Guides
The questions buyers ask, answered.
Grades, specifications, labels and the steps to your own product. Each guide answers first and links every figure to where it comes from.
Buying ingredients
Source- Dehydrated onion grades: minced, chopped, flakes, granules and powderDehydrated onion is fresh onion that has been peeled, sliced and dried under controlled conditions, then cut or milled to a named size. From largest to smallest the usual grades are sliced, kibbled (often sold as flakes), chopped, minced, granulated and powder, and each grade is defined by sieve size rather than by its name (ADOGA; IS 4452:2009). Onion powder is simply the finest grade: under the Indian standard, 99 percent of it must pass a 500-micron sieve (IS 4452:2009).
- Potato starch vs potato flour vs potato flakes vs granulesPotato starch is the starch alone, washed out of raw potato with the protein and fibre removed: it thickens, tastes of nothing and will not turn back into mash. Potato flakes, granules and cooked potato flour are the whole potato, cooked, mashed and dried, while raw potato flour is uncooked potato milled. They do different jobs, are rarely swapped one for one, and sit under different customs codes: starch 1108.13, flour 1105.10, flakes and granules 1105.20 (USITC Harmonized Tariff Schedule).
- Dehydrated garlic: cloves, flakes, slices, minced, granules and powderDehydrated garlic is garlic cloves dried without precooking, then sold whole, sliced, or cut and milled to a named size: chopped, minced, granulated or powder (ADOGA standards; ISO-based draft standard). Each grade is defined by sieve size, so garlic powder is simply the finest grade of dehydrated garlic. In moisture-barrier packaging kept cool and dry, the American Dehydrated Onion and Garlic Association expects quality to hold for at least two years (ADOGA).
- How much onion powder or dried onion equals one onionAbout 1 teaspoon of onion powder, or 1 to 2 tablespoons of dried minced onion, replaces one small onion of about 1/4 cup chopped (NDSU Extension; Colorado State University Extension). By weight, the American Dehydrated Onion and Garlic Association treats 1 part of onion powder or granules as about 10 parts of prepared fresh onion, and 1 part of minced, chopped or sliced dried onion as about 8 parts (ADOGA). Kitchen swaps are rounded by volume; for production, dose by weight and test.
- Crispy fried onion: how it is made, grades and usesCrispy fried onion is sliced onion cooked in oil until golden and dry, bought as a ready garnish and topping for biryani, noodles, salads, ready meals and burgers. It differs from dehydrated and toasted onion because it carries frying oil, and that oil sets its shelf life and packaging. Whether it is gluten free depends on the coating: Coeliac UK lists dried vegetables as gluten free but vegetables in batter or dusted with flour as not gluten free (Coeliac UK).
- Dehydrated Vegetable Suppliers in India: A Buyer's GuideIf you are searching for the best dehydrated vegetable suppliers in India, the useful question is which supplier can prove that every lot meets your specification.
- Food Exporters in India: How to Find and Vet OneFinding food exporters in India is quick. Knowing which of them are genuine takes a few more checks, and you can make every one of them yourself on free government portals.
- Importing Food from India: A Buyer's Step-by-Step GuideImporting food from India works when three things line up before the container is booked. The Indian exporter must be cleared to export, your own country's import rules must be met for that exact product, and the contract must fix the specification, the reference sample, the testing and the shipping term.
- Mango Pulp Suppliers in India: A Buyer's GuideTo choose between mango pulp suppliers in India, start with the variety, the specification and the pack, then check each lot on paper and in a sealed sample before you commit to a container.
- Onion Powder Suppliers in India: A Buyer's GuideThe onion powder suppliers worth shortlisting in India are the ones who will put a written specification, a sealed reference sample and a certificate of analysis for every lot behind what they ship.
- Potato Flakes Suppliers: How to Choose and Check OneChoosing between potato flakes suppliers comes down to one document: a written specification that fixes particle size, moisture, sulphur dioxide, microbiology, packing and shelf life, and a supplier who confirms every lot against it.
Making your own product
Make- How to start a private-label food brand with a manufacturer in IndiaYou start a private-label food brand in India by giving a manufacturer a brief, approving a sealed sample, settling the label for your market, and having each lot made, tested and shipped against that sample. In India the maker holds an FSSAI manufacturing licence and a brand owner who has food made for it applies as a relabeller (FSSAI kind-of-business list); an exporter also needs an Importer Exporter Code (DGFT), and food for the US must, unless exempt, come from a facility registered with the FDA (21 CFR 1.225). Before you commit, check the maker yourself.
- Food Product Development Services: A Founder's GuideFood product development services take a food idea from a written brief to a product that can be made the same way, lot after lot, and sold legally in the market you choose.
Before you ship
Verify- Food label requirements by export market: US, EU, UK, UAE and IndiaEvery market asks for the same core particulars: the name of the food, the ingredients, the allergens, the net quantity, nutrition information and the business responsible, but each sets its own form. The US wants English, metric and US units, nine major allergens and a country-of-origin mark (FDA Food Labeling Guide); the EU and UK want 14 allergens emphasised and text with an x-height of at least 1.2 mm (Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011; gov.uk). Gulf rules require Arabic (SFDA, on GSO 9), and India requires the veg or non-veg symbol and the FSSAI logo and licence number (FSSAI).
- Food Supplier Audit Checklist: 11 Sections for BuyersA food supplier audit checklist tells you what to see, what to read and what to ask for when you check a factory before you buy from it.