The Food Source International will be on site at the IFT FIRST Annual Event & Expo IFT in Chicago, IL. July 16-19, 2023.

Meet us there!
Schedule a Seasoning Consultation Request an Ingredients Sample

Contact Us

484-631-2005

The Food Source
International, Inc
753 Springdale Drive
Exton, PA 19341

FAQs

At The Food Source, it’s important to us that you find just what you’re looking for in order to achieve your goals of flavorful foods and fresh ingredients. That’s why we’ve compiled the questions we get asked the most. Browse the list below to find your answer.

Corporate FAQs (2)

Our corporate office and R&D center is located in West Chester, PA. We have blending facilities set up in Beecher, IL and Union, NJ. We also maintain distribution in Denver, PA; Kendall, NY; Chicago, IL and St. Joseph, MO, with the ability to add additional locations as needed.

The answer is almost always yes! We’re always on the search for creative, out-of-the-box talent to bring on board. Feel free to check out our current openings or shoot us your resume for future consideration.

Ingredient FAQs (2)

Catalog, yes. Pricing, no. Pricing of raw materials is constantly changing. The dairy market fluctuates on a weekly basis. Spices, herbs and vegetables all have the ability to fluctuate depending on current market conditions. Any vendor that publishes a monthly, quarterly or even annual price list is artificially inflating the prices. It is the only way to build a buffer to protect themselves against such fluctuations. Check out our seasoning catalog or ingredients catalog and let us know specifically what you’re looking for. We have the ability to describe the market and how that ingredient is currently positioned within the spot market.

If you’re looking for pricing stability, the possibility always exists for contracts or blanket orders that offer piece of mind, fixed costs and added stability within your supply chain.

We also have simplified versions of our product offerings for ingredients.

The Food Source International thrives on custom, because we are able to offer a solution found nowhere else in the market. Stock ingredients certainly help to reduce cost and lead-time, but sometimes they are just not perfect for the design of your product. By working together, we can dial in on your specific requirements and produce the ingredient exactly to your specs including the following options:

  • Custom sizing & sorting
  • Specific microbiological requirements
  • Custom pack-sizes to assist in batching
  • Custom packaging options from retail packs to super-sacks

The Food Source International can fulfill a customer purchase order under our standard terms and conditions with one of three types of orders:

  • Ingredient Purchase Order– Purchase made by the customer for an ingredient, based on a contract price, previously quoted price, or the current market price.
  • Seasoning Purchase Order– Custom product, produced and shipped in its entirety, based on a quoted price.
  • Blank Seasoning Purchase Order– Custom product, produced at a quantity to cover a prearranged price and period of time, with multiple shipments occurring within that period.

Operations FAQs (2)

Minimum orders are dependent on the type of ingredient or seasoning that is being purchased.

  • Ingredients: In most cases a single carton can be accommodated for trial/scaling work. Once the product has moved to standard production orders, 250-500 lbs. is necessary to fulfill the shipping requirements of our distribution warehouses.
  • Seasonings: Trial/Scale-up quantities of 50-150 lbs. can be accommodated, but regular production orders must meet a minimum of 500 lbs. in order to proceed.

Absolutely! We offer multiple packaging lines including:

  • Vertical form, fill and seal (1 oz. – 10 lbs.)
  • Horizontal form, fill and seal (1 g – 4 oz.)
  • Scale fill for food service (1 oz. – 10 lbs.)
  • Toyo stand-up gusset filling (4.75-10.25″ W x 5.12-15.75″ H)

Quality/Regulatory FAQs (3)

We maintain a comprehensive supplier verification program for both our off-shore and domestic suppliers and processing facilities. Included within this program is verification of a valid GFSI certification.

We are proud to say that quite a few of the dehydrated vegetables we import and distribute are Non-GMO Project verified, with many more on the way. In addition, many of the ingredients that we distribute are suitable for use in retail products destined for verification. Seasonings can also be developed to meet the specific requirements of Non-GMO Project verification within your finished product.

The Food Source International develops and produces certified Organic seasonings on an ongoing basis. In addition, we distribute a wide array of certified Organic ingredients across multiple ingredient categories.

The regulations are changing for using flavors within organic products. Please click here to learn more.

Seasoning FAQs (3)

Virtually all possible seasoning characteristics are possible when building a seasoning including:

TFS does find that customers ask questions about various ingredients that may be used within a seasoning. Some of the ingredients may include:

All flavor ingredients used in TFS products are approved for use within regulaton of the FDA or are listed as being generally recognized as safe on a reliable published industry associaton list.

Inspiration for flavor comes from a variety of places. Many times that flavor inspiration comes from a similar product that you’ve sampled previously and want to match on your own product. We have the ability to not only produce seasonings that match the flavor of food products in the marketplace, but also to match ingredient declarations when necessary.

Every seasoning is custom-produced for a specific customer and application. We have an extensive library of pre-existing formulas that can be used as a base in order to speed along the development process. At the end of the day, you can be sure that the seasoning you receive is completely custom to your requirements and no other retail brand has that exact same formula.