The compliance challenge
Supplying major Australian retailers usually means meeting requirements beyond a GFSI-recognised certificate: supplier approval processes, specification systems, labelling and coding rules, allergen and foreign body expectations, and customer-specific audit programs.
These requirements change, vary by retailer and category, and are often communicated through supplier portals rather than public standards.
About this service
Support is provided to interpret retailer and customer-specific requirements and to align your food safety system, documentation and site practices with them.
Work typically covers gap assessment against the customer's requirements, closing documentation gaps, preparing for customer or third-party audits, and maintaining compliance as requirements are updated.
This consultancy is independent. No affiliation with, approval by, or endorsement from any retailer is claimed or implied.
Scope of support
- Gap assessment against retailer and customer requirements
- Support with requirements applying to suppliers of retailers such as Woolworths, Coles, ALDI, Costco and Metcash
- Customer-specific food safety standard interpretation
- Documentation review and alignment
- Approved supplier requirement compliance
- Product specification development and portal submissions
- Traceability requirements and testing
- Labelling, coding and date marking compliance
- Allergen control expectations
- Foreign body control and detection requirements
- Food safety culture expectations
- Internal audits against customer requirements
- Corrective action support following customer audits
- Customer audit preparation and attendance support
- Ongoing compliance as requirements are updated
How the consultancy works
- 1
Requirement review
Collate and interpret the applicable retailer or customer documents.
- 2
Gap assessment
Assess the system and site against each requirement.
- 3
Action plan
Prioritise gaps against the supply or audit deadline.
- 4
Implementation
Close documentation, process and site standard gaps.
- 5
Audit preparation
Prepare evidence and brief the team for the customer audit.
- 6
Maintenance
Track requirement changes and keep compliance current.
Relevant standards
- Australian retailer supplier requirements and customer-specific standards
- GFSI-recognised standards commonly required by retailers
- Food Standards Code labelling and traceability requirements
Who this suits
- Manufacturers supplying or seeking to supply major retailers
- Private label and contract manufacturers
- Brand owners using third-party manufacturing
- Businesses onboarding with a new retail customer
Compliance and operational benefits
- Clear interpretation of customer-specific requirements
- Documentation and specifications aligned to what the customer expects
- Better prepared customer audits
- Reduced risk of supply interruption due to compliance issues