· 2 min read · FoodChainAPI editorial
FSMA 204 Supplier Questionnaire: Ask for Usable Evidence
A useful supplier questionnaire produces evidence your receiving system can use. A yes/no answer to 'Are you FSMA compliant?' does not tell you how the supplier identifies lots, sends source information, or resolves a missing record.
Ask about the product as supplied
Collect the supplier's product description, ingredients where relevant, and form: fresh, fresh-cut, frozen, previously frozen, shelf-stable, or another meaningful state. Ask for specifications when a short commercial name is ambiguous. Apply the FDA list to the actual product rather than to a marketing label.
Ask the supplier to explain any claimed exclusion or exemption and provide the supporting basis. Record that explanation separately from your own review decision. A supplier's statement is evidence to assess, not an automatic rule your software should apply to every SKU.
- What product and form are supplied?
- What TLC appears in a sample shipment?
- Which location assigned that TLC?
- How are source information and event data delivered?
- Who resolves missing or conflicting records?
- What evidence supports a claimed exemption?
Request one complete example
Ask for a representative ASN, invoice, or other record package with its lot information. Map the sample to your intake fields. Verify that the source reference resolves, the quantities have units, and the identifiers survive import unchanged.
Agree on how corrections arrive. If a supplier replaces an ASN, your system should retain the original and identify the revised information. Silent overwrites make it difficult to explain why the receiving record changed. Establish an exception owner on both sides.
Keep classification and onboarding connected
Use FoodChainAPI to identify candidate FTL categories during catalog onboarding, then route uncertain products to a reviewer. The questionnaire supplies the context a name-based lookup lacks. Do not request every document from every supplier merely because one of their foods produced a possible match.
Retest a sample when the supplier changes facilities, item formulations, or record exchange systems. Track unanswered questions as unresolved onboarding work rather than marking the supplier complete because a form was submitted.
Put the product review into practice
Start with a candidate category in the free FTL lookup. Check product form and exemptions against FDA sources, then save the evidence behind your decision.
API referenceUse in Chrome, ChatGPT, or ClaudeProduct review walkthrough
Sources and scope
FDA sources checked October 4, 2026. Workflow suggestions are implementation guidance; category matches do not establish exemption or compliance status. Check the current FDA requirements for your product and activities.