points are in your enquiry, a buyer can value without a single query: