This guide applies to Food & Ingredient Suppliers. If you are not a food or ingredient supplier, you can view our guides for Packaging Suppliers or Growers instead.
Before you start
Gather your data
You can enter as much or as little as you have. The more specific your data, the more accurate your footprint. Helpful information includes:
Your ingredient list, with the percentage each ingredient makes up of the product
Where each ingredient is grown or harvested (sourcing location)
Where each ingredient is processed into its final form (processing location)
Any certifications that apply, such as Certified Organic, Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance, or RSPO
The type of manufacturing and the country or state where the product is made
Packaging materials and weights
Optional: facility energy use (electricity, natural gas, renewables) and annual production volume, if you want to use custom manufacturing data
If you don't know a sourcing or processing location, leave it and SupplierConnect will fill in HowGood defaults based on global import and export data.
Choose how to add your product data
There are three ways to submit product data. Most suppliers enter data directly in SupplierConnect, because results are instant.
Method | Best for | Where to start | When results are ready |
Option 1: Enter data in SupplierConnect | A few products, or when you want to see your footprint right away | Click the product name in your request | Instantly |
Option 2: Bulk upload | Many products with data already in a spreadsheet | Click Bulk upload above the list of products | Approximately 2 weeks, after review by HowGood's Research team |
Option 3: Upload an LCA or third-party emissions data | Products that already have a life cycle assessment (LCA) or verified emission factors | Click Submit emissions data above the list of products | Approximately 2 weeks, after review by HowGood's Research team |
You can mix methods. For example, you might bulk upload most of your list and then submit an LCA for the products you have third-party emissions data for.
Option 1: Enter product data directly in SupplierConnect
The product page has two sections to fill in: 1) Ingredients, and 2) Packaging and Distribution. Your carbon and water footprints appear at the top of the page and update each time you save.
1. Open a product
From your request page, click the product name.
Once the product page loads, click Edit Product to start adding ingredient data.
Depending on who your customer is, you might see pre-populated ingredient and manufacturing data. If you see data already filled in, review it and correct anything that's wrong.
2. Add ingredients
In the Ingredients section, click Add Ingredients.
Search for each ingredient by name, or filter by origin. Click Add next to each one you want.
Close the window. Your ingredients now appear in a table where you can fill in the details below.
If your ingredient is not available, choose the most similar ingredient and share your footprint. You can also request a new ingredient for HowGood's Research team to review. Once you hear back from our team that the ingredient has been added to our database, you will be able to add the new ingredient and share your product.
Field | Definition & Guidelines |
Ingredient | One of the ingredients in your product, chosen from HowGood's ingredient database. If your exact ingredient isn't listed, choose the closest match or request a new one. |
Sourcing Location | Where the raw ingredient is grown or harvested, such as the farm or ranch where cattle are raised.
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Standards | Any third-party standards or certifications that apply to this ingredient, such as Certified Organic, Fair for Life, or Rainforest Alliance. |
Processing Location | Where the raw ingredient is turned into its final form, such as the plant where milk is pasteurized. This is usually close to the sourcing location, as with dairy. There are exceptions: cocoa, for example, is often processed on a different continent from where it's grown. If you don't know the processing location, leave the HowGood default. |
Weight (inclusion %) | How much of the product each ingredient makes up, as a percentage. SupplierConnect fills in default weights, but enter exact amounts if you know them.
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[OPTIONAL] Add agricultural practice data
FieldScope is HowGood's module for capturing on-farm agricultural practice data, such as how crops are grown and managed. It's only available if your customer has included it in their request. Your request instructions or emails from HowGood will mention FieldScope if it applies to you.
Enter and save your ingredients first (Option 1).
Click the cog icon to the left of an ingredient. If Submit agricultural practice data is grayed out, that ingredient isn't supported yet (for example, animal proteins and dairy).
Click Submit Agricultural Practice Data. If you haven't saved your ingredients, you'll be prompted to save first.
Fill out tabs 1 to 6 of the form.
Click Submit and confirm your information is correct.
Agricultural practice details are never shared with your customer. For more detail, see our guide to adding agricultural data with FieldScope.
3. Add Packaging and Distribution
This section has three tabs: General, Manufacturing, and Packaging. Only the Manufacturing tab is required to calculate your cradle-to-manufacturing-gate footprint. Everything else is optional but improves accuracy.
GENERAL
Field | Definition & Guidelines |
Requires Cooking | Whether the end consumer needs to cook the product. If it can be eaten as-is, choose No. |
Requires Cold Storage | Whether the product needs cold storage as it leaves your manufacturing facility. If it does, choose the option that applies (for example, refrigerated or frozen). Otherwise choose No. |
Standards | Third-party standards or certifications that apply across the entire formula. Use the Standards column in the Ingredients section for certifications that apply to a single ingredient. |
Unit Size (kg) | The size of one unit of the product, in kilograms. |
UPC | The product's Universal Product Code. Your customer sometimes pre-populates this, so you won't need to enter it. |
MANUFACTURING
Choose between Default and Custom at the top of the tab.
OPTION 1: If you don't have facility-specific data, use Default manufacturing. SupplierConnect estimates manufacturing emissions using industry-average data for your manufacturing type and location. Fill in:
Field | Definition & Guidelines |
Manufacturing Type (required) | A general description of how the product is manufactured, similar to a sales category. Choose the closest option from the list, such as Cheese, Cold Cereal, Processed Meats, Seafood, Produce, or Fruits and Vegetables (Frozen). |
Manufacturing Region (required) | The country or state where the product is manufactured. |
OPTION 2: If you have data from your own facility, use Custom manufacturing it for a more precise footprint.
Toggle to Custom.
Click Add facility data.
Add Facility Name, Facility Location, Total Production Volume, and Year. Click Next.
Add as many Facility Activities as you would like, each with its own Facility Activity + Unit and Activity Value.
Click Submit.
Field | Definition & Guidelines |
Facility Name | A label to identify it, such as "Facility 1" |
Facility Location | The country or region where the facility operates |
Total Production Volume | The facility's total annual output in kilograms. This is the total for the whole facility, not just this product. |
Year | The year you are adding facility data for. |
Facility Activity + Unit | The energy or resource input used in production, ie: Solar (kWh). Common activities include grid electricity, renewable electricity, natural gas, and water. Add as many as you need. |
Activity Value | The amount associated with that facility activity, ie: 20. |
When you enter grid electricity as a facility activity, Supplier Connect calculates emissions using the grid mix for your facility's location. This is the regional blend of energy sources (such as coal, natural gas, wind, and solar) that make up the local electricity supply. Regions with cleaner grids will have a lower emissions factor; regions that rely more heavily on fossil fuels will have a higher one. If your facility uses on-site renewable energy (such as rooftop solar), enter it as a separate activity rather than as grid electricity. This ensures your submission reflects your actual energy sources rather than the regional average.
PACKAGING
Click Add Packaging to add each packaging component. Type and Material are required if you add packaging. You'll see Ready to save once all required fields are filled in.
Field | Definition & Guidelines |
Type (required) | The level of packaging:
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Consumer Units | The number of individual products contained in this packaging. |
Material (required) | The main material of the packaging, such as cardboard, glass, steel, or HDPE plastic. |
Region | Where the packaging is produced. |
Material Weight (kg/unit of packaging) | The weight of packaging material per unit, in kilograms. |
Uses | Whether the packaging is single-use or reused over multiple cycles. |
4. Save and share your footprint
Click Save. Use the dropdown to save as the same formula or as a new formula. To discard unsaved changes, click Reset.
Once the product is saved, check the footprints at the top of the page. Carbon Lifecycle shows your cradle-to-manufacturing-gate footprint in kg CO2e/kg. Blue Water Usage shows on-farm water use in L/kg (scarcity adjusted).
When you're ready to send your footprint to your customer, click Share Footprint.
You can go back and edit an already-shared product at any time. After making changes, click Share Footprint again so your customer receives the updated version.
A product that hasn't been shared shows the message "Product Footprint Not Shared." Your customer won't see that product's footprint until you share it.
Option 2: Enter product data via bulk upload
Bulk upload is the fastest way to submit data for many products at once. You can upload any spreadsheet you already have; you don't have to use our template. If you want a reference for required fields and example data, you can download the template at any point during the upload.
Complete the upload in one session. If you leave the upload wizard partway through, or use your browser's back button or keyboard shortcuts, you'll need to start over.
Select products. On your request page, click Bulk upload. Check the box next to each product you're including (or select all), then click Bulk upload again. This makes sure your data is matched to the right products and your requesting customer.
Upload your file. Drag and drop your file into the upload area, or click to browse. To use the template, click Download Excel Template. It includes all required columns and example rows.
Confirm the header row. The wizard shows a preview and detects your header row automatically. If it picked the wrong row, choose the correct one. Click Next.
Match your columns. The wizard matches your file's columns (on the left) to SupplierConnect fields (on the right). Review each match and use the dropdowns to fix any that are wrong. If you used our template, columns match automatically. Click Next.
Fix errors. The wizard flags any rows or cells that need attention. You can't import until all errors are resolved. You can fix errors in three ways:
Inline: click into a cell and type over the value.
By error type: use the panel on the right, where errors are grouped by type, to fix them in batches.
In your own spreadsheet: click Export file with errors highlighted, fix the file, and upload it again.
Import. Click Import. You'll see a confirmation message when the upload is complete.
To keep a copy of your cleaned-up data, click Export at the top of the screen before importing.
Some fields are required, and other fields are preferred. Preferred fields increase the precision of the data HowGood will provide and timeliness of delivery, but are not required.
Field | Definition & Guidelines |
UPC/EAN | The UPC or EAN associated with the product. |
Customer Requested Product Name (required) | Enter the Product Name exactly as it appears in the product list. |
Ingredient (required) | Each ingredient in the requested product should be listed on a separate line. These entries should reflect the ingredient list of the listed product. |
Ingredient Weight / Percent Inclusion (required) | This number should reflect the weight/percent inclusion of the ingredient in the product (ie: a value of 0.5 means the ingredient accounts for 0.5% of the total product by weight). |
Ingredient Standards | Third-party standards or certifications that apply across the entire formula. Use the Standards column in the Ingredients section for certifications that apply to a single ingredient. |
Ingredient Crop Origin Location | The location where the ingredient is grown. |
Ingredient Processing Location | The location where the ingredient is processed. |
Product Manufacturing Location (required) | Country or U.S. state-level accepted. |
Storage Location | The location where the ingredient is stored. |
Manufacturing Process Type (required) | Select the closest Manufacturing Process Type from the picklist or leave blank. |
Product Weight (required) | Must be a decimal. |
Product Unit of Measure (required) | Must be a weight measurement (kg, g, lbs, etc). Volumetric or other units of measure (gal, case, each, etc) will not be accepted. |
Does the product require cold storage? | Whether the product needs cold storage as it leaves your manufacturing facility. If it does, choose the option that applies (for example, refrigerated or frozen). Otherwise choose No. |
Does the product require cooking? | Whether the end consumer needs to cook the product. If it can be eaten as-is, choose No. |
After you upload. HowGood's Research team reviews bulk submissions to make sure your supply chain is reflected accurately. Results are ready within 2 weeks. During review, your products may show Not started or Submitted. That's expected, and you don't need to do anything. Our team will email you if anything needs attention.
Option 3: Upload an LCA or third-party emissions data
If you already have an LCA or third-party verified emissions data, you can submit it instead of entering formula details.
On your request page, click Submit emissions data.
Select every product the data applies to. You can apply one LCA to several products that share it.
Click Upload Emissions Data and answer all the questions in the form.
After you upload. HowGood's Research team reviews every LCA or third-party emissions data submission. Your product footprint will be shared with your customer within 2 weeks. Until then, the product may show Not started or Submitted. That's expected, and you don't need to do anything. Our team will email you if anything needs attention.
[OPTIONAL] Add product certifications
To upload proof of a certification for a product (such as RSPO, Certified Organic, or Fair Trade), click Upload in the Certifications column of your product list. You can add a Certification no matter which option you used to add product data.
Examples by product type
These examples show how to enter common food products. In each one, Manufacturing Type is on the Manufacturing tab, and Requires Cooking and Requires Cold Storage are on the General tab of Packaging and Distribution.
Flavorings
How you enter a flavoring depends on how much you know about its composition. Here are three ways to enter a "Natural Orange Flavor", from most to least detailed.
MOST DETAILED
Ingredient | Weight (%) |
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% |
MEDIUM DETAIL
Ingredient | Weight (%) |
Orange Juice Concentrate | 45% |
Orange Essential Oil | 31% |
Orange Peel Oil | 10% |
Unspecified carrier agent | 3% |
Alcohol | 1% |
LEAST DETAILED
Ingredient | Weight (%) |
Flavoring Component (base) | 96% |
Propylene Glycol | 3% |
Alcohol | 1% |
Cheese
Making cheese takes more milk than the weight of cheese produced, because moisture is removed during the process. HowGood follows the Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR) for dairy, so cheese ingredient weights add up to more than 100%.
Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR). EU-developed methodology rules that standardize how the footprint of a product category is calculated.
To make 100 kg of cheese, use these milk inputs:
Cheese type | Examples | Milk (For Cheese) |
Fresh | Ricotta, cottage cheese, cream cheese, Neufchâtel | 250% |
Soft | Mozzarella, feta, brie | 700% |
Semi-hard | Cheddar, Swiss, Monterey Jack, Gouda, Gruyère, provolone, cotija, Asiago | 900% |
Hard | Romano, Parmesan | 1000% |
Average (type unknown) |
| 867% |
Choose the milk that matches your animal: Milk (For Cheese) - Cow, Sheep, Goat, or Buffalo. Set Manufacturing Type to Cheese.
Example: Mozzarella (soft cheese). 100 kg of mozzarella uses 700 kg of cow's milk, 3 kg salt, 1 kg dairy starter cultures, and 0.5 kg rennet. Enter each as a percentage of the 100 kg output:
Ingredient | Weight (%) |
Milk (For Cheese) - Cow | 700% |
Salt | 3% |
Starter Cultures - Dairy | 1% |
Rennet | 0.5% |
Total | 704.5% |
Example: Cheddar (semi-hard cheese). 100 kg of cheddar uses 900 kg of cow's milk plus small amounts of other ingredients:
Ingredient | Weight (%) |
Milk (For Cheese) - Cow | 900% |
Salt | 1.2% |
Rennet | 0.25% |
Calcium Chloride | 0.02% |
Starter Cultures - Dairy | 0.015% |
Total | 901.485% |
For other products where weights exceed 100%, see Account for products where ingredient percentages exceed 100%.
Breakfast cereal
SupplierConnect suggests default weights, but enter exact amounts if you know them.
Ingredient | Weight (%) |
Whole Wheat | 35% |
Puffed Rice | 30% |
Puffed Corn | 25% |
Sugar | 10% |
Manufacturing Type: Cold Cereal · Requires Cooking: No · Requires Cold Storage: No
Frozen fruits and vegetables
IQF (Individually Quick Frozen). A method that freezes pieces of food quickly and separately, rather than in a single block.
Ingredient | Weight (%) |
IQF Broccoli | 40% |
IQF Spinach | 30% |
IQF Zucchini | 30% |
Manufacturing Type: Fruits and Vegetables (Frozen) · Requires Cooking: Yes · Requires Cold Storage: Refrigerated or Frozen
Fresh produce
A single-ingredient product defaults to 100%.
Ingredient | Weight (%) |
Fresh Corn | 100% |
Manufacturing Type: Produce · Requires Cooking: No · Requires Cold Storage: No
Hamburger patty
Ingredient | Weight (%) |
Uncooked Beef | 89% |
Spices | 5% |
Salt | 3% |
Ground Black Pepper | 3% |
Manufacturing Type: Processed Meats · Requires Cooking: Yes · Requires Cold Storage: Refrigerated or Frozen
Seafood
Some species are only wild-caught, some are mostly farmed, and some (like salmon) can be either. If you aren't sure whether your seafood is wild or farmed, choose farmed.
WILD RAW SALMON
Ingredient | Weight (%) |
Uncooked Wild Salmon | 100% |
FARM-RAISED COOKED SHRIMP
Ingredient | Weight (%) |
Cooked Shrimp | 100% |
For both: Manufacturing Type: Seafood · Requires Cooking: Yes · Requires Cold Storage: Refrigerated or Frozen
After you share products
If you navigate back to your list of products, you will see a corresponding Footprint Status for each product. If the status for one of your products doesn't look right, reach out to our team using the in-app chat or email [email protected].
Field | Definition & Guidelines |
Sharing Complete | The product has been shared and is visible on the customer’s dashboard. No further action is needed from the supplier. |
Submitted for Sharing | The product is in the queue to be surfaced to the customer. No further action is needed from the supplier. |
In Progress | Data has been added and saved, but the supplier has not yet clicked "Share Footprint." Action is required. |
Not Started | No data has been added to the product entry. Action is required. |