Procurement guide for food brands
Use this 10-point checklist to compare product identity, specifications, food-safety systems, traceability, regulatory fit, formulation support, and commercial readiness before approving an ingredient.
Quick answer
Do not approve a supplier from a certificate logo or website claim alone. Ask for current documents, confirm what they cover, and test a representative sample in your intended formulation.
Your qualification should answer
Protanica's current powder page states 100% Acheta domesticus, with published protein ≥70%, fat ≤10%, and moisture ≤3%.
Buyer checklist
Codex recommends procuring ingredients against specifications and verifying compliance where necessary. Use this framework to decide what evidence your own risk assessment requires.
Ask for the scientific species name, ingredient form, processing level, and complete ingredient statement. Confirm whether the material is whole, defatted, milled, blended, or combined with carriers or additives.
Why it matters: Regulatory status, allergen considerations, composition, and formulation behavior can vary by species and format.
Separate the product specification from the certificate of analysis. The specification defines intended limits or attributes; a COA reports results or conformity for a particular lot or batch. Check which values are controlled and which methods are used.
Why it matters: A nutrition panel, undated sales sheet, or website average is not a complete qualification record.
GMP/GHP and HACCP are useful only when the documents are current and relevant to the facility, process, and product being purchased. Review the issuing body, standard, site, scope, issue date, and expiry date.
Why it matters: Protanica’s GMP and HACCP systems are independently certified by SGS; contracted farms operate under GAP standards.
Insect proteins require a careful allergen review. Evaluated insect proteins may trigger reactions, particularly among people with existing allergies to crustaceans, dust mites, and in some cases molluscs. Feed-derived allergens may also matter.
Why it matters: Obtain qualified regulatory advice for the intended market and final product label.
Understand how raw-material lots, farms, processing batches, finished goods, and shipments connect. Codex recommends product tracing capable of supporting withdrawal or recall.
Why it matters: Protanica uses Thai contract farming under Good Agricultural Practices standards; buyers should request the evidence their own program requires.
Review the process from harvest through packing. Ask about the drying or microbial-reduction step, milling, sieving or foreign-material controls, additives, rework, storage, and packaging integrity.
Why it matters: FAO notes that insect food-safety risks depend on the species and substrate as well as how insects are reared, harvested, and processed.
Do not assume that a facility credential or export history makes every insect ingredient legal for every use and market. Review the supplier’s basis for the specific ingredient, form, use, and destination, then confirm it with qualified support.
Why it matters: FDA food-facility registration is not product approval or endorsement. EU novel-food authorization is product- and use-specific.
A specification cannot predict every result in your product. Record inclusion level, flavor, aroma, color, texture, dispersion, processing behavior, and finished-product stability questions using your own acceptance criteria.
Why it matters: Test the exact product concept and process your team plans to commercialize.
Request a Cricket Protein SampleQualification fails if the ingredient works technically but the supplier cannot support the buying model. Confirm sample policy, pilot and commercial MOQ, packaging, capacity, lead time, storage, shelf life, pricing basis, Incoterms, and export documents.
Why it matters: Exact terms should be confirmed for the project rather than generalized on a website.
Supplier approval continues after the first order. Define how specification, process, allergen, certificate, and packaging changes will be reported and how complaints and non-conformances will be handled.
Comparison tool
Score each supplier from 0 to 2. The score makes evidence gaps visible; it does not replace your own quality, regulatory, or commercial risk assessment.
| Area | 0 — Missing | 1 — Partial | 2 — Confirmed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Identity | Unclear | Partial statement | Species, form, and full identity confirmed |
| Specification & COA | None | Generic or outdated | Current specification plus relevant lot evidence |
| Food safety | Unverified claims | Documents need clarification | Current, scoped audit or certification evidence |
| Allergens | Not addressed | Basic statement | Controls, labeling inputs, and change notice addressed |
| Traceability | No explanation | High-level description | Lot-linked farm, process, product, and shipment traceability |
| Processing | Opaque | Partial flow | Process and relevant controls explained |
| Regulatory fit | Assumed | Supplier statement only | Product, use, and market basis reviewed |
| Sample support | No sample | Sample without context | Sample, specification, and technical follow-up |
| Commercial fit | Unknown | Some terms available | MOQ, packaging, capacity, lead time, and logistics aligned |
| Change control | Undefined | Informal | Named process, contacts, and notification expectations |
Applying the checklist
Protanica manufactures and exports cricket protein ingredients from Thailand. Its current published powder specification identifies 100% Acheta domesticus, with protein at 70% or higher, fat at 10% or lower, and moisture at 3% or lower.
Its GMP and HACCP systems are independently certified by SGS, contracted farms operate under GAP standards, and the manufacturing facility is registered with the Thai and U.S. FDA.
The next qualification step
Tell Protanica your product, target market, and project stage. Ask for the specification, available COA information, quality documents, and a representative sample.
Protanica supplier evidence
Use these credentials as inputs to your own qualification process. Request current certificate scope, dates, and product or batch documents rather than relying on website marks alone.
An industry first in Thailand
Protanica is the first and only cricket-protein manufacturer in Thailand to earn GMP certification from the Department of Livestock Development.
Production runs under controlled, audited hygiene and process conditions — independently certified to Good Manufacturing Practice standards by SGS.
Every batch is produced under a HACCP food-safety system — certified by SGS — with critical control points monitored from raw-material intake through milling, drying, and packing.
Crickets are raised on GAP-certified farms audited to Good Agricultural Practices, giving buyers a traceable, consistent, responsibly-sourced supply chain.
Independent GMP and HACCP audits by SGS, a globally recognised testing and certification body.
Manufacturing facility registered with the Thai FDA and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Tell Protanica what you are developing, your target market, and project stage. Request the current product information and a representative cricket protein sample for your team’s review.