If you run catering for an NHS trust, a local authority, a university or a large corporate estate, you already know that adding a new food supplier to an approved list is not a simple process. There are questionnaires to complete, certifications to verify, and due diligence checks that must be passed before a single delivery is made.
For most food categories, this process is well-established. For Indian curry bases and gravy products specifically, it's an area where many procurement teams encounter an unexpected gap: the products they want to use either lack the right certifications, or the documentation simply doesn't exist in the right format.
This guide covers what the audit process typically requires, why Indian curry bases have historically struggled to meet those requirements, and what to look for when sourcing a product that will pass first time.
What procurement audits actually look for
The specific requirements vary by institution, but most formal food procurement processes — particularly in NHS, local authority, education and contract catering environments — share a common set of standards:
Food safety certification. BRCGS (British Retail Consortium Global Standard for Food Safety) is the most widely recognised certification in UK institutional catering. Many NHS supply chains and university procurement frameworks explicitly require BRCGS Grade A or above. The current highest grade is A+, which indicates not only compliance but proactive excellence in food safety management.
Allergen documentation. The Natasha's Law requirements (in force since October 2021) have significantly raised the bar on allergen labelling and documentation. Procurement auditors will check that every supplied product has a clear, audited allergen declaration — not just a general claim, but specific per-ingredient documentation that maps to a verified production process.
Traceability. Can the supplier trace every ingredient in the product back to its source? For Indian curry bases, which often contain 15–25 ingredients, this is a substantial documentation requirement. A reputable supplier should be able to provide a full ingredient traceability pack on request.
Nutritional information. Per 100g and per serving nutritional data, ideally lab-verified. Required for menu planning, dietary accommodation and catering contract reporting.
Shelf life and storage conditions. Ambient products with documented shelf life testing are preferred in institutional settings because they simplify stock management and reduce waste claims.
Why Indian curry bases have historically struggled
The UK's Indian food supply chain has a structural problem when it comes to institutional procurement. Many of the best curry bases are produced by small or mid-sized manufacturers who have never needed to engage with formal certification processes — their routes to market have been via independent restaurants and wholesale cash-and-carry, where BRCGS is not a requirement.
The result is a gap in the market: excellent products that cannot pass a formal procurement audit, sitting alongside formally certified products that are, frankly, not very good. Procurement teams are often forced to choose between food safety compliance and food quality. In most institutional settings, compliance wins — and the quality of the Indian food on offer suffers accordingly.
What BRCGS A+ certification actually means in practice
BRCGS certification is not self-assessed. It requires an annual unannounced audit by an accredited third-party certification body. An A+ grade specifically requires that the audit is passed at the highest scoring level with no major non-conformances and no more than a minimal number of minor observations.
For a supplier to achieve and maintain A+ status for an Indian curry base product, it means:
- The production facility operates to the highest documented food safety standards
- Every ingredient is sourced from verified, traceable suppliers
- The allergen management process is robust and independently verified
- Batch records, production logs and quality checks are maintained to an auditable standard
- The product specification matches what is actually produced, consistently, batch to batch
For a procurement manager, an A+ certified supplier significantly reduces the administrative burden of due diligence. The hard work of verifying food safety practice has already been done by the certifying body.
Practical checklist for procurement teams sourcing Indian curry bases
Before approving an Indian curry base supplier for your institutional catering contract, verify the following:
- [ ] BRCGS certificate — confirm it is current (not expired), covers the specific product category, and specifies the grade
- [ ] Allergen matrix — full declared allergen list for each SKU, cross-contamination policy documented
- [ ] Nutritional specification — per 100g data, ideally with lab verification reference
- [ ] Ingredient list and traceability — full ingredient declaration matching label; traceability documentation available on request
- [ ] Shelf life documentation — stated shelf life supported by challenge testing or accelerated shelf life study
- [ ] Natasha's Law compliance — labelling format compliant with current UK requirements
- [ ] Credit and payment terms — 30-day credit terms are standard for institutional buyers; confirm before onboarding
The Fresh Curry holds BRCGS A+ certification and can provide all of the above documentation as part of the supplier approval process. If you're working through a formal procurement exercise and need documentation to support the approval, contact us directly and we'll turn it around within one business day.