National Branded Products - Frozen Berries | Frozen Berry Blends
Sites providing frozen berries or frozen berry blends must be independently certified or assessed to a Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) recognized audit standard or, by exception, a Walmart alternative food safety audit standard. Failure to maintain annual certification may result in loss of business and deactivation of a supplier's vendor number. This is a requirement for all operations from farm to final product, regardless of ownership. It is the responsibility of the supplier to ensure that all sites producing or providing frozen berries or frozen berry blends comply with Walmart's audit and certification requirements – including scheduling any necessary audits. Suppliers will be required to disclose their supply chain to ensure compliance with these requirements. Any changes to supply chain sites shall be communicated to your Food Safety manager. New sites must have Walmart Food Safety approval prior to use.
For more information about the GFSI-recognized certification process and to view a full list of recognized schemes, we recommend visiting the official GFSI website.
Frozen berries and frozen berry blends have been increasingly associated with foodborne disease outbreaks over the past couple of years. The most common pathogens identified have been norovirus, hepatitis A, and Shigella sonnei. Due to heightened risk and consumer awareness, we require all frozen berry and frozen berry blend suppliers to comply with the following requirements.
- Suppliers should ensure all operations have adequate food safety programs in place including handwashing programs, access to restroom facilities, routine food safety training, and actionable employee illness policies. These programs should be implemented at all operations that handle the berries from harvest locations to final packaging facilities, regardless of ownership.
- Many of the berries associated in outbreaks have been sourced from countries which had previously been implicated in viral outbreaks. Suppliers are to avoid sourcing berries from countries and geographical regions known to have endemic levels of hepatitis A or other pathogens of concern.
- Suppliers are encouraged to consider the immunization of field workers, regardless of the countries used to source berries.
Suppliers are responsible for ensuring all sites providing product to Walmart retail operations are compliant with any applicable international (including foreign national), federal, state, and local requirements. In addition, all products provided must be compliant with the federal, state, and local requirements for the store or club in which the products will be sold. This may include, but is not limited to, USDA, FDA, and/or state registration of a supplier’s site, and any related product labeling requirements. All products provided to Walmart must be produced in a commercial food manufacturing or packing environment.
Suppliers (both domestic and foreign) are also expected to assist regulatory and health agencies with investigations in a timely manner. Walmart assists various regulatory agencies in outbreak investigations and expect suppliers to provide any traceback documentation that may be requested. Likewise, if public health may be at risk, even if products produced by a supplier have not been directly implicated in an outbreak, it is our expectation that suppliers comply with any recommended product removals.
If for any reason a situation arises where a supplier needs to remove product from Walmart Stores, Sam’s Clubs, Distribution Centers, or Fulfillment Centers:
- Supplier should contact their Buyer, Private Brand Quality Manager, and Food Safety Manager immediately to communicate that a removal is necessary. For any impending recalls impacting Walmart or Sam’s Club, it is important that this contact be made prior to any public notification. Additional information may be requested, which must be provided in a timely manner.
- The Walmart Recall Managers will take the lead in initiating the recall from Walmart facilities, communicating to all impacted stores, clubs, distribution centers, and fulfillment centers to hold or remove product quickly. They will also send communications to our members and online customers notifying them of a potential issue. Once a recall is terminated and the supplier receives approval, the supplier may resume sending safe products to Walmart stores, clubs, distribution centers, and fulfillment centers. Please note that depending on the nature of the issue necessitating the recall, a supplier may be required to successfully complete an investigation and corrective action plan before Walmart Food Safety approval is given to resume shipment.
- Recall information, based on manufacturers’ and regulatory agencies’ press releases that involve products sold through Walmart stores, Walmart.com, Sam’s Club, or SamsClub.com can be found here.
Retail Link® is an online hub for the data, documentation, reports, and special applications that suppliers use to manage their business with Walmart. The Product Removal app is located within Retail Link® and is used to remove products from stores, clubs, distribution centers, and fulfillment centers. The Walmart Food Safety compliance team uses data to execute product withdrawals and recalls through this portal.