RFQ checklist for importers and institutional food buyers
Complete requests receive comparable offers sooner. Use this list before you open the request form.
Short answer
A complete importer RFQ names the product and specification, grade and size, packaging, volume and frequency, destination and delivery window, preferred Incoterm, the documents your market needs and any cold-chain requirements.
Submit it through our reviewed request form. The team checks fit and the USD 250,000 minimum, asks for anything missing and approaches suppliers on your behalf.
Submit an importer RFQ
One reviewed request: commodity and specification, volume, destination, delivery window and preferred terms. Free for buyers; B2B requests from USD 250,000.
Product and specification
- Commodity and variety, species or product type.
- Grade, size or count, and quality tolerances.
- Form: fresh, chilled or frozen; whole, cut or processed.
- Any claims you need to make (for example organic), and the certificate you will require.
- HS code, if you know it — your customs broker confirms the classification; we do not assign codes.
- Preferred origin countries, or whether you are open to alternatives.
Volume, packaging and schedule
- Total volume and volume per shipment (containers, pallets or tonnes).
- Packaging, labelling and label-language requirements.
- First delivery date and the window you can accept.
- Contract length or number of shipments.
Destination, terms and budget
- Destination country and port, airport or warehouse.
- Preferred Incoterm.
- Target price or budget range, if you have one.
- Payment terms you can offer.
Documents and controls
- Certificates your market requires (phytosanitary, health or veterinary, origin).
- Food-safety certification and test results you require from suppliers.
- Pre-shipment inspection or samples.
- Temperature recording and traceability.
Who this is for
Importers, wholesalers, distributors, retail and food-service groups, and institutional or public-sector buyers purchasing at B2B scale. Requests below USD 250,000 receive a polite reply but no sourcing service.
Sources and official links
Regulatory and source information last reviewed:
- ICC — Incoterms® rules — official portal
- European Commission — Import controls on food and feed: Q&A — checked 2026-10-22
Frequently asked questions
Do I need all of this before I submit?
No. Send what you have and the team will tell you what is missing. Requests with the specification, volume, destination and dates move fastest.
Will suppliers see my contact details?
No. Our team communicates with suppliers on your behalf.
Is there a fee for buyers?
No. Submitting a request and receiving coordinated offers is free for buyers.
In this importer center
Country markets: 2024 trade evidence by HS code — 18 import markets and origins, hubs such as the Netherlands, seasonal windows, access rules, official authorities and an evidence-ranked corridor map. Global B2B Opportunities Center — five produce corridors with a dated status: SA cherries and stone fruit to China, Indian grapes to Vietnam, Indian produce to Canada, SA apples to Thailand. Import glossary — phytosanitary certificates, HS codes, CHED, Incoterms® and landed cost, with sources. Importer demand map — 15 markets matched to 2024 flows from Peru, Ecuador, India, Kenya and Colombia. Buyer sourcing service — one confidential request, several screened suppliers. Origin export guides — 2024 export flows and national statistics for five origins. Import duties and entry rules for fresh fruit and vegetables — where 16 markets publish duty, import VAT/GST, plant-health and food-safety rules, with a quote-request checklist (12 languages). Market entry guides: Great Britain (IPAFFS, CHED, BTOM), United States (prior notice, FSVP, APHIS), Japan (plant quarantine, food import notification), Japan buyer map (Ecuador, Peru, India, Kenya, Colombia), origin export guide for those origins, Japan import-readiness checklists, for Japanese importers, UAE and Saudi Arabia (MOCCAE, SFDA Ghad, FASAH), South Korea (MFDS registration, PLS, seafood certificates), EU via the Netherlands (phytosanitary, CHED, KCB marketing standards) and supplier certifications. Origin guide: certified organic produce from Brazil (MAPA rules, CNPO checks).
Global B2B Group is a managed sourcing service. We are not a supplier, importer of record, certifier, carrier or customs broker. Figures are dated reference points from the cited sources; availability, documents, prices and timings are confirmed for each request. No availability, regulatory clearance, delivery or savings is guaranteed. Global B2B Group accepts no paid placement: suppliers cannot pay for inclusion, ranking or recommendation. Buyers pay nothing. The selected supplier pays a fee only after the deal or project proceeds; this is disclosed to buyers. Suppliers are invited against documented selection criteria, not the fee.
From seed to shelf — the same discipline, a greener result
Greenhouses, fresh produce, fish and shrimp packaging lines: every project is specified, sourced and compared before an introduction is made.
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