Behind the Blend: What REPCO Requires from Every Ingredient We Use

Sourcing high-quality ingredients isn’t just about checking boxes. At REPCO, it’s about protecting the end product and the people who consume it.

When you’re in the business of food fortification, you don’t just manufacture vitamin blends. You’re putting your name on every serving of flour, every bar, every enriched food your customers produce. That kind of responsibility requires more than good intentions. It requires systems, standards, and follow-through.

So today I want to share what that looks like behind the scenes and what we require from every raw ingredient before it ever becomes part of a REPCO blend.

 

Step One: It Starts in the Lab

Before we even consider a new supplier or source, our in-house lab evaluates a physical sample of the ingredients. We don’t just eyeball it. We test it against a REPCO-developed specification sheet for that particular ingredient and evaluate it against the food safety risk assessment for that ingredient.

Many of our specifications are built around FCC (Food Chemical Codex) standards in addition to some we’ve added tighter requirements that reflect the real-world performance, safety, or handling characteristics our customers depend on.

Every qualification sample is measured against internal standards for composition, identity, and functionality. If it doesn’t meet our expectations, we don’t move forward. That’s non-negotiable.

 

Step Two: Documentation and Supplier Qualification

If the sample passes, we move into full supplier qualification. This includes documentation that verifies the ingredients’ identity, safety, traceability, and production methods. We go above and beyond what is required of the FDA supplier verification and monitoring laws.

We collect and review:

• ✅ Third-Party Audit Certificate and Report (preferably GFSI-recognized)
• ✅ Product Data Sheet (PDS) with ingredient source, shelf life, and composition
• ✅ Process Flow Chart
• ✅ Continuing Guarantee for food safety compliance
• ✅ Certifications for Kosher, Halal, and FDA Registration
• ✅ Country of Origin
• ✅ 100g Nutritional Panel
• ✅ Safety Data Sheet (SDS) with visual/odor characteristics
• ✅ Heavy Metal Declaration
• ✅ Vegan/Vegetarian and Non-GMO Statements
• ✅ Particle Size Confirmation
• ✅ Comprehensive Allergen Statement — including whether allergens are present on shared lines or in the same facility

Every single document is reviewed and logged into our system. We don’t move forward without a complete file.

 

Step Three: Facility Audits and Ongoing Oversight

Once qualified, we don’t “set it and forget it.” We continue to monitor supplier compliance through regular documentation updates and, when appropriate, on-site inspections or audits.

In fact, I personally visit the facilities of many of our key suppliers — not because I don’t trust them, but because trust is built face-to-face. We expect transparency, ethical practices, and adherence to strict food safety protocols. And the only way to ensure that is by being there in person.

 

Integrity Through Every Batch

Ingredient quality isn’t something you check once. It’s something you verify again and again. That’s why:

• We keep detailed batch records for traceability
• We test every incoming raw material
• We verify every blend before it leaves our facility
• And our lab — which is ISO 17025 certified — ensures accuracy and compliance at every step

We’ve even caught problems before they reached the customer, mislabeled ingredients, improper particle sizing, out-of-spec materials. That’s the point of the system. We don’t hope for quality. We monitor it.

 

Why Customers Trust REPCO

Our customers come to us because they need more than a blend. They need confidence. That confidence comes from knowing we’ve done the work. That every ingredient has been vetted, tested, and verified, and that every order is produced to the same high standard.

That’s what we mean when we say we stand behind what we make.

 

From the Source: Our CEO’s Take

“There’s nothing casual about the way we source ingredients. If it ends up in a food product, it has to be right.

We’ve built our systems to make sure quality is never a guess. And when our customers choose REPCO, they choose a partner who treats that responsibility as seriously as they do.

Because trust isn’t a tagline. It’s something you prove every day, for goodness’ sake.”