Sites manufacturing or processing Private Branded food products 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 sites that manufacture or process Private Branded product for Walmart or Sam’s Club, regardless of ownership. It is the responsibility of the supplier to ensure that all sites manufacturing or processing Private Branded products 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 a supplier’s Food Safety manager. New sites must have Walmart Food Safety approval prior to use.
If a supplier provides frozen berries or frozen berry blends, the entire supply chain from farm to final facility must obtain and maintain GFSI-recognized certification, be disclosed, and any changes in sites must be approved before 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.
In addition to Walmart's approved audit & certification requirement, certain sites providing Private Branded products to Walmart or Sam’s Club will be required to undergo a risk-based product and site review, based on science. Information regarding the products, processes, and past supplier and site performance will be used to determine if a site must complete this review and may also determine which steps must be completed. Suppliers will be responsible for any risk-based review activities and associated costs.
Documentation Review
Sites will be required to complete a Product Design Hazard Analysis (PDHA) form, a Supplier Questionnaire, or both. The PDHA form focuses on how significant hazards associated with the products produced are mitigated or eliminated by raw material suppliers or through the implementation of preventive controls at the supplying site. Completion of these documents may require suppliers to provide supportive documents upon Walmart’s request, such as process flow diagrams. For more information on completing the PDHA form visit the Resources section below.
Desk Assessment
After the documentation review, the supplier may be contacted virtually or via email to answer additional questions or share more documentation related to their programs or processes.
On-Site Assessment
Depending on the outcome of the desk assessment, or as required by Walmart for higher-risk products or sites, an on-site assessment may occur. The duration of an on-site assessment is expected to take no more than a single day, during which a tour of the site, production processes, and verification of control programs will occur.
Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPA)
Any critical or major non-conformances found during a risk-based review will be shared with the supplier. The supplier will be provided a timeline to prepare and submit their CAPAs to the Walmart Food Safety team (or approved firm) for review and acceptance. It should be noted that any critical non-conformance(s) will result in immediate suspension of the site, and the site will not be allowed to produce any Private Branded product until the CAPA plan has been approved by the Walmart Food Safety Team and the Walmart Food Safety team determines that the CAPA plan has been satisfactorily implemented.
Private Branded products must comply with all Walmart product specifications – including those for microbiological and chemical properties. Suppliers must implement programs to verify that products comply with these specifications, which may include raw material, environmental, finished product, or a combination of these tests as appropriate (per Supplier’s internal risk assessment). If applicable, suppliers will be required to share verification testing results with Walmart Food Safety upon request.
General Requirements
Suppliers are expected to understand all risks associated with their raw materials and final products, including Economically Motivated Adulteration as defined by the FDA. Suppliers should be aware that Walmart reserves the right to sample product from commerce at any time to conduct authenticity testing. Results will be shared with suppliers and follow-up investigations will be conducted as deemed necessary based on testing results. Suppliers providing products found to be intentionally adulterated, e.g., with valuable ingredients missing or substituted, are subject to suspension and termination.
Organic Requirements
Organic food suppliers are responsible for preventing any organic fraud related to their products, as well as meeting all the requirements noted in the USDA National Organic Product (NOP) Regulation. These requirements include having valid NOP Inspection Certificates, which must be provided to Walmart and Sam’s Club as needed. Suppliers who supply products that are deemed fraudulent, for example due to mislabeling and/or not meeting the USDA National Organic Product (NOP) Regulation (such as missing NOP inspection certification), may face suspension or permanent loss of business.
Walmart requires suppliers of the commodities specified below to, in addition to GFSI-recognized certification, comply with specific requirements prior to providing their products to our stores, clubs, or through our websites.
Listeria monocytogenes is a recognized human pathogen commonly associated with ready-to-eat food items, including deli meats. In our ongoing commitment to the health and safety of our customers and members, Walmart, Inc. mandates that all suppliers of bulk deli meats intended to be sliced in our stores/clubs and pre-packaged sliced deli meats adhere to the following requirements.
- Every SKU of bulk deli meat intended to be sliced within our stores/clubs must include an antimicrobial agent (as defined in 9 CFR 430.1) that will not allow Listeria monocytogenes to increase more than 1-log during the intended shelf-life and storage of the product. Effectiveness of the formulation must be verified through a scientifically credible challenge study.
- Every SKU of pre-packaged sliced deli meat must include an antimicrobial agent (as defined in 9 CFR 430.1) that will not allow Listeria monocytogenes to increase more than 1-log during the intended shelf-life and storage of the product. Effectiveness of the formulation must be verified through a scientifically credible challenge study.
- We recommend that all deli product labels be as clean as possible. Therefore, any antimicrobial agents used shall be consumer accepted, food-grade preservatives that do not negatively impact product quality or taste. Additionally, whenever possible, these antimicrobial agents should be of natural origin.
- Suppliers must have a comprehensive, multifaceted Listeria control program including strict sanitation, environmental monitoring, and finished product testing. These programs are required for all sites manufacturing or processing product that will be sold at Walmart and/or Sam's Club, regardless of ownership. Corresponding documents and records relating to deli products produced under the scope of this requirement must be made available upon request.
Suppliers must submit challenge studies for each item number or formulation to undergo our review before receiving approval to supply the product to our stores and/or clubs.
Ongoing monitoring & verification of compliance with these requirements will occur every 3 years, at a minimum. Suppliers should notify Walmart, Inc. Supplier Food Safety as soon as possible when there are changes to:
- Product formulation,
- Raw material suppliers,
- Ingredient and/or packaging material specifications,
- Manufacturing site or equipment (e.g., line changes that impact product flow, process changes that alter process control, manufacturing zoning changes, installation of new equipment).
In these instances, a new study may be required or appropriate scientific justification to support use of an existing study must be provided.
Suppliers providing fresh shell eggs to Walmart and/or Sam’s Club are required to comply with the Best-in-Class (BIC) Fresh Shell Egg requirement guide. Please contact your Walmart or Sam’s Club merchant for a copy of this guide to ensure your compliance with all food safety requirements.
Please refer to the table below for the most up-to-date list of accepted, non-antibiotic feed additives approved for use by Walmart.
MANUFACTURER PRODUCT RATE OF INCLUSION
| Cage/Cage-Free (lb/Ton) |
Outdoor Birds Organic/Pastured (lb/Ton) |
||
| Alltech, Inc. | Actigen | 0.4 - 1.6 | 0.4 - 1.6 |
| Arm & Hammer | Celmanax Dry NC (product with carrier) |
2 | 2 (only for non-organic pastured birds) |
| Celmanax SCP NC (pure product without any carrier and color) |
0.2 | 0.2 | |
| Diamond V | XPC | 1.5 | 2.5 |
| QTI/Calpis | Calsporin 1.0B | 0.5 | 1.0 |
| Calsporin | 0.25 | 0.5 | |
| Calsporin Organic | 0.5 | 1.0 | |
| Calsporin Organic 2.0 | 0.25 | 0.5 | |
| IMW50 | 1.0 | 2.0 | |
| Backpak | 1.0 | 1.5 | |
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.
These requirements are applicable to Private Branded suppliers who provide fresh or frozen products containing raw ground beef or raw ground bison. It should be noted that these requirements are applicable to product sold raw to our customers/members as well as product that is supplied raw to our stores and clubs which will be cooked prior to being provided to our customers/ members.
Based on thorough consultation and consensus with numerous stakeholders from industry, academia, regulatory, and consumer groups, we require all suppliers that provide products containing raw ground beef or raw ground bison implement process control standards to protect against human pathogens such as Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica serotype Newport. Suppliers of these products must comply with the following requirements.
Supply Chain Disclosure
All sites producing raw ground beef or bison final product must be disclosed to the Food Safety department. Depending on your sourcing and process, additional facilities within your supply chain may need to be disclosed.
Grind Only Suppliers
Suppliers who provide product from a facility containing only a grind process which sources all raw materials from facilities that are not owned/operated/controlled by their company must disclose each grind facility that produces product destined for sale at Walmart, Sam's Club, or online. All grind establishments should be disclosed, even if they are not owned/operated/controlled by your company.
Vertically Integrated Suppliers
Suppliers who provide product from a facility which sources any raw material (trim) from facilities which are owned/operated/controlled by their company must disclose each grind facility that produces product destined for sale at Walmart, Sam's Club, or online. In addition, for each grind facility disclosed, suppliers must disclose all company owned/operated/controlled slaughter facilities that provide raw material to each grind facility, even if the slaughter operation is within the same facility as the grind operation. Suppliers are not required to disclose raw material sources used which are not owned/operated/controlled by their company.
Suppliers with Frozen Processes
All facilities providing final product destined for sale at Walmart, Sam's Club, or online must be disclosed. Final product facilities that are unable to comply with the Process Controls Standards section (i.e., frozen process) must disclose their raw material supply chain. The facilities providing the frozen raw material, even if not owned/operated/controlled by your company, must comply with all requirements listed on this page. This may include disclosure of your supply chain's grind and slaughter establishments.
Process Control Standards
Grind Only Suppliers
Establishments which source all raw materials from facilities not owned/operated/controlled by their company are expected to implement a regulatory-approved intervention, or a combination of interventions, that will consistently produce, at a minimum, a 1.5-log reduction of enteric pathogens (i.e., Shiga toxin-producing E. coli [STEC], Salmonella) within their grind facility(s). Intervention processes must be scientifically validated and those validation studies must be submitted to Walmart Food Safety for review and approval.
Vertically Integrated Suppliers
Vertically integrated suppliers who have slaughterhouse control are expected to implement a regulatory-approved intervention, or a combination of interventions, that will consistently produce, at a minimum, a 5-log reduction of enteric pathogens (i.e., Shiga toxin-producing E. coli [STEC], Salmonella) between post-hide removal and final product. These facilities must ensure they have an intervention implemented within their grind process that consistently produces of a minimum 1.5-logs of the required 5-log reduction. Intervention processes must be scientifically validated and those validation studies must be submitted to Walmart Food Safety for review and approval.
When slaughter and grind processes are not within the same establishment, the slaughter process must implement an intervention, or series of interventions, that will consistently produce, at a minimum, a 5-log reduction of enteric pathogens and the grind process must implement an intervention, or series of interventions, that will consistently produce, at a minimum, a 1.5-log reduction of enteric pathogens. Intervention processes must be scientifically validated and those validation studies must be submitted to Walmart Food Safety for review and approval.
Suppliers with Frozen Processes
Suppliers with a process which presents issues with complying with the Process Control Standards requirement (such as a frozen process) who do not have slaughterhouse control must source their raw materials from a supply chain which meets our Process Control Standards.
- Non-intact raw material suppliers are expected to implement a regulatory-approved intervention, or a combination of interventions, that will consistently produce, at a minimum, a 1.5-log reduction of enteric pathogens (i.e., Shiga toxin-producing E. coli [STEC], Salmonella) within their grind facility(s). If these facilities have slaughterhouse control, they are expected to also implement a regulatory-approved intervention, or a combination of interventions, that will consistently produce, at a minimum, a 5-log reduction of enteric pathogens between post-hide removal and final product. If the slaughter and grind processes are within the same facility, the total 5-log reduction must include the 1.5-log reduction from an intervention within the grind process. Intervention processes must be scientifically validated and those validation studies must be submitted to Walmart Food Safety for review and approval.
- Intact raw material suppliers are expected to implement a regulatory-approved intervention, or combination of interventions, that will consistently produce, at a minimum, a 5-log reduction of enteric pathogens (i.e. Shiga toxin-producing E. coli [STEC], Salmonella) within their facility. Intervention processes must be scientifically validated and those validation studies must be submitted to Walmart Food Safety for review and approval.
Additional Resources
Please see the following documents intended to help answer questions or provide guidance to complying with these requirements. Should you still have additional questions, please contact your Food Safety manager.
These requirements are applicable to suppliers who provide the fresh or frozen raw whole bird chicken, raw chicken parts, and raw ground turkey products. It should be noted that these requirements are applicable to product sold raw to our customers/members as well as product that is supplied raw to our stores and clubs which will be cooked prior to being provided to our customers/members, such as rotisserie chickens.
Poultry products have been involved in multiple high-profile recalls and outbreaks over the past decade. In light of these incidents, we require all poultry suppliers that provide the poultry products outlined above to meet our poultry safety initiative. Suppliers of these products must comply with the following requirements.
- To reduce the vertical transmission of Salmonella to broiler flocks, all poultry suppliers are expected to source from primary breeders who participate in USDA’s National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) for Breeding Poultry (9 CFR 145.83). Countries outside of the U.S. that do not source from breeders participating in the NPIP program should source from breeders who comply with equivalent requirements.
- Salmonella data, obtained via the current NPIP programs, or equivalent, must be reviewed by your company on a regular basis to measure the effectiveness of preventive and corrective actions that occur when Salmonella is detected and to reduce the likelihood of re-occurrences.
- When Salmonella serotypes known to be associated with human illness are detected in a housing complex, suppliers must use autogenous and/or commercial Salmonella bacterins for vaccination of broiler-breeder (parental) flocks against the serotypes found. Moreover, to further control horizontal transmission at the broiler farm level, we expect all of our suppliers to strictly adhere to disease prevention best practices associated with biosecurity and vector control.
- Poultry suppliers must implement a regulatory approved intervention or a combination of interventions between pre-scald to post-chill that will consistently produce, at a minimum, a cumulative 4-log reduction of Salmonella. The intervention(s) and their corresponding reductions must be scientifically validated. Each facility processing whole chickens provided to our stores/clubs, whole chickens that are further processed into chicken parts that are provided to our stores/clubs, and whole turkeys that are further processed into ground turkey that is provided to our stores/clubs are required to comply with this requirement, regardless of ownership.
- Poultry suppliers providing raw chicken parts must implement a regulatory approved intervention or a combination of interventions post-chill, after cut-up of whole chickens (past the current whole bird carcass rinse sampling point), and prior to packaging. The intervention(s) must consistently produce a reduction of Salmonella on all chicken parts. The intervention(s) and their corresponding reductions must be scientifically validated. Each facility providing chicken parts is required to comply, regardless of ownership.
- Poultry suppliers providing raw ground turkey must implement a regulatory approved intervention or a combination of interventions post-chill, after cut-up of whole turkeys (past the current whole bird carcass rinse sampling point), and prior to packaging. The intervention(s) must consistently produce, at a minimum, a 1-log reduction of Salmonella on all ground turkey supplied to our stores and clubs. The intervention(s) and their corresponding reductions must be scientifically validated. Each facility providing ground turkey is required to comply, regardless of ownership.
Please be aware that suppliers will be required to submit scientific validations of their interventions, for review and approval prior to being allowed to provide the product to our stores and clubs. It should also be noted that the microorganisms used for validations must be indicative of enteric pathogens and APC counts will not be accepted.
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.
To help verify compliance with all Food Safety requirements, suppliers of Private Branded products will be required to use the ProSpec and Bamboo Rose systems as applicable.
ProSpec/Bamboo Rose
Private Label suppliers are required to use Walmart’s product life-cycle management (PLM) systems. Walmart Private Label suppliers are required to use the ProSpec system and Sam's Club Private Label suppliers are required to use the Bamboo Rose system. Certain critical Food Safety traceability information is housed within each system, which must be accessible at all times in case of a product or ingredient recall or outbreak investigation.
- Each site making final product or a component for a Walmart or Sam’s Club Private Label must be disclosed in the applicable PLM system. The site must then be approved and set to “active” in the system(s) by the Food Safety team before use.
- For all directly procured ingredients in each product, suppliers are required to disclose the supplier of each ingredient as well as the ingredient’s country of origin.
- Walmart has defined minimum final product microbiological and chemical specification requirements for each food category. Supplier items are expected to comply with these minimum requirements and any applicable legal or regulatory requirements. When defining specifications within the PLM system, suppliers shall select the matching food category from the list of product guidelines on the Food Safety Microbiological/Chemical Requirements tab. This will ensure the appropriate minimum food safety product specifications are populated in the system.
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.
While it is an expectation that all suppliers have a complaint management program in place, Walmart has specific expectations of our Private Branded suppliers. Walmart expects our Private Brand suppliers to promptly launch a thorough investigation any time a food safety-related complaint is received. Food Safety-related complaints may include, but are not limited to, issues involving:
- Illness
- Injury
- Death
- Foreign Objects
- Chemical Taste or Odor
- Alleged food tampering originating at the supplier or within their supply chain
- Any of the above issues resulting in Medical Attention being sought
- Any of the above issues resulting in Legal Action
- Any of the above issues resulting in escalation through broadcast or social media
Food safety complaints should be handled with the utmost priority. Suppliers should acknowledge receipt of any escalated complaint sent to them directly from a Walmart Food Safety Manager within 24 hours. We recognize that some complaints may require more time to investigate than others, however Walmart expects suppliers to submit investigation reports back to the Food Safety Manager within the requested timeline. If no timeline is provided, this information should be provided no later than two weeks from initial receipt of the complaint. Information expected to be included in the report can be found in the Investigation Expectations section below.
As suppliers are ultimately responsible for any legal or financial outcomes from the complaint or claim, Walmart asks that suppliers contact the customer or member directly in order to obtain any additional information needed to conduct an investigation. All communications with the customer or member should be handled in English, or the customer or member’s preferred language, during reasonable hours for the U.S. and in the form of communication that is most comfortable for the customer or member (e.g., email or phone). The supplier can determine whether they prefer to handle these communications internally or utilize a third-party customer service agency (which may be preferred by international suppliers). All communications should be initiated with the customer or member within 48 hours of receiving the complaint. For this reason, we ask all suppliers to have an emergency plan in place to cover issues that may arise during weekends or holidays.
If suppliers need to retrieve the product, packaging, or foreign object for analysis, we request that suppliers send a pre-paid shipping container with a tracking number to the customer or member. We recommend international suppliers partner with a third-party company or lab to send and receive these pre-paid trackable shipping containers for expedited investigations. The supplier should consider having the pre-paid trackable shipping container sent directly to a third-party lab for investigation to ensure final analysis results are not compromised by chain-of-custody issues.
If at any time during an investigation of a complaint or claim a supplier determines that there may be a widespread issue which could impact additional customers or members, suppliers should immediately contact the Food Safety Recall team to begin a product removal. (See Product Removals section above.)
A summary of each area below should be included in the supplier’s investigation report that is submitted back to their Food Safety Manager as applicable. Please ensure the site name and address are clearly indicated on each investigation report unless this information cannot be determined from the complaint information provided.
- Analyzing Similar Complaints: In order to determine whether a complaint is an isolated incident or presents a potentially widespread food safety issue, suppliers are asked to analyze other complaints received in the previous 6 months (this timespan can be expanded or contracted based on the shelf-life of the product). If suppliers have received similar complaints for the implicated item, products that are similar to the implicated item, or products that are made with the same raw materials as the implicated item, the supplier should inform their Food Safety Manager immediately. If suppliers discover that related products or ingredients are at issue or find other evidence of some common or widespread problem, additional actions may be requested.
- Review of Production Records: If a lot code for the product is available, suppliers are expected to trace the lot back to the production date and review records for any abnormalities. Records to review include, but are not limited to, batch sheets, finished product testing results, foreign object detection equipment records (e.g. for metal detectors, x-ray, optical sorters, etc.) Suppliers should also look for abnormalities including review of calibration logs, any detection issues or rejections, notice of unusual occurrences and corrective action logs (NUOCA), deviation logs, cleaning and sanitation logs, or any other relevant CCP records.
- Review of Retain Samples: Retain samples should be analyzed to determine if the reported issue can be observed in similar products. Where invasive tests are required, Walmart recommends documenting the tests via testing records and photographs.
- Review of Production Room CCTV: Where relevant and useful, review production day CCTV footage to help determine complaint cause.
- Conducting the Root Cause Analysis: A formal root cause analysis should be conducted for the complaint using all available information. The root cause analysis should consider any additional products or lots that could be affected by the issue. If suppliers do not have a root cause method defined in their SOP, use the questions “who, what, when, where, why, and how” to narrow in on one key issue.
- Creating & Implementing Corrective and Preventive Actions: Corrective actions should be identified and implemented as soon as appropriate and preventive actions should be taken that are designed to mitigate or prevent the risk of the same issue reoccurring. A formal timebound corrective action report should be submitted to the supplier’s Food Safety Manager for review and approval. Depending on the situation, it may be acceptable to implement both short-term and long-term corrective actions. For critical food safety issues that are identified, immediate corrective actions are to be completed within 24 hours or prior to further production.
- Confirmation of Resolution with Customer or Member: Unless the customer or member has explicitly indicated they do not wish to be contacted, or no contact information is provided, suppliers should contact the customer or member to obtain additional information as well as to resolve the issue. Always treat the customer or member with respect, show empathy regarding their food safety complaint, and keep a detailed record of any communications.