- Reasons for a No Matching Vendor Product Label
- Resolution Steps to Replace Food Item in Recipe that has No Matching Vendor Product
Reasons for a No Matching Vendor Product Label
On the Vendor Product Selection screen, a food item can have a No Matching Vendor Product label (screenshot below). This indicates that there are currently no verified vendor products for the food item, and as such there is no selected product for that food item.
A No Matching Vendor Product label for a food item can be the result of the following:
| Possible Reason | Resolution Steps |
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The food item (i.e., ingredient) in the recipe or the prepared food is the wrong one in relation to what is on your order guide (i.e., vendor product list). For example, assume on your order guide you have diced peaches in juice, and on a fruit salad recipe you don't select diced peaches in juice and instead select diced peaches in syrup, which is not on your order guide. This will result in a No Matching Vendor Product label. For another example, assume a recipe calls for an LS base, but instead you select a GF base that is not on your order guide. This will result in a No Matching Vendor Product label. |
Replace the food item that does not have a vendor product with a food item that does have a vendor product. See Resolution Steps to Replace Food Item in Recipe that has No Matching Vendor Product below.
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The food item in your recipe is the right one, but an available vendor product has not been linked to the food item yet in the system. |
Search your vendor product list for an appropriate and available vendor product to link to the food item. See Corporate Account: Suggesting a Food Item be Linked to a Vendor Product or Facility Account: Suggesting a Food Item be Linked to a Vendor Product |
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The vendor product that the food item is linked with is now out-of-stock or discontinued. |
Replace the food item that does not have a vendor product with a food item that does have a vendor product. See Resolution Steps To Replace Food Item in Recipe that has No Matching Vendor Product below. |
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You purchase items from a local vendor (e.g., bread, milk, produce) instead of your broadline distributor vendor, and as such these local products are not represented on the DC vendor product list. |
Set up a non-partner vendor (i.e., not interfaced with the MealSuite system) and distribution centre (DC) in your account, and then upload or manually add your products. See: Corporate or System Account: Adding a Non-Partner Vendor and its DCs to Your Account or Facility Account: Adding a Non-Partner Vendor and DC to Your Account and then: Uploading Vendor Product List (e.g., Order Guide) / Adding Individual Products |
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As a corporate account using locked approved purchasing lists (APLs) for your facility accounts, a No Matching Vendor Product label can result. Click here for more information. |
Add the vendor product to your APL. See Using an Approved Purchasing List (APL) to Select Vendor Products for Food Items. |
Resolution Steps to Replace Food Item in Recipe that has No Matching Vendor Product
If a food item in your recipe is not matched with a vendor product, then you will be required to replace that food item with a food item that does have a vendor product. The resolution steps are as follows:
- Step 1: Search for a Vendor Product to Confirm Availability from your Distribution Centre (DC)
- Step 2: Confirm if the Vendor Product is Linked to Food Item
- Step 3: Replace Ingredient (i.e., Food Item) in Recipe
Step 1: Search for a Vendor Product to Confirm Availability from your Distribution Centre (DC)
To search for a vendor product to confirm its availability from your DC, complete the following steps:
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Open the desired DC vendor product list.
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If searching for a specific vendor product, then in the Search field, enter the product ID or description of the product and click the magnifying glass (or press Enter on the keyboard). Note: Vendors can have unique naming conventions for their products (e.g., short forms that may not be intuitive); therefore if entering a description does not return the expected results, attempt a different description.
or
- If wanting to see what products are available for a food item, then in the Search field, enter the common name of the product (e.g., flour), and click the magnifying glass (or press Enter on the keyboard). The screen refreshes with the results.
- If you found a desired vendor product, and it has an available status (ensure the Availability column is displayed onscreen), then your next step is to confirm if the product is linked to a parent food item. See Step 2: Confirm if Vendor Product is Linked to Food Item below.
or
- If you did not find a desired vendor product, then contact your vendor representative to discuss product availability and options for your menu.
Step 2: Confirm if the Vendor Product is Linked to Food Item
If you found a desired vendor product, and it has an available status (ensure the Availability column is displayed onscreen), then you need to confirm if the product is linked to a parent food item.
The easiest method to do so is to ensure the Parent Food column is displayed onscreen (click here to learn how to set columns on the vendor product screen).
Vendor Product Linked to Food Item?
If the vendor product is linked to a parent food item, then that food item is listed in the Parent Food column. You can therefore use that food item in a recipe. See Step 3: Replace Ingredient (i.e., Food Item) in Recipe below.
Note: If the parent food item linked to the vendor product seems incorrect, please contact the MealSuite Nutrition Services team for evaluation.
Vendor Product Not Linked to Food Item?
If the vendor product is not yet linked to a parent food item, then the text Request Food appears in the Parent Food column. You will therefore need to suggest that the vendor product be linked to a parent food item.
- If you are a corporate account, see Corporate Account: Suggesting a Food Item be Linked to a Vendor Product
- If you are a facility account, see Facility Account: Suggesting a Food Item be Linked to a Vendor Product.
The "Suggest Link" request is sent to MealSuite Nutrition Services to verify and create the link. Once the vendor product is linked to the food item by MealSuite Nutrition Services, you can use that food item in a recipe. See Step 3: Replace Ingredient (i.e., Food Item) in Recipe below.
*The Request Food text is represented as a link, but at this time this link does not have any functionality. In the future, it will allow you to request that a vendor product be linked with a parent food item.
Step 3: Replace Ingredient (i.e., Food Item) in Recipe
When you have confirmed that a vendor product is linked to a food item, you can then use that food item in the recipe and remove the existing ingredient that has no matching vendor product. To do so:
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Open the Recipes Listing screen.
- Use the Search by Menu filter to select your scheduled menus.
- In the Ingredients filter, enter the name of the food item that has a No Matching Vendor Product.
- Click Apply. The Recipes Listing screen refreshes with recipe(s) that currently are using the ingredient selected in step 3.
- If your account owns the recipe (i.e., a My Recipe), then open the recipe and remove the existing ingredient and then replace it with the ingredient that has a vendor product (as confirmed above in Step 2: Confirm if Vendor Product is Linked to Food Item).
or
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If you do not own a recipe, then it is considered a master recipe. If you are a US account, you may have the ability to swap food items for an ingredient in a master recipe (aka, recipe variations).* If so, then swap the existing food item with the food item that has a vendor product (as confirmed above in Step 2: Confirm if Vendor Product is Linked to Food Item).
If you are a CDN account, or a US account that does not have or want the ability to swap food items for an ingredient in a master recipe, then you will have to make a copy of the master recipe for your account (see Making a Copy of a Master Recipe), and then remove the existing ingredient and add the ingredient that has a vendor product (as confirmed above in Step 2: Confirm if Vendor Product is Linked to Food Item). You will then need to replace this newly-created recipe on your menu (see Replacing a Menu Item).
*If you do not have the ability to swap a food for an ingredient in a master recipe, and you are a US account, please reach out to MealSuite Support to request this function.