vendor manual - whole foods...

Vendor Manual Version 1.0 | December, 2014

CONTENTS

Responsibly Grown Vendor Manual - Version 1.0 | December 2014 Page 02

1. INTRODUCTION ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2. WELCOME TO RESPONSIBLY GROWN ----------------------------------------------- The goals ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What are we measuring? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The process --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3. GETTING STARTED ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Set up ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Website Subscription ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4. CORE REQUIREMENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tips for Core approval ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Food Safety --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Social Accountability -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Traceability ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

5. WHOLESALERS, DISTRIBUTORS, BROKERS & VENDORS OF FLORAL OR NON-EDIBLE PRODUCTS --------------------- Wholesalers, Distributors and Brokers ------------------------------------------------- Information for vendors of floral/non-edible products -------------------------

6. RATING UNITS --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What is a Rating Unit? --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Creating Rating Units -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

7. RESPONSIBLY GROWN INDEX------------------------------------------------------------- Scoring Overview --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Comprehensive Scoring Review -------------------------------------------------------------- Certifications -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reviewing your rating --------------------------------------------------------------------------

8. REVIEW/APPROVAL ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rating Confirmation --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Annual Updates --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Validating Claims ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

9. THE RATINGS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- How it all stacks up ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

10. HOW WAS RESPONSIBLY GROWN DEVELOPED?-------------------------

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1. INTRODUCTION


At Whole Foods Market there’s nothing we love more than great tasting produce and beautiful flowers. Quality is #1 in our department and we have lots to celebrate everyday - organic, local, Whole Trade and the best flavors of each season, just to name a few. We are proud to partner with companies like yours, that share our commitment to environmental stewardship and things like soil health, water, bees, farm workers and energy. We are excited to introduce the Responsibly Grown rating system for produce and flowers as part of our relentless commitment to people, the planet and of course, amazing food!

Responsibly Grown is a tiered system similar to the 5-Steptm program for meat and the Seafood Sustainability Ratings. Responsibly Grown assesses growing practices on farms and presents customers with a simple rating to inform their purchase - GOOD, BETTER and BEST.

Responsibly Grown measures performance on topics that are important to our customers, suppliers and everyone at Whole Foods Market. The program will recognize organic growers for the investment and achievement represented by organic certification while highlighting additional responsible practices, including farmworker welfare and resource conservation. The ratings will also reward suppliers for certification by a number of leading social and environmental standards including: Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance, Protected Harvest, and Demeter Biodynamic certification.

This document contains detailed information for Whole Foods Market suppliers of produce and floral products to help you get started with getting rated. Please review the information closely and contact your sponsor (buyer) with questions about getting started. We are glad to have you on board, and welcome to Responsibly Grown!

2. welcome to RESPONSIBLY GROWN


We worked with sustainable agriculture experts, Whole Foods Market leadership and numerous suppliers to identify the key issues facing agriculture and the environment.

Responsibly Grown indexes our growers’ practices relative to these issues, using the latest science possible. The system allows us to celebrate and reward the excellent work that many growers are already doing and to incentivize others to reach and continuously improve.

The practices indexed by Responsibly Grown are:

Before we start digging into the details, here’s a quick overview of what we are trying to accomplish with Responsibly Grown, the key farming practices we are indexing and the steps that are required of our suppliers to participate in the program.

WHAT ARE WE MEASURING?

The goals of Responsibly Grown are to:

Reward suppliers who work hard to protect human health and the environment.

Prohibit the most harmful chemicals, and measure and reduce the rest.

Provide an at-a-glance GOOD, BETTER or BEST rating considering key sustainability criteria including: energy, water, soil, pollinators, and pesticides.

THE GOALS

1. Review requirements 2. Prepare traceability information & product templates 3. Submit product templates to sponsor for review 4. Receive invitation from Sponsor and Register in The Barn 5. Complete Core Requirement information 6. Set up Rating Units & submit for approval 7. Receive notification of Core approval 8. Complete Responsibly Grown Index & submit for verification of rating 9. Confirmation of rating 10. Annual updates


We have built a custom website for WFM suppliers to share documents, farm information, and growing practice claims. That website is called “The Barn” and it serves as Responsibly Grown’s front end for gathering information from our suppliers. It can be found at:

https://wholefoodsmarket.foodlogiq.com(Click ‘Vendor Login’ in the top-right corner of the screen)

PLEASE NOTE: you MUST first receive an invitation from a Whole Foods Market sponsor in order to successfully register for The Barn website. For more on how to receive an invitation, read on.

The steps required to participate in the Responsibly Grown rating system are listed below. There are a lot of them, but there are also lots of support mechanisms built-in to assist you along the way! Please refer to these 10 steps as general guidelines while you work your way through the rating process. Look for the “step” icon!

The next chapter in this manual, GETTING STARTED, covers the first 4 of these steps, which encompass everything needed to receive your invitation and get registered in The Barn. Let’s get started!

THE PROCESS

“The Barn” website - registration by invitation only.

10 Step Guide to participating in Responsibly Grown:

Gettingstarted

core requirements

RATINGUNITS

REVIEW/APPROVAL

RESPONSIBLYGROWN INDEX

Chapter

https://wholefoodsmarket.foodlogiq.com

3. GETTING STARTED


STEP 1. REVIEW REQUIREMENTS FOR RATING

In order to qualify for a Responsibly Grown rating, a supplier MUST answer YES to 16 questions regarding farming practices and pesticide use. These requirements can be found on pages 6 and 7 of the Responsibly Grown Index: Offline Worksheet. Please also review the Whole Foods Market Prohibited and Restricted Pesticides for Fresh Produce and Flowers, which can be found here: Prohibited and Restricted Pesticides (This list is updated frequently, follow the ‘Whole Foods Market Prohibited Pesticides’

link near the center of the Rating System graphic for the most up to date information.)

If you do not grow all the product yourself that you sell to WFM, you will need to survey your supply chain to obtain information about the farm management practices. Please ask your sponsor for a copy of the Responsibly Grown Index: Offline Worksheet that you can use to assist with this data collection.

STEP 2. PREPARE TRACEABILITY INFORMATION & PRODUCT TEMPLATES

Before receiving an invitation to register for The Barn - you must both prepare for traceability compliance and complete WFM’s Product, Facility, Supplier and Farm excel templates and submit them to your sponsor.

A. Prepare for Traceability Compliance (for more on Traceability, see page 12)

- Obtain company prefix from GS1 - Assign GTIN numbers to all items offered to Whole Foods Market - Prepare case labeling strategy for implementation - Prepare advance ship notice strategy for implementation

Resources: www.producetraceability.org | www.foodlogiq.com | www.harvestmark.com

B. Complete Product & Supply Chain Information

Complete the WFM Product, Facility, Supplier and Farm excel templates to include:

- Product lists (Commodity, Variety, GTINs, Growing Methods, Origins) - Suppliers (One step back from your company) - Facilities (All ship from Facilities. High risk: Processing/Packing Facilities.) - Farms (Farm name and COO or US State)

SET UP

This chapter discusses how to review the requirements for Responsibly Grown and how to prepare the information needed by your sponsor in order to receive an invitation to register in The Barn.

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/responsibly-grown/produce-rating-system

http://www.producetraceability.org

http://www.foodlogiq.com

http://www.harvestmark.com

STEP 3. SUBMIT PRODUCT TEMPLATES TO SPONSOR FOR REVIEW

Email the completed product templates to your sponsor. Your sponsor will review the product templates and send you an invitation to register for The Barn.

STEP 4. RECEIVE INVITATION FROM SPONSOR AND REGISTER IN THE BARN

Once you have received your invitation, you’re ready to register! Follow the instructions provided in your invitation email and provide all information required of the registration process. All claims will be subject to multiple levels of validation including on site audit and record review.


All produce and flower suppliers are required to subscribe to Whole Foods Market’s website The Barn, hosted by Foodlogiq, to complete the rating process.

Subscription PricingAnnual subscription fees are scaled by volume of boxes shipped to WFM on a calendar year basis.

WEBSITE SUBSCRIPTION

< 10,000 10,001 - 100,000

250,001 - 500,000

> 1 million

100,001 - 250,000

500,001 - 1 million

4. CORE REQUIREMENTS


All Responsibly Grown rated products MUST meet these Core Requirements:

The Core Requirements MUST ALL BE MET to receive a Responsibly Grown rating. This chapter discusses what information is needed for Core Approval, offers helpful tips for avoiding common mistakes and dives into some deeper detail on a few of the more complex requirements.

For more on Traceability, see page 12.

For more on Food Safety, see page 10.

For more on Social Accountability, see page 11.

: www.wfm.com/gmo-your-right-to-know

www.wfm.com/gmo-your-right-to-know

TIPS FOR CORE APPROVAL These tips will help you avoid common mistakes in the Core approval process:

• Insurance: Be sure to upload your insurance and a copy of the endorsement. Be sure to check our coverage requirements against your coverages. Please also be sure your Certificate of Insurance says “Whole Foods Market and its subsidiaries”.

• Organic Certificates: If you have an organic Handler’s certificate, please upload this, not all the grower certificates. Please be sure to include the product list part of the certificates.

• Recall Plan: Be sure your Recall Plan includes at a minimum names/title and duties/contact info of key personnel and your standard operating procedures for implementation.

• Retail labels: If your product is packaged for retail sale, please upload a sample package label under Business Requirements --> Labels.

• Product List: Be careful when entering product descriptions, commodity names, and varieties. Be sure the product description matches the commodity and variety. Check the WFM Commodity & Variety list to be sure you are using the appropriate commodity (Parsley vs Herb).

STEP 5. COMPLETE THE CORE REQUIREMENTS INFORMATION

To complete the Core Requirements section in The Barn, you will need to compile the following information:

- Company Tax ID - Company GS1 prefix - Product list with GTIN’s - Supply chain: list of suppliers, farms, facilities - Organic certificates and their product list - Food safety, fair trade, sustainability certificates - # of cases sold to WFM during last fiscal year (Oct-Sept) total for all products


- Blank Invoice- EFT/ACH Enrollment form (blank form available)- W-9- Insurance General Liability Certificate, Additional Insurance Documents, and endorsements- Recall plan- Copy of PTI compliant Case label (jpg, pdf, etc)- Retail labels and packaging photos

FOOD SAFETY

All Whole Foods Market vendors need to take appropriate steps to ensure their produce is safe to eat. Whole Foods Market requires that all vendors, except those who sell only floral/non-edible products (see Chapter 5) to have both a risk based food safety plan and a recall plan in place. Vendors of high risk products will need to take additional steps to ensure food safety.

-

-

HIGH RISK PRODUCTS

Some products are known to be higher risk for food safety outbreaks. If you sell Whole Foods Market any of these items, you are required to have additional measures in place to ensure safety. High risk products currently include*:

Risk Based Food Safety Plan: WFM requires that all produce vendors and their suppliers operate using risk based food safety plans created after performing a risk assessment to identify potential food safety hazards. All fields, greenhouses, packing houses, coolers, fresh-cut processing facilities and distribution centers in your supply chain need operate using a written food safety plan. If you do not currently have a risk based food safety plan, we recommend looking at the On Farm Food Safety Project and using their free online tool to create a plan:www.onfarmfoodsafety.org

Recall Plan: WFM requires that you have a written recall plan covering all products you will sell to WFM. Your plan must include the following: Duties, names, and contact information for key personnel and alternates at your company; Standard operating procedures for implementing and managing a recall or withdrawal; and List of resources, such as testing labs, lawyers, medical personnel, and grower associations available to the farm in the event of a recall.

Responsibly Grown Vendor Manual - Version 1.0 | December 2014

*List subject to change.

Requirements for Category 1, 2, 3 and 4 include a 3rd Party audited HACCP-based GAP and or GMP program in place at all growing, packing and raw product cooling facility. GFSI benchmarked standards are preferred.

Additional requirements exist for Category 1, 3 and 5. Specific requirements for each category of high risk product can be found in The Barn once you have uploaded your product list. Please contact your sponsor or [email protected] with any questions about what is required.

http://www.onfarmfoodsafety.org

mailto:producecompliance%40wholefoods.com?subject=

PROCESSED/PACKAGED ITEMS

All cut fruits and vegetables, all Ready-To-Eat packaged items, and all dried products are considered high risk for food safety issues.

- Cut Fruit/Vegetables: If you are selling Whole Foods Market any of the following items, please be sure to choose the Commodity type “Cut Fruit/Vegetable”: Any packaged item which has been cut, sliced or otherwise manipulated by machines in a facility, including ready-to-cook items. Examples include sliced mushrooms, shucked corn with cut ends, snipped green beans, etc.

- Ready To Eat: If you are selling Whole Foods market any of the following items, be sure to choose the Commodity “Ready To Eat-Other”: Packaged, ready-to-eat items. Examples include date rolls, artichoke hearts, black garlic, jarred minced ginger, baby carrots, etc.

- Dried Products: Examples include dates, dried figs, sun dried tomatoes, dried peppers, etc.

Items not included in the Responsibly Grown rating system include: salad dressings, juice, cider and spice mixes.

SOCIAL ACCOUNTABILITYIn the Responsibly Grown rating system, suppliers of products deemed high risk for social accountability violations will be required to undergo a third party audit program to ensure compliance with local, state, and national labor laws. High risk product/origins currently include:*

*List subject to change.

The audit program must specifically address compliance with laws governing slavery, human trafficking, and child labor in the country in which products are grown. Third party audit programs that are currently accepted by Whole Foods Market include: GSCP Equivalency, ISO26000, SQF Ethical Sourcing, SA8000, BSCI, SEDEX (SMETA), Fair Trade USA, FLO CERT, IMO For Life and Rainforest Alliance. If there is a third party social responsibility audit not listed that you believe should be accepted, please contact your sponsor to request review.


PTI COMPLIANT CASE LABELING

• All cases shipped to Whole Foods Market must carry a PTI compliant case label as defined by milestones 3 and 4 of PTI.

• The images below show examples of standard PTI label formats with each field identified. These are intended for reference and are not required formats.

• WFM is not requiring a specific label format. If you have already implemented PTI case labeling, then your existing labels probably meet our requirements. To verify, you will submit a sample of your label(s) via the supplier website.

• Whole Foods Market required and preferred label attributes:

• There are many options for suppliers of different sizes to implement cost effective PTI case labeling. Several produce business software companies offer options. There are also any companies dedicated to offering PTI label solutions to the produce industry. Please follow this link for a list of PTI technology partners who can help: http://www.producetraceability.org/participating-companies/

• The WFM produce and floral supplier technology partner FoodLogiQ offers a web based solution to print to standard Avery label format at no additional charge. This is a great low cost solution for small volume suppliers.


Whole Foods Market is supporting the industry-driven Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI) as the foundation of our produce traceability program. Compliance with this traceability program is required for participation in Whole Foods Market’s Responsibly Grown rating system.

Please note: This program is designed to be accessible for suppliers of all sizes. Look for the “local” icon for tips specific to small suppliers.

GS1 PREFIX AND GLOBAL TRADE ITEM NUMBERS (GTIN)

• All suppliers must have a GS1 prefix and must assign or collect from their suppliers GTINs for each item sold to Whole Foods Market. Refer to milestones 1 - 3 of the Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI) and follow best practices for assigning GTINs.

• If you do not have a GS1 prefix, please visit GS1 US to acquire one.

• If you meet the following criteria please contact your sponsor before you buy a GS1 prefix: o You do not have a GS1 prefix o You sell WFM less than 10,000 cases of produce per year. o WFM is your only customer requiring PTI compliance.

COMPANY AND PRODUCT SETUP ON WFM SUPPLIER WEBSITE

• Suppliers will enter and maintain GS1 and GTIN information in The Barn.

• You do not need to have GTINs assigned to your complete product list before getting started.

TRACEABILITY

http://www.producetraceability.org/participating-companies/

http://www.producetraceability.org/

http://www.gs1us.org/get-started


PTI COMPLIANT CASE LABELING

• All cases shipped to Whole Foods Market must carry a PTI compliant case label as defined by milestones 3 and 4 of PTI.

• The images below show examples of standard PTI label formats with each field identified. These are intended for reference and are not required formats.

• WFM is not requiring a specific label format. If you have already implemented PTI case labeling, then your existing labels probably meet our requirements. To verify, you will submit a sample of your label(s) via the supplier website.

• Whole Foods Market required and preferred label attributes:

• There are many options for suppliers of different sizes to implement cost effective PTI case labeling. Several produce business software companies offer options. There are also any companies dedicated to offering PTI label solutions to the produce industry. Please follow this link for a list of PTI technology partners who can help: http://www.producetraceability.org/participating-companies/

• The WFM produce and floral supplier technology partner FoodLogiQ offers a web based solution to print to standard Avery label format at no additional charge. This is a great low cost solution for small volume suppliers.

http://www.producetraceability.org/participating-companies/


ADVANCED SHIP NOTICE (ASN)

In order to achieve full lot level traceability, all shipments of produce and flowers to Whole Foods Market must be electronically entered in the supplier website before the shipment arrives to WFM. This is referred to as an Advance Ship Notice or ASN.

• Whole Foods Market required and preferred ASN attributes listed in the chart to the right.

• We are offering multiple options for suppliers to comply with this requirement, including:

EDI 856 ASN – EDI is supported by our technology partner FoodLogiQ Certified Solution Partner Program – our supplier site is integrating with leading traceability and produce software companies. We will maintain a list of integrated companies in our supplier website. Web Service / API – Suppliers can use FoodLogiQ’s API to electronically send traceability information (api.FoodLogiQ.com)

Manual Entry or Upload – Suppliers have two options to manually upload traceability information directly into the supplier website: o Manually enter each shipment notification o Manually upload an Excel or CSV file with multiple POs or lots.

TRACEABILITY RESOURCES

• FoodLogiQ is Whole Foods Market’s partner in hosting the produce and floral supplier website and implementing traceability. They offer PTI solutions which are fully integrated and compliant with the Whole Foods Market program: www.FoodLogiQ.com - Email them at [email protected]

• The Produce Traceability Initiative website contains comprehensive information on PTI, case studies, progress reports, and best practice documents: www.ProduceTraceability.org

• Whole Foods Market – you may reach the WFM team at: [email protected]

http://api.foodlogiq.com

http://www.FoodLogiQ.com

mailto:wfmsupport%40foodlogiq.com%20?subject=

http://www.ProduceTraceability.org

mailto:producecompliance%40wholefoods.com%20?subject=


INFORMATION FOR VENDORS OF FLORAL/NON-EDIBLE PRODUCTSWhile the Responsibly Grown rating system relies on supplier compliance with the traceability practices described by PTI (Produce Traceability Initiative), we recognize that these practices are not as applicable to suppliers of non-edible products, such as floral products. Below is some additional information about how floral vendors should work with the WFM Responsibly Grown rating system.

LOT NUMBERS ON PTI LABELS: PTI labels are intended to include a lot number to allow for product recall traceability. For the purposes of Responsibly Grown, it is acceptable for floral growers (non-edible products) to use a static lot number that does not change with each shipment. This will make generating the PTI labels easier.

PRODUCT LIST/ GTINS: Under PTI practices, GTINs are numbers that are intended to be assigned to each product. Vendors of cut flowers often sell different mixes and configurations of flowers, though they come from the same farms. Additionally, some items are sold in varying configurations and packs, such as 5, 7, 10 & 20 stem tulips. We want to accommodate these shifting items, and to be sure that GTINs do not interfere with the supplier’s ability to create and sell us new products (such as mixed bouquets).

Therefore, we are asking that our floral vendors DO NOT follow PTI practices when it comes to assigning GTINs. Instead, in the WFM system, floral vendors should create NO MORE THAN 6 product/GTIN combinations as described on the following page. Do not set up individual products for different mixes and configurations.

WHOLESALERS/DISTRIBUTORS AND BROKERSIn the Responsibly Grown rating system, it is the product (as defined by a GTIN and an origin), not a company, that is rated. The rating follows the product using the GTIN and origin. So any wholesaler, distributor or broker that sells WFM product that is already rated, and retains its original GTIN (is not repacked or relabeled), does not need to re-rate the product.

However, if a wholesaler, distributor or broker is selling WFM product that is not yet rated, and that wholesaler, distributor or broker is the ONLY company that sells that product from that grower to WFM (the grower does not sell directly or through other primary marketers), then the wholesaler, broker or distributor can, and should, get the product rated by contacting their WFM buyer.

In 2015, WFM plans to enhance the rating process in the Barn to fully accommodate wholesalers, distributors and brokers. Watch for new developments on this soon!

5. WHOLESALERS, DISTRIBUToRS, BROKERS & VENDORS OF FLORAL OR NON-EDIBLE PRODUCTS

This chapter covers key information for Wholesalers, Distributors and Brokers as well as vendors of floral or non-edible products. Suppliers who do not fit this description should continue to Chapter 6, Rating Units.


ONLY 6 POSSIBLE PRODUCT/GTIN COMBINATIONS FOR FLORAL PRODUCTS

• Product/GTIN #1 - Field: Any floral items grown in a field/outdoors. Select “Field” for Growing Method 2.

• Product/GTIN #2 - Greenhouse: Any floral items grown in a greenhouse. Select “Greenhouse” for Growing Method 2.

• Product/GTIN #3 - Mixed: Bunches made of both field and greenhouse grown product. Select “Field” for Growing Method 2.

Each of the above 3 scenarios can be combined with either OG or CV for Method 1 - resulting ina total of 6 potential product/GTIN combinations for floral products.

If the same product is grown both organically and conventionally, the vendor needs to create different product/GTIN’s for the organic product and the conventional one (see example #1).

If the same product is from multiple origins, they can have one product/GTIN, but multiple Rating Units (see example #2). Products can be associated with multiple origins using the “manage origins” section of The Barn.

Example #1: Products include organic potted orchids and conventional basil (both greenhouse grown) and conventional bouquets that are a mix of field & greenhouse flowers, all grown in CA.

FOOD SAFETY FOR NON-EDIBLE PRODUCTS: The Barn contains a section titled “Food Safety”. Floral vendors DO need to complete this section, which will be modified to exempt floral vendors from food safety requirements other than the requirement to complete the “No Irradiation Statement” and the “No Bio solids Statement”. These two Statements must be completed by all WFM vendors.

Example #2: Products include organic floral bouquets that are from flowers grown in greenhouses and outdoors in Columbia, and in greenhouses only in California:

3 Rating Units: 1. Greenhouse OG from CA 2. Greenhouse CV from CA 3. Mixed CV from CA

4 Rating Units: 1. Field from Columbia 2. Greenhouse Columbia 3. Mixed Greenhouse/Field from Columbia --> 4. Greenhouse from California

3 Products/GTINS: 1. Greenhouse - OG 2. Greenhouse - CV 3. Mixed - CV

3 Products/GTINs: 1. Field 2. Greenhouse 3. Mixed Greenhouse/Field

‘Field’ For Growing Method 2

6. RATING UNITS


A Rating Unit is a product or group of products that will be rated together. We have designed a system that will allow you to group your products into the fewest number of Rating Units necessary in order to minimize the amount of repetition in answering the Responsibly Grown Index questions that will determine the rating.

A Rating Unit is a snapshot of information that cannot be easily changed once it is created, so it is important to get the set up correct. You cannot modify the product in a Rating Unit at any time. Once you have submitted a Rating Unit for Core approval, you cannot delete a Rating Unit to start over - if you need a Rating Unit deleted after you have submitted it, please contact your sponsor.

Please review the following instructions carefully to ensure you set up your Rating Units correctly.

3 WAYS TO SET UP RATING UNITS:

A. Commodity Specific (most common): Can create Rating Units that will group products with identical attributes together. Base attributes include: • Origin (Country/State) • Growing Method (Field/Greenhouse and Organic/Conventional) • Product Class (Vines, Tree Fruit, Row Crop Veg, etc)

B. Product Specific (not common): Can create Rating Units based on individual GTIN’s rather than grouping products together. To rate products with the same attributes from different suppliers separately.

C. Facility Specific (very uncommon): Can create Rating Units for products with the same attributes but that go through different facilities.

Instructions for Commodity Specific Rating Unit set up are below. If you think you need to do Product or Facility specific set up, please contact [email protected] or your sponsor to get specific instructions.

COMMODITY SPECIFIC RATING UNIT SET UP:

Create separate Rating Units for products from each origin (Country or US State).

o You cannot have products from two countries in the same Rating Unit. If your product description contains a name like “Tomato-Red-Mexico”, do not include this product in a rating unit with a Florida origin.

o You cannot have products from two US states in the same Rating Unit. If you are growing products on both sides of the Florida/Georgia line, you must have at least two Rating Units.

• Create separate Rating Units for Organic and Conventional products.

• Create separate Rating Units for Field Grown and Greenhouse Grown products.

WHAT IS A RATING UNIT?


Creating Rating Units - Part 1:

• Go to Core Standards > Create Rating Units • Choose the Region, Growing Methods, Product Class • Choose No for Facility Specific • Choose commodity/commodities and variety/varieties • Click Add

HOW MANY RATING UNITS DO I NEED?

Once you have entered your product and supply chain information, you can see the minimum number of Rating Units that you will need to create by going to Products>Origins and seeing how our system has grouped your products together by attribute.

STEP 6. SETUP RATING UNITS AND SUBMIT FOR APPROVAL



Choose the farms that grow the products in this Rating Unit.

• If you buy your products through suppliers, you will be able to choose all farms associated with one supplier as a group if you would like.


If the farms have organic or other 3rd party certificates, choose them here.

• You will only receive credit for certifications if ALL farms growing the products in this Rating Unit are certified.


• Name the Rating Unit - You can name your Rating Units anything that will help you identify it in a list of all your Rating Units. The most common way to name one is something like “Organic FL Strawberries” or “NZ Kiwi, Conventional”.

• Estimate the date you will begin shipping to WFM. o Must be no more than 6 months in the future. o This will be the renewal date for the Rating Unit.

• Estimate the agricultural activity dates (planting till end of harvest) - Your Rating Unit will expire one year from the date you enter here.

• Click “Create Rating Unit” - If this button doesn’t work, then some of the required information is missing. Double check every field.


Go to Core Standards > Manage Rating Units and hit Submit.

STEP 7. RECEIVE NOTIFICATION OF CORE APPROVAL

Once the Rating Unit has been submitted to WFM, it will be reviewed by our Compliance team to the Core standards. Within a few days, you will receive an email from WFM either approving the Rating Unit or asking for additional information. Until you receive the approval, you will not be able to enter the Responsibly Grown Index for that specific Rating Unit.

At any time, you can see the status of all your Rating Units by going to “ Rating Unit Lookup”, the tab at the far right in The Barn.


7. RESPONSIBLY GROWN INDEX


Responsibly Grown ratings are based on a 300-point soring index. Suppliers earn points for positive farming practices in each of the following categories:

SCORING OVERVIEW

This chapter discusses the Responsibly Grown Index. Once approved for Core Compliance, each Rating Unit must be entered into this 300-point scoring index.


COMPREHENSIVE SCORING REVIEWThis comprehensive scoring guide breaks down the points available by category as well as MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS for each rating class: GOOD, BETTER, and BEST.

See page 20 for detailed Certification information

TOTAL POTENTIAL POINTS: 300

For more detailed information on the qualifying criteria for each these point categories please refer to the Responsibly Grown Index: Offline Worksheet, pages 6 through 19.


WFM recognizes the commitment and achievement represented by certification to leading social, environmental, and food safety standards. When all farms contributing to a rating have one of the certificates listed below, the rating qualifies for certification base points. Base points are awarded at different levels according to factors including accreditation and frequency of audit of each certificate program. Credit is given only once for reaching a point level and credit is awarded only for the highest category reached.

The points and rating shown in The Barn are provisional until the confirmation is granted (see Step 8 below.) You can view the provisional rating and points earned for each Rating Unit by viewing the scorecard. Go to “Rating Unit Lookup” tab on the far right, find the Rating Unit you want to view, and click the gold medallion icon on the far right of the screen. This will show you each question, the points you have earned, and the points required for GOOD, BETTER and BEST.

STEP 8. COMPLETE RESPONSIBLY GROWN INDEX & SUBMIT FOR VERIFICATION OF RATING

Once you have completed all the information in the Index, submit your Rating Unit(s) for confirmation. The points and rating shown in The Barn are provisional until the confirmation is granted. To submit the Rating Unit for rating confirmation, go to Responsibly Grown Index --> Manage Rating Units, and hit the green “Submit” button.

CERTIFICATIONS

REVIEWING YOUR RATING



STEP 9. CONFIRMATION OF RATING

Once you have submitted your Rating Unit for rating confirmation, WFM, in conjunction with the IPM Institute, will review it within a few business days and will email you a response. We will either confirm the rating, or request that you respond to a Corrective Action by submitting more information. If we need additional information to confirm the rating, we will detail what we need from you, with a deadline to submit the information. If you can’t meet this deadline, please email your sponsor to discuss how much time you need. If you are issued Corrective Actions, please follow these steps to respond:

To respond to Corrective Actions: 1. Log into The Barn 2. Click on the ‘Responsibly Grown Index’ tab 3. Click ‘Make Corrections’ for the Rating Unit that is In Correction 4. Scroll down the page until you see an orange flag icon . This indicates that action is required on your part in order for the rating to be confirmed. 5. Click the orange icon ( or ) under Current Corrective Actions and read the feedback. a. This icon indicates a request for more information b. This icon indicates a request to change your response, based on whether or not criteria for the question are met. 6. If more information is requested, provide the specific information that has been requested using the text box provided. Ensure that all requested information is provided, and then click ‘Submit’.7. To update a response, click ‘Make Correction’ to view and update your response. Respond to any requests using the text box provided, and then click ‘Submit’. 8. Once a Corrective Action has been addressed, the icons will turn green. 9. Once all Corrective Actions have been addressed, click ‘Manage Rating Units’ in the upper left of the screen, and ensure that the rating unit status reads “Corrections Complete.”

You can see each question and the WFM response to your information, by viewing the Rating Unit Details. Go to ‘Rating Unit Lookup’ tab on the far right, find the Rating Unit you want to view, and click the Rating Unit Details page icon near the right of the screen (see image below). If WFM has not granted you points for an answer you have submitted, you can see the reason why here.

RATING CONFIRMATION

8. REVIEW/APPROVAL

Supplier growing practices that are reported in The Barn are validated through a 3-level compliance process. Here’s how it works:

1. Application review: First, WFM Team Members and external experts carefully review all information submitted through The Barn.

2. Desk Audit: Next, some suppliers may be asked to provide documentation or other information to support an answer they provided.

3. On-site Audit: Last, some suppliers will be selected for on-site audits. Audits are not required for all farms but instead are random or risk targeted.

Once the Rating Unit status is “Rated - RG”, then congratulations, you are done with this Rating Unit for this season!

If you believe that you can earn a higher rating by updating the information you have submitted in the Index, or if you need to update the farms that supply this rating unit, you can “re-do” it by hitting the black circular arrow on the left side of the screen. This arrow will ONLY appear if the rating Unit is in the status of “Rated”. The Barn will create a duplicate of the Rating Unit, allowing you to work on the new one while preserving the rating of the original one while you make edits. Note that while you can edit some attributes of the Rating Unit this way, you cannot change the products, origins or growing methods of the Rating Unit by using the re-do. You need to recreate the Rating Unit from scratch if these attributes are incorrect.

STEP 10. ANNUAL UPDATES

Rating Units will expire 1 year after the season begins (calculated using the date you entered during Rating Unit setup as the date you would begin shipping to WFM). The status of the Rating Unit will change to “Soon to Expire” 60 days in advance to give you warning. You will need to update each Rating Unit as necessary if there were any changes and resubmit it for rating confirmation. This allows us to ensure that rating remain current and accurate.

VALIDATING CLAIMS

ANNUAL UPDATES



This graphic demonstrates how the Responsibly Grown ratings are presented to customers in the store:

HOW IT ALL STACKS UP

9. The ratings

Whole Foods Market had many partners that helped Responsibly Grown, including:

THE IPM INSTITUTEThe IPM Institute is an independent nonprofit dedicated to the widespread use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). IPM practitioners study pest biology in order to reduce pest control costs and hazards. The IPM Institute supports the Responsibly Grown Rating System with program management; issue expertise, and ratings validation.

PESTICIDE DATA CENTRAL (PDC)The PDC specializes in information on pesticides and provides the underlying data for the ipmPRiME.com tool. PDC helped craft aspects of the Pesticide Policy. PDC’s mission is to advance the safety of pesticide use and the sophistication of pesticide risk assessments by facilitating access to up-to-date information on authorized pesticide uses, environmental properties, and toxicity to humans and other non-target organisms .

THE XERCES SOCIETYThe Xerces Society is a nonprofit organization that protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitat, and is an international leader in pollinator protection. The Xerces Society helped craft aspects of the Responsibly Grown Rating System relating to pollinator health and habitat and they provide ongoing support on this topic to many of our suppliers.

Most importantly, we want to thank you for your time and commitment to Responsibly Grown! Working together, we can offer tremendous transparency to our customers and provide a framework for real, positive change in the agriculture industry. We are excited to be working more closely than ever with grower partners who support our commitment to people, the planet and of course, amazing food!

PARTNERS

THANK YOU!

10. HOW WAS RESPONSIBLY GROWN DEVELOPED?
