The USDA Pilot Project for Procurement of Unprocessed Fruits and Vegetables

Vendor Requirements 

All distributors and processors must have a USDA or GFSI benchmarked Food Defense Audit

1 Product Liability Insurance

2 Food Safety Certification Which best describes your operation? Certification options vary by vendor type:

do NOT repack repack or handle produce

USDA Plant Survey

USDA Plant Systems Audit (PSA)

Any Global Food Safety Initiative 

(GFSI) recognized scheme. See GFSI 

website for options. 

dried or frozen fresh-cut

Do you handle non-domestic product? If so, you must submit a Product Segregation Plan 

to ensure only US-grown produce. Your supplier(s) plan may be requested during an audit. 

Approved Certifiers

USDA - Agricultural Marketing 

Service (AMS) - federal 

division that provides audit 

and accreditation programs

Global Food Safety Initiative 

(GFSI) - collaborative that 

recognizes various private 

food safety certifiers based on 

global quality standards

Do you have suppliers? Food safety certifications are required for all suppliers, except 

for produce processed into dried or frozen product.

fresh-cut 

requires a HAACP 

Plan certified by 

USDA or other 

recognized GFSI 

certifier

USDA Plant Survey

USDA Plant Systems Audit (PSA)

USDA Qualified Through Verification

Any Global Food Safety Initiative 

(GFSI) recognized scheme. See GFSI 

website for options. 

Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) Good Handling Practices (GHP) / Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)

Farm Distributor Processor

Signed statement certifying 

that vendor meets GHP/

GMP, and has been audited 

(audit can be other than 

USDA or GFSI recognized). 

Must have Food Defense 

Audit benchmarked by GFSI 

or USDA. 

USDA Good Handling 

Practices (GHP)

USDA Plant Survey

USDA Plant Systems Audit 

(PSA)

Any Global Food Safety 

Initiative (GFSI) recognized 

scheme. See GFSI website 

for options. 

USDA Good Agricultural 

Practices (GAP)

USDA Harmonized GAP

Any Global Food Safety 

Initiative (GFSI) recognized scheme. See GFSI 

website for options. 

See USDA 

Vendor Eligibility 

Requirements for 

further details
 Submit application to fvpilot@ams.usda.gov

 Complete two forms

The USDA Pilot Project for Procurement of Unprocessed Fruits and Vegetables

Vendor Application Instructions

A

B

For vendors with required (1) product liability insurance and (2) food safety certifications

include

1 Vendor Application Form (Attachments A-D)

2 WBSCM Form (pdf)

3 Additional Attachments

Food Safety Certification (for applicant, & supplier(s) if applicable) 

HACCP Plan (fresh-cut processors only) 

Product Segregation Plan (vendors handling non-domestic product)

Visit USDA-AMS website for vendor application 

forms, eligibility requirements, list of approved 

vendors, invoice templates and more resources

(1) Vendor Application Form (electronic signatures accepted) 

Attachment A - Company Info

List only products that will be sold through the pilot. All products must be certified 

through USDA Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) or other approved certifier.

Attachment B - Self-Certification (yes/no check boxes)

Operations that sell more than 2,000 lbs per day and/or operations that negociate 

the sale of produce on behalf of another person (i.e. a broker) need a PACA 

license. Farms that handle their own product are exempt. 

Operations that manufacture, process, pack or hold food for human consumption 

need a FDA Food Facility Registration (registration is free). Farms are exempt. 

Attachment C - Domestic Origin Requirement (yes/no check boxes) 

This pilot is for US-grown food only. If you handle any non-domestic product, you 

must include your Product Segregation Plan. You are also responsible for your 

supplier(s) compliance. Their segregation plan may be requested upon audit.

Attachment D - Suppliers

If you plan to sell products from other suppliers, list those suppliers and their 

products. Only include suppliers that you will use for the pilot. Remember that you 

must be able to document food safety certifications for each of your suppliers. 

Vendors can also add more suppliers after becoming approved. 

Attachment D is not required if you do not work with any other suppliers.

(2) WBSCM Form (obtain online and save as pdf) 

This form registers your business to accept payment from USDA

z Unless your operation is a Farm Service Agency, select “Central Vendor” 

instead of “International Freight Vendor” 

z Requires a SAM (System for Award Management) registration and DUNS

number which are both easy and free to obtain on their websites 

z Business Type - If unknown or not officially certified, select “small 

business” or however you identify your business on SAM.gov 

z Operation Type - Self-identify based on categories or select “other” and 

type individual response