Buyer template
Feed ingredient specification sheet template
A single-page specification you can attach to an RFQ or contract so every supplier quotes the same product — the fastest way to make offers genuinely comparable.
Nutritionists and buyers issuing RFQs for raw materials, proteins, amino acids, minerals or premixes.
When to use this template
- Issuing an RFQ where offers keep coming back non-comparable
- Formalising a spec that currently lives in emails
- Attaching a quality annex to a supply contract
1. Product identification
| Field | What to state | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Product name | Use the trade and technical name, plus CAS or EC number for additives. | DL-Methionine 99%, CAS 59-51-8 |
| Origin | Country and, for plant proteins, crop year. | Argentina, crop 2026 |
| Process | Solvent-extracted, expeller, fermented, synthetic. | Solvent-extracted, dehulled |
| Intended species | Drives which limits are binding. | Broiler and layer feed |
| Regulatory status | Feed catalogue entry or additive authorisation number. | EU register no. |
2. Nutritional parameters
| Field | What to state | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Crude protein | State the method and whether it is as-is or dry matter. | 46.0% min (Kjeldahl, as-is) |
| Moisture | Maximum, with the drying method. | 12.0% max (ISO 6496) |
| Crude fibre / ADF / NDF | Relevant to plant proteins and by-products. | Fibre 3.5% max |
| Crude fat | Plus peroxide value where oxidation is a risk. | 1.5% max, PV ≤ 5 meq/kg |
| Ash | Total ash and acid-insoluble ash as an adulteration marker. | Ash 7.0% max, AIA 1.0% max |
| Amino acid profile | Total and, where you formulate on it, digestible values. | Lys 2.85% min |
| Quality markers | Urease, KOH solubility, protein dispersibility for soy. | Urease 0.05–0.20 ΔpH |
3. Safety limits
- Aflatoxin B1, total aflatoxins, DON, zearalenone, fumonisins and ochratoxin A with numeric maxima
- Heavy metals: lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury against the destination country's feed limits
- Salmonella absent in 25 g; Enterobacteriaceae and total plate count maxima
- Pesticide residues and dioxins where the origin or process warrants it
- Absence of processed animal protein where the market or certification requires it
- Foreign matter, metal fragments and pest infestation: zero tolerance, stated explicitly
4. Physical, packaging & documentation
| Field | What to state | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Particle size | Sieve distribution, not a single number. | 95% through 2 mm sieve |
| Bulk density | Drives silo and container planning. | 620–680 g/L |
| Colour & odour | Descriptive standard with a retained reference sample. | Light golden, no sour odour |
| Packaging | Bag type, net weight, pallet configuration or bulk. | 50 kg PP bags, 20 MT/FCL |
| Marking | Everything that must appear on the bag or tag. | Product, lot, origin, date |
| Shelf life | Minimum remaining shelf life on arrival. | 24 months, ≥ 75% on arrival |
| Documents | The pack required per shipment. | CoA, phyto, health cert, BL |
Put this template to work
Send your completed template with a structured RFQ and we route it to pre-qualified feed ingredient suppliers — free, no obligation.
Attach this spec to an RFQFrequently asked questions
- What goes into a feed ingredient specification sheet?
- Product identification and origin, nutritional parameters with analytical methods, safety limits for mycotoxins, heavy metals and microbiology, physical parameters such as particle size and bulk density, packaging and marking, shelf life, and the document pack required with every shipment.
- Why do supplier offers come back non-comparable?
- Almost always because the specification was implicit. Without stated methods, basis (as-is versus dry matter) and maxima, each supplier quotes to its own house standard — attaching a specification sheet to the RFQ removes that variability.
- Should the specification state analytical methods?
- Yes. A protein figure without a method is not a specification: Kjeldahl and Dumas give different results, and disputes over off-spec lots are usually decided by which method the contract named.
- Can one specification sheet cover several ingredients?
- Keep one sheet per ingredient and origin. Shared sheets tend to carry parameters that do not apply, which suppliers then ignore selectively — and that undermines the whole document at claim time.