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SupplierConnect: Adding Product Data
SupplierConnect: Adding Product Data

Guide for adding detailed product data in SupplierConnect, including ingredients, sourcing, flavorings, and agricultural practices.

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Written by Aine Kmen
Updated over 3 weeks ago

Adding product data in SupplierConnect is a straightforward process designed to help you efficiently complete your submission. This article walks you through each step, including detailed product examples.

Remember that your product data always remains confidential - only the product footprints calculated by SupplierConnect are ever shared with your customer.

If you need basic information on getting started with your SupplierConnect account, please visit this article.

In this article:

  1. Adding agricultural practice data in SupplierConnect

  2. Adding product data for flavorings in SupplierConnect

  3. Step-by-step instructions for adding product data in SupplierConnect, including specific examples for:

  • Adding Cheese

  • Adding Cereal

  • Adding Frozen Produce

  • Adding Fresh Produce

  • Adding Hamburger

  • Adding Seafood


1. Adding Agricultural Practice Data in SupplierConnect

Some suppliers may be asked to submit additional agricultural practice data along with basic product data.

Fieldscope is the name of our module for adding agricultural practice data across SupplierConnect and our full Latis platform. You can take a deeper dive on HowGood’s treatment of ag practice data in this FieldScope article if you like.

Who Needs to Add Agricultural Practices Data?

Not all suppliers will need to complete this step. An in-app guide will pop up if your customer has requested this option and you can always check if it’s available by seeing if “submit ag practice data” is set as an option for you in the SupplierConnect user interface.

Please note that some products (such as animal protein and dairy) are not supported and for those ingredients, the option will be grayed out.

Steps for Adding Agricultural Practice Data

A. Enter Your Product Data

  • Start by following the standard steps for adding product information: Add ingredients, sourcing locations, manufacturing type, packaging, and other required fields.

B. Check for the Agricultural Practices Option

  • Once an ingredient is added, check if the "Add Agricultural Practices" option is available.

  • If the option is grayed out, it means the ingredient is not currently supported (e.g., animal protein, dairy).

  • If available, click Submit Agricultural Practice Data. A message will prompt you to save your ingredient data first.

C. Open the Agricultural Practices Data Form

  • After saving your ingredient data, click Submit Agricultural Practice Data again.

  • This will open a new form where you can enter agricultural practice details.

  • For in-depth information on FieldScope, go to this article.

D. Submit and Confirm

  • After entering the required details, click Submit.

  • Confirm that all entered information is correct.

  • Once submitted, the system will show the "Ag Practice Data Received" confirmation.


Additional Notes on Adding Agricultural Data

Missing the Agricultural Practices option?

  • You may not have access to the Agricultural Practices option because your customer has not paid for it; then you won’t see the option at all to “submit ag practice data.”

  • If you have access but the ingredient you want to add ag practice data for isn’t supported, that item will be greyed-out and you do not need to enter the data. Not all ingredients are eligible for this feature.

  • Unsure if this step applies to you? Contact us or refer to your request details.


2. Adding Product Data for Flavorings in SupplierConnect

There are a few different ways to add product data for flavorings, depending on the level of information you have available.

To demonstrate, we’ve included three examples of how you might enter formulations for a ‘Natural Orange Flavor,’ based on the varying amounts of information you may have:

Flavoring Example: Most Granular

Ingredient

Percentage of Inclusion

Orange Juice Concentrate

45%

Orange Essential Oil

25%

Orange Peel Oil

10%

Lemon or Lime Oil

10%

Limonene

3%

Propylene Glycol

3%

Citral

3%

Ethanol

1%

Flavoring Example: Medium Granularity

(Using an average/unspecific carrier agent)

Ingredient

Percentage of Inclusion

Orange Juice Concentrate

45%

Orange Essential Oil

31%

Orange Peel Oil

10%

Unspecified carrier agent

3%

Alcohol

1%

Flavoring Example: Least Granular

Ingredient

Percentage of Inclusion

Flavoring Component (base)

96%

Propylene Glycol

3%

Alcohol

1%


3. Step-By-Step Instructions for Adding Product Data in SupplierConnect

What to know before you begin adding your product data

Location Details:

  • If you do not see your exact sourcing location, choose the broader region in which your location exists (e.g. choose EU-27 if Spain does not exist as an option) or choose the closest geographical location available

  • If you do not know the Sourcing Location or the Processing Location, the HowGood defaults will automatically be populated. These default locations are based on global import/export data.

    • Sourcing Location - Where the raw ingredient is grown or harvested, e.g. the ranch where the cattle are raised .

    • Processing Location - This is where the raw ingredient is turned into the final ingredient. E.g. The location where dairy is pasteurized. In most instances, this happens very close to the Sourcing location, such as with Dairy, but there are a few exceptions, such as with Cocoa, where the processing happens across the globe.

Inputs and Outputs:

  • In most cases, the inclusion percentage (i.e. ingredient weight) of all the ingredients in the product will add up to 100%. However, in some instances, the final product requires more inputs than the final output. SupplierConnect allows you to account for products where the ingredient weights are greater than 100%.

  • This is especially common for cheese, greek yogurt, pasta, and alcohol products.

Other Details Section:

  • If you know the Manufacturing Region, Warehouse Region, and Product/Material Destination, you can include them under the “Sales & Distribution” section, but if not, you can exclude them.


Adding Product Data for Cheese in SupplierConnect

Notes on Building Cheeses in SupplierConnect

  • HowGood uses the Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules for Dairy products to account for greater than 100% of inputs for fresh, soft, semi hard and hard cheeses.

  • To produce 100kg of cheese, you need more inputs than what you need for the final output. This is because you need more moisture to achieve the final product. E.g. For 100kg of cheese, you may need anywhere from 250-1000kg of milk depending on the type of cheese and the process. Here are the different inputs needed to produce 100kg of cheese:

    • Fresh Cheese such as Ricotta, Cottage, Cream Cheese, Neufchatel (cream cheese)

      • 250% of Milk (For Cheese)

    • Soft Cheese such as Mozzarella, Feta, Brie

      • 700% of Milk (For Cheese)

    • Semi-hard Cheese such as Cheddar, Swiss, Monterey Jack, Gouda, Gruyere, Provolone, Cotija, Adiago

      • 900% of Milk (For Cheese)

    • Hard Cheese such as Romano or Parmesan

      • 1000% of Milk (For Cheese)

    • Average Cheese:

      • 867% of Milk (For Cheese)

  • In SupplierConnect , there are several different options for the type of milk you can use for cheese. These options include:

    • Milk (For Cheese) - Cow

    • Milk (For Cheese) - Sheep

    • Milk (For Cheese) - Goat

    • Milk (For Cheese) - Buffalo

  • In the Other Details section of the product page under the “Sales & Distribution” section, choose “Cheese” as the Manufacturing Type.

Cheese Example 1

Product Name (that your customer is requesting information on): Soft Cheese (Mozzarella)

To produce 100 kg of Mozzarella, you need:

Ingredient

Weight (in kilograms or kg)

milk (For Cheese) - Cow

700 kg

salt

3 kg

starter cultures - Dairy

1 kg

rennet

0.5 kg

In SupplierConnect, this would mean that the ingredient weights you need to input are:

Ingredient

Weight (as a percentage or % )

milk (For Cheese) - Cow

700%

salt

3%

starter cultures - Dairy

1%

rennet

0.5%

This would give you a total input of 704.5%, which will give you a total output of 100kg of a Soft Cheese such as Mozzarella

Cheese Example 2

Product Name (that your customer is requesting information on): Semi-Hard Cheese (Cheddar)

To produce 100 kg of semi-hard cheddar cheese, you need:

Ingredient

Weight (in kilograms or kg)

milk (For Cheese) - Cow

900 kg

salt

1.2 kg

rennet

0.25 kg

calcium chloride

0.02 kg

starter cultures - dairy

0.015 kg

In SupplierConnect, this would mean that the ingredient weights you need to input are:

Ingredient

Weight (as a percentage or % )

milk (For Cheese) - Cow

900%

salt

1.2%

rennet

0.25%

calcium chloride

0.02%

starter cultures - dairy

0.015%

This would give you a total input of 901.5%, which will give you a total output of 100kg of a Semi-Hard Cheese such as Cheddar


Adding Product Data for a Breakfast Cereal in SupplierConnect

In this example, our ingredients are as follows:

  • Whole Wheat

  • Puffed Rice

  • Puffed Corn

  • Sugar

SupplierConnect will put in defaults for percentage inclusion based on its algorithm, but if you know the exact amount for each ingredient, you can enter it manually.

For this breakfast cereal, we are going to enter the following:

Ingredient

Weight (as a percentage or % )

Whole Wheat

35%

Puffed Rice

30%

Puffed Corn

25%

Sugar

10%

In the Other Details section of the product page under the “Sales & Distribution” section, choose:

  • “Cold Cereal” as the Manufacturing Type

  • “No” under the Requires Cooking Section

  • “No” under the Requires Cold Storage Section


Adding Product Data for Frozen Produce (Fruits/Vegetables) in SupplierConnect

In this example, our ingredients are as follows:

  • IQF Broccoli

  • IQF Spinach

  • IQF Zucchini

IQF means that it is “Individually Quick Frozen”. It is a method used to freeze food items quickly and individually, rather than in a large block

SupplierConnect will put in defaults for percentage inclusion based on its algorithm, but if you know the exact amount for each ingredient, you can enter it manually.

For this frozen vegetable medley, we are going to enter the following:

Ingredient

Weight (as a percentage or % )

IQF Broccoli

40%

IQF Spinach

30%

IQF Zucchini

30%

In the Other Details section of the product page under the “Sales & Distribution” section, choose:

  • “Fruits and Vegetables (Frozen)” as the Manufacturing Type

  • “Yes” under the Requires Cooking Section

  • “Refrigerated” or “Frozen” under the Requires Cold Storage Section


Adding Product Data for Fresh Produce (Fruits/Vegetables) in SupplierConnect

In this example, our ingredient list is simple:

  • Fresh Corn

Since this has only 1 ingredient, SupplierConnect will default it to 100% of the product. For this shrimp, we are going enter the following:

Ingredient

Weight (as a percentage or % )

Fresh Corn

100%

In the Other Details section of the product page under the “Sales & Distribution” section, choose:

  • “Produce” as the Manufacturing Type

  • “No” under the Requires Cooking Section

  • “No” under the Requires Cold Storage Section


Adding Product Data for a Hamburger Patty in SupplierConnect

In this example, our ingredients are as follows:

  • Uncooked Beef

  • Spices

  • Salt

  • Ground Black Pepper

SupplierConnectwill put in defaults for percentage inclusion based on its algorithm, but if you know the exact amount for each ingredient, you can enter it manually.

For this hamburger patty, we are going enter the following:

Ingredient

Weight (as a percentage or % )

Uncooked Beef

89%

Spices

5%

Salt

3%

Ground Black Pepper

3%

In the Other Details section of the product page under the “Sales & Distribution” section, choose:

  • “Processed Meats” as the Manufacturing Type

  • “Yes” under the Requires Cooking Section

  • “Refrigerated” or “Frozen” under the Requires Cold Storage Section


Adding Product Data for Seafood in SupplierConnect

For seafood, some species are wild only and some are mostly farmed. Others, like salmon, can be either. If you are unsure if the seafood is wild or farmer, assume that it is farmed.

Seafood Example 1

Product Name (that your customer is requesting information on): Wild Raw Salmon

In this example, our ingredient list is simple:

  • Uncooked Wild Salmon

Since this has only 1 ingredient, SupplierConnect will default it to 100% of the product. For this salmon, we are going enter the following:

Ingredient

Weight (as a percentage or % )

Uncooked Wild Salmon

100%

In the Other Details section of the product page under the “Sales & Distribution” section, choose:

  • “Seafood” as the Manufacturing Type

  • “Yes” under the Requires Cooking Section

  • “Refrigerated” or “Frozen” under the Requires Cold Storage Section

Seafood Example 2

Product Name (that your customer is requesting information on): Cooked Shrimp, farm-raised

In this example, our ingredient list is simple:

  • Cooked Shrimp

Since this has only 1 ingredient, SupplierConnect will default it to 100% of the product. For this shrimp, we are going enter the following:

Ingredient

Weight (as a percentage or % )

Cooked Shrimp

100%

In the Other Details section of the product page under the “Sales & Distribution” section, choose:

  • “Seafood” as the Manufacturing Type

  • “Yes” under the Requires Cooking Section

  • “Refrigerated” or “Frozen” under the Requires Cold Storage Section


Remember to click the SAVE and SHARE FOOTPRINT buttons after adding your product data.


For further assistance, please contact [email protected].

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