Costco Supplier Requirements

All Facilities that process, pack, warehouse, or distribute consumable products or supply food-contact packaging materials to Costco Wholesale Corporation are required to complete an annual third-party Food Safety audit. BRCGS, SQF, IFS, and FSSC 22000 audits are accepted.

Costco will only accept audits or certifications from the approved list of audit companies. As a Costco approved Certification Body, SAI Assurance is committed to delivering best-in-class audit experience in alignment with the Costco requirements and can offer a combined audit (GFSI plus a Costco Addendum).

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Costco Supplier Requirements

Good Manufacturing Practices for the Food Industry

Distribution Center/ Warehouse Audits

Costco accepts Distribution Center/ Warehouse Audits when conducted by a Costco approved audit company. Costco will accept either a GFSI Certification or an audit company’s unique Distribution Center / Warehouse Audit form.

cGMP Audits

Costco accepts cGMP audits (Current Good Manufacturing Practice) when conducted by a Costco approved audit company. cGMP audits verify that manufacturing facilities and processes are designed, implemented, monitored, and controlled appropriately.

Costco GMP audit

Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) is the foundation of any food safety management system and an essential component for any food company in the supply chain. Costco GMP audits are required to be unannounced.

The audit must be conducted within a 90-day audit window from the date of the previous audit (45 days before/after audit anniversary date). Audit companies will contact suppliers to schedule audits within the specified timeframe.

Costco Small Supplier Audit

Suppliers that have fewer than 25 employees and have not previously completed a third-party food safety audit are eligible for a Costco Small Supplier Audit. Unlike the Costco GMP Audit, Small Supplier Audits are always announced. Small Supplier Audits are intended as an introduction to Costco’s food safety program and are to be performed on a one-time-basis only. All subsequent audits completed for Costco must be either a Costco GMP audit or GFSI Certification with Costco Addendum.

Animal Welfare Audits

Facilities that convert animals into food or have an on-farm environment (i.e. laying hens, dairy cattle, etc.) are required to have an annual animal welfare or certification audit.

GFSI Audits

Costco also accepts other GFSI-recognized standards including SQF, BRCGS, FSSC 22000 and IFS.
A Costco GFSI Addendum must be completed for each GFSI scheme listed above.
All certification and recertification audits must be current (within the past 12 months). Costco will only accept GFSI certifications from Costco-approved audit companies.

Validity Period

Costco audits are valid for one year however if scores are not enough a second audit will be required within 3-6 months.

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