Information about the origin of the raw material - egg and milk

One method of follow-up is through spot checks of delivered products. It is then checked that information about the country of origin of the raw material can be provided/details that the supplier has submitted with the tender are reviewed: such as by means of:

• Information about the country of origin of the raw material in electronic purchasing/ordering channels in the price files that are loaded into each contracting organisation's e-commerce system.
• Other provided documentation showing the information.

For products that are not covered by origin marking (such as milk products and processed egg products), a packing slip will not ensure that this requirement is met. Identification marking in an oval on the product only specifies the last place of manufacture, which does not establish which country the milk/eggs is/are a produced in.

It is not permitted to require a certain country of origin in public procurement. The requirement thus only concerns that information is to be provided regarding the country of origin of the raw material in the product. The country of origin of the raw material is not intended to constitute the basis for evaluating tenders, since this is considered to be in conflict with the fundamental principles of public procurement. However, the information may be an important basis for the contracting organisation's internal risk analyses and follow-up.  

Remember that the way in which information about the origin of the raw material should be provided over the duration of the agreement should be stated in the contractual terms.  Note that requirements regarding information being provided via specific systems can make it difficult for small and medium-sized enterprises to submit tenders.

Market access may be limited for individual products. It is recommended to use this requirement for products with at least 20 percent milk and/or egg content. The requirements exceeds Swedish legislation.

Transparency and traceability in the food chain are important in order to be able to check sustainability parameters in the supply chain. Information about the origin of a raw material increases feelings of security for guests at a meal and can provide contracting organisations with important information about the performance of a product, such as which regulations are followed during primary production. Throughout society, interest in traceability for food products and the origin of raw ingredients is on the increase, as is the case in public procurement of foodstuffs. It is therefore important that information on the country in which production occurred can be conveyed efficiently from the producer/supplier to the contracting organisation, catering services, kitchens and meal guests.

Fresh eggs produced within the EU must be labelled with their country of origin, producer, pen and production method.  For more information about how eggs should be marked, see the National Food Administration's website.

The version date indicates when the sustainability criterion was created or last updated. Last reviewed dated tells when we last checked that the sustainability criterion still is relevant.

2020-12-21: Original version. Merge of Requirement ID 10889:1 and 11010. The requirement is valid for both compound and non-compound products. Clarified that the information is to be available and controllable at the time of the tender as well as during the contract period. Also for any replacement products.