Baking & Snack - August 2007 - 84

ᮡ This example of an organic granola bar is loaded with organ-

DEVELOPING DUAL SUPPLY

ic soy crisps, organic toasted oats, organic Solnuts and organic
caramel providing function and flavor.

Food processors also may wish to have more than one supplier for some organic ingredients, especially a fresh ingredient they need year-round. Ingredient suppliers also generally
try to have duplicate suppliers of organic raw materials.
"Whenever we are stuck with one supplier and are
commercial with that ingredient, we are working on dual
supply," Mr. Parle said. "That is just a default of ours."
For a food manufacturer, it is really a personal judgment
and depends on the company's relationship with the supplier
as to whether the buyer feels the need to have more than one
vendor. "If the supplier can assure supply because it has dual
supply on the materials that are difficult to source, then that
may be the only supplier the food processor needs," he said.
For certain products, the supply chain is so well developed
that processors should not have any problems finding one
reputable supplier that can provide all of the necessary ingredient they will need. However, other ingredients are more
exotic, newer to market or more susceptible to shortages due
to their nature, and with those, Ms. Leavitt recommended
that the processor have a backup supplier.
"A good purchasing group is out scouring and looking
not only for major vendors but also alternate vendors in
case there are issues, situations where your major vendor
cannot supply a raw material for you," Ms. Sasaki said.
"Distributors or brokers can come in very handy in those
types of situations."

Kerry Group

PROHIBITED PROCESSES
In addition to learning about availability, the baker or snack
manufacturer should ask to see the organic certification
for an ingredient, according to William Fenske, vice-president, research and development, SunOpta. The processor
should know everything about how the supplier handles its
organic materials. "You want to understand where they are
getting their supply and to understand their supply chain,"
he said. "Are they buying it from someone else, or do they
have total control over the product from when it is grown
through processing?"
Food manufacturers also have to realize certain processes
are not allowed for organic foods, such as using ion radiation
to sterilize or using sewage sludge to fertilize, Mr. Fenske
added. SunOpta sends out a questionnaire to potential ingredient or raw material suppliers to garner this information,
even if a company is certified.
It is even more important to know about nonorganic
ingredients used in a certified-organic product, because the
food processor must know if the ingredient is made using a
prohibited process or uses genetically modified organisms,
which would automatically disqualify it from being in an
organic product.
Soy proteins, which are used widely in nutritional bars,
are classically manufactured using a process that involves
hexane, and if hexane is involved in any part of the process,
that product cannot be labeled organic, Mr. Parle explained.
Therefore, Kerry has worked on developing new technology
to process soy proteins, he added.

88 / BAKING & SNACK / August 2007

QUALITY CONCERNS
When the organic market started in the US, those food
manufacturers were more willing to accept organic ingredients that would not have been accepted in more traditional
product lines, according to Ms. Leavitt, but that is not the
case anymore. "We are seeing from our customers more and

Baking & Snack - August 2007

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