All Products Must Include the Following Information
- Product name
- Name and address of the packaging company
- Expiration date
- Net content quantity and weight (cannot include the package weight)
- Lot-controlled products with a shelf-life of greater than 90 days.
- Perishable products must be removed from inventory approximately 5 weeks or 30 days before the expiration date.
- Some customers send products to different countries out of the USA. Please always make sure your product provides a long shelf life.
These Rules Apply to Human and Animal Food!
Documentation Needed for Approval
For Distributors:
- License or Distributor Identification or Registration
- State Business License
For Wholesaler Resellers
- State Business License
- Receipt from a Wholesale Warehouse (like Costco, Sam’s, others) or Invoice from the factory (please keep copy of the receipts or invoices for future request)
Home bakers, Cooks, or Chefs
- State Business License
- Awareness of your local Cottage Food Laws
- Homemade Label in all products (after approval, a picture of the label must be in each listing descriptions)
Note:
- If you claim your product to be organic or contain organic ingredients, you must comply with the USDA organic regulation at 7 CFT Part 205.
- You are not allowed to sell food from Liquidation Centers.
- You are not permitted to resale products from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
- You are not allowed to purchase products using any money or benefit from any Food Assistant Program.
- Keep your receipts or invoices for future upload due to request from government representative.
Rules for Food and Beverage Policy
- Food and beverage must be properly packaged and labeled.
- Proper shipping method to protect the quality and safety of the product.
- Products cannot be spoilage, melting, damage, and so on.
- All food packaging must include the manufacturer’s name
- All food products must have the expiration date on the package and listing description.
- Make sure you ship at least 90 days before the expiration date
- The product must have:
- Manufacturer’s Company or owner’s name
- Place of product made, produce, or grown
- Ingredients
- Nutritional values
Grocery Food and Gourmet Food
Product requirements
- Food preparation must follow the guidance of FDA and USDA;
- Must be properly labeled and packed according to the type of food.
- You must comply with all federal and state regulations. Remember those regulations are not stated in Zona Shoppers; you need to verify in your local agencies and/or legal adviser.
- The expiration date must be print and visible, except for exempt products.
- The products must have enough shelf time before consumption.
- Must comply with the federal regulations regarding labeling, please visit the FDA Labeling and Nutrition, FDA Pet Food, and USDA Approval.
- The selected expiration date in Multi-pack products must be the earliest of the products; for example, if your multi-pack includes different products, the product with the shortest amount of shelf life is the date to accept as the expiration date for all other products, even when the other products last longer.
- All products must have a manufacturing UPC and GTIN (not the UPC provided by Zona Shoppers) and must be included in the product description. For more information about the UPC and other identification numbers, please visit Zona Shoppers Products Identifiers: UPC and GTINs Information.
Products Temperature and Preservation
- All products must be packed in a freshness preservation package.
- All products must be shipped in a suitable container to maintain the proper temperature to prevent them from perishing.
- Agricultural products, also known as raw products, cannot have an expiration date printed due to their special characteristics. However, it is important to provide an expiration date closed to the useful life of the product. They must also provide packaging that prevents the product from rapidly deteriorating, from getting pests, or getting contaminated.
- Remember, for fruits and some vegetables, the temperature is internal, where the pulp is.
Verification Temperature Chain Control
- All products must be temperature controlled from the time it is harvested to the time it is delivered.
- To prevent the product from causing health problems, you as a supplier have the responsibility to provide your Temperature Chain Verification at any time if any problem occurs. In some warehouses, the Blockchain system is used, which minimizes manual labor.
- Temperature chain verification is evidence that you must have and maintain over a period of time.
- This verification must show the control of the product’s temperature during all stages of the process, from collection to delivery.
- This verification protects both consumers and sellers because it is proof of the care given to products.
- This validation chain becomes more relevant in extreme heat such as Arizona, Texas, or Florida.
- This verification chain must work side by side with a validation process. When the product is delivered to the customer, the seller is responsible for ensuring the product arrives in excellent condition.
- To verify the product’s conditions after a shipment, you can request our questionnaire service completely free.
- The only information verified is/are the condition/s of the product at arrival.
- That questionnaire should be kept in your documents as evidence of your validation.
- Each product needs a special temperature. It would be best to verify the required temperature for your products through the USDA or the FDA.
Products Sold as Dietary, Organic or Allergen-Free
- The food you describe as (but not limited to) organic, dairy-free, gluten-free, or kosher must show the characteristics of why the food is described as such.
- The label must also indicate that the product has been approved and certified to be labeled as such.
- You need to follow the USDA rules to obtain the certification; please visit here for more information.
Raw Products
- Raw products are those in their natural stage, just like they were harvest from nature or the farm. For example, apples, bananas, tomatoes, lettuce, etc., all in their natural stage without any process that makes them look different from their natural aspect.
- Are processed fruits and vegetables raw products? No, the wording process makes them not raw. They may not be cooked, but they are not as you find them in nature.
Multi-packs Single Products and Multi-pack Multi-product
- All products must have a manufacture UPS (not provided by Zona Shoppers but from the food factory).
- If the vendor puts products together in a package to sell as a multipack, they must be described, including their nutritional information, weight, calories, etc.
- If you include multiple brands, you need to mention the names of each brand.
- You need to specify if the product is manufacture by a company or by a small kitchen.
- All products must be packed individually.
- All products made in a food factory must present Business License Number, Food Service License Number.
- If the food is the purchase for resale, the vendor must present the warehouse receipt or invoice.
- All products made under the Cottage Food Law must have a label including the nutritional information, the business’s name, the state Food Service License, and the Resale Business License.
Remember
- This is a guide; you must get advice from your legal team to ensure you agree with governmental agencies’ rules and regulations, either local or international.
Prohibited Products
- Unpasteurized dairy products (except cheese that follows government guidelines)
- Unpasteurized fruit or vegetable juice
- Wild mushroom (except for morel and shitake mushrooms)
- Ackee fruit or seeds
- Expired food
- Any unregistered baby formula; please visit Baby Formula Regulations at https://www.fda.gov/food/guidance-documents-regulatory-information-topic-food-and-dietary-supplements/infant-formula-guidance-documents-regulatory-information
- Goat’s milk infant formula
- HIPP formula and milk products
- Products containing any meat imported from China
- Betel nut products or products containing betel nut flavoring
- Kaffir lime leaves imported from Thailand.
- Poppy seeds that are not approved brands per Zona Shoppers policy are sold in pack sizes larger than one pound. Approved Brands: 365 Everyday Value, Happy Belly, McCormick, Frontier, Bob’s Red Mill, Spice Islands, Morton & Bassett, Simply Organic, Spicely Organics, Starwest Botanicals, Tone’s. These restrictions do not apply to Zona Shoppers Business listings.
Note:
This list can suffer changes. You need to verify this list to stay up to date.
