Infoblad 64: What do companies need to know?
- caoilinnokelly
- Oct 30
- 4 min read
What is Informatieblad 64?
‘Informatieblad 64’ is a guidance document issued by the Nederlandse Voedsel‑ en Warenautoriteit (NVWA) that sets out how food businesses can demonstrate control of relevant food-safety hazards. These hazards can include biological, chemical or physical agents present in food, such as the presence of salmonella or pesticide residues. This document emphasises that hazards must be identified and controlled.
Important: Informatieblad 64 is not itself law, but a regulatory guidance document that reflects how NVWA interprets and expects compliance with the law. Informatieblad 64 affects any operator in the food chain who procures food and/or food-materials (within the Netherlands, and for products placed on the Dutch market).
Who does it affect?
Producers and processors must identify and control hazards linked to the raw materials they use.
Importers are responsible for ensuring imported goods meet Dutch food-safety standards.
Traders, wholesalers, and retailers must verify that suppliers control relevant hazards or have agreements in place to do so.
Private-label owners carry ultimate responsibility for the safety of products sold under their own brand.
If you are a food business that buys ingredients, raw materials or food products, the infoblad 64 is relevant.
What does it require?
Here are the main elements of what Informatieblad 64 asks food-business operators to do:
1. Identify Relevant Hazards
Companies must analyse all possible biological, chemical, and physical hazards associated with the products they purchase — especially those they can’t control later in the process.
Each hazard should be assessed for likelihood and severity to determine whether it is relevant and requires control.
2. Control and Verification
Relevant hazards must be actively controlled through supplier management. Examples include:
Supplier audits or on-site inspections (risk-based, at least every three years).
Testing of incoming materials to verify safety.
Supplier certification, provided the scope explicitly covers raw-material hazard control — a general GFSI certificate alone may not suffice.
3. Written Agreements and Documentation
Businesses must have documented agreements with suppliers on how relevant hazards are controlled.
Verification activities — such as audits, monitoring, and supplier performance reviews — must also be recorded.
These controls should be built into the company’s HACCP or food-safety management system and reviewed at least annually.
4. Keep It Dynamic
Risk management must evolve with experience, incidents, and new information — for example, emerging risks linked to new sourcing regions or changing climate conditions.
Companies should be able to demonstrate ongoing control with clear documentation, supplier selection criteria, and audit evidence.
Identify all relevant hazards associated with the procurement of food/ingredients (especially those you cannot eliminate in your own process). Infoblad 64 sets out a table of responsibilities for different types of operators (producer/processor, importer, distributor/retailer) with regard to controlling relevant hazards in procurement.
What are the implications?
For companies operating in the food/food-raw material supply chain the implications of Infoblad 64 are significant. Here’s what they should expect and what to do.
Implications
Broader accountability: Food-safety responsibilities extend beyond the factory to include upstream suppliers.
More documentation: Supplier risk assessments, certificates, and audit reports are now essential evidence of compliance.
Risk-based management: Not all raw materials carry the same risks — decisions must be justified and recorded.
Integration with HACCP: Procurement is now part of the hazards that must be controlled within the food-safety system.
Agriplace supports this process by simplifying supplier management, helping QA and procurement teams verify certifications, monitor supplier performance, and ensure only approved suppliers are used in production.
How to get started?
To comply and benefit from the guidance, companies should consider the following action steps:
Map your supply chain – identify each supplier, the origin of raw materials, and potential hazards.
Perform a procurement-focused hazard analysis – assess which hazards you cannot control internally and determine their relevance.
Classify suppliers by risk – for example, new vs. existing, EU vs. non-EU, or by material type.
Implement control measures – choose suitable methods such as supplier certification, product testing, or audits, and review them regularly.
Integrate into your HACCP system – make sure supplier controls are included in your documented procedures.
Train your teams – ensure purchasing, QA, and safety staff understand their responsibilities under Infoblad 64.
It is important to take the Infoblad 64 seriously. Although this is a guidance document, the NVWA may view lack of procurement hazard-control as a breach of the general obligation and take enforcement action If a product causes harm and it emerges the company did not properly control upstream hazards, reputational, financial and legal risks increase. Firms that cannot demonstrate strong procurement hazard-control may lose business, especially with retailers or brands requiring strong quality assurance and health and safety standards.
How can I prepare for Infoblad 64?
Using a platform such as Agriplace allows companies to digitally manage supplier data, risk assessments and audit evidence, ensuring their procurement controls remain traceable and up-to-date as required by Informatieblad 64. Infoblad 64 places much stronger demands on supplier verification and documentation.
Agriplace can help food companies collect, check and store supplier data, from certificates to audit reports so they can easily demonstrate compliance during NVWA inspections. With automated reminders and risk dashboards, companies can stay ahead of changing requirements and prove that every supplier meets food-safety standards.
Using Agriplace allows food businesses to manage supplier compliance in line with Informatieblad 64, ensuring that documentation, certificates and risk assessments are up-to-date and traceable when the NVWA requests evidence.
Conclusion
For companies infoblad 64 means strengthening supplier management, documentation, and auditing procedures. It also highlights the importance of integrating procurement into HACCP, and being able to demonstrate that hazards have been assessed and controlled.
With Informatieblad 64 increasing the focus on supplier verification and documentation, digital compliance tools like Agriplace provide a structured way to collect, check and share supplier information. This not only helps companies stay compliant but also reduces the manual workload linked to audits and NVWA checks.
Comments