The supplier selection process is intense and SYSCO Brand suppliers must be pre-qualified through the SYSCO Quality Assurance Initial Facility Audit process before being chosen. The initial facility audits are performed by the SYSCO Quality Assurance team and no supplier can produce SYSCO Brand products until they achieve an acceptable rating. These audits are detailed, objective, point-based surveys of a supplier's food safety procedures and they are designed to ensure that the supplier has adopted and implemented the best food safety practices available in the industry.

The implementation of these procedures must cover every aspect of the supplier's food chain, from farm to fork. The criteria evaluated includes a potential supplier's sanitation program, their pest control procedures, their food handling practices, their development and implementation of a science-based HACCP program (HACCP: Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points is a systematic proactive approach to food safety that addresses potential hazards as a means of prevention. For more information see: www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/haccp.html, their testing and analysis programs and their ability to ensure traceability of all ingredients and products they produce.