Working in the Vendor Product Selection Screen (aka Buying Preferences Screen)

• About the Vendor Product Selection Screen (aka Buying Preferences Screen)
• Prerequisites on Using Vendor Product Selection Screen
• Opening the Vendor Product Selection Screen
• Viewing the Vendor Product Selected for a Food Item
  • Exporting Selected Vendor Product List to Excel® File
  • Viewing the Logic of How a Vendor Product is Selected for a Food Item
• Viewing the Verified Vendor Products for a Food Item
  • What if a Verified Vendor Product is Not Correct for a Food Item?
• Viewing Information of a Vendor Product
• Setting Preferred Columns on Vendor Product Selection Screen
• Column Descriptions on the Vendor Product Selection Screen
  • Food Item-Specific Columns
  • Vendor Product-Specific Columns
• Attribute Icons for Vendor Products
• FAQs 
  • A food item has the "No Matching Vendor Product" Label? What is that and how do I resolve?
  • Who is responsible for selecting vendor products for food items (i.e., buying preferences)?
  • On the Similar Vendor Products window, what does "Suggest Link" mean?
  • On the Similar Vendor Products window, what does "Linking Not Available" mean?
  • Who is responsible for linking an unlinked vendor product to a food item?
  • Why are their duplicate line items on the Vendor Product Selection screen?
  • How do I see the recipe that a food item is included in?
  • How do I fix an "incorrect" food on the Buying Preferences screen? On the Buying Preferences screen, why do I see a food item that I do not use?

About the Vendor Product Selection Screen (aka Buying Preferences Screen)

At a minimum, the Vendor Product Selection screen (aka Buying Preferences screen) allows you to view the vendor products selected for the food items (i.e., ingredient and prepared foods) included in the recipes on your menus. The product that is selected for a food item determines the nutrient data and price for the food item (see Verified Vendor Products and the Selected Product for a Food Item for more information) . 

In addition, you can accomplish the following from the Vendor Product Selection screen.

• Export list of selected vendor products for food items
• View verified vendor products for a food item
• Favour a verified vendor product for a food item (facility accounts only)
• Favour a non-verified vendor product for a food item ("soft link") (facility accounts only)
• Use an approved purchasing list (APL) to select vendor products for food items
• Suggest a vendor product be linked to a food item
• View information about a vendor product

Prerequisites on Using Vendor Product Selection Screen

Prior to using the Vendor Product selection screen, ensure you have a vendor and associated distribution center (DC) set up with products. See the Managing Vendors Managing Vendors and Distribution Centers (DC's) section and the Managing Vendor Products section for instructions.

Opening the Vendor Product Selection Screen

To open the Vendor Product Selection screen. 

1. From the left navigation sidebar, select Procurement > Buying Preferences.
2. By default, the Vendor Product Selection tab is selected, which displays the Vendor Product Selection screen (screenshot below; right-click to open and expand in new tab). 
   
   

Viewing the Vendor Product Selected for a Food Item

You can search for one or multiple food items on the Vendor Product Selection screen to see what vendor product is selected for each food item. If you are a parent account you can also view the vendor product selections of your child accounts (including DC review unit accounts).

The results can then be exported to an Excel® file for a variety of uses such as sharing with your vendor to make product recommendations or for import as an ordering template in the associated vendor ordering websites. To view food item/vendor product selections: 

1. Open the Vendor Product Selection screen (as per above steps). 
    
2. Click Filters at the top menu to open the Filters section.
   
    
3. Depending if you are a corporate parent account or a facility child account, the following options are available:
   • If you are a facility account looking to generate your vendor product selection list for one or more of your facility menus, select the My Menus filter, and from the drop-down, select your menus.
   • If you are a corporate account looking to generate a vendor product selection list for one or more or your corporate menus, select the My Menus filter, and from the drop-down, select your menus.
   • If you are a corporate parent account looking to generate a vendor product selection list for one or more menus used by your child accounts, select the Master Menus filter, and from the drop-down, select the applicable child account menus (note that the Master Menus option shows menus owned by your parent account hierarchy and also shows menus owned by your child accounts; click here for information on Master Menus, also known as Menu Templates). 
      
4. The following filters are available to narrow down the items to display from the selected menu(s):
   • Menu Weeks - select the weeks of the menu cycles from which to populate the screen with items.
   • Menu Days - select the days of the week from which to populate the screen with items. Note that the first day listed is Sunday.
   • Meal - select the meal periods (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and snack times (snack am, snack pm, snack hs) from which to populate the screen with items.
   • Diet/Texture - displays the Diet/Texture Combination pop-up for you to select the diet/texture combinations from which to populate the screen with items.
     
     
      
   • Liquid Diets (available only if a liquid menu is selected) - select the liquid diet types from which to populate the screen with items. 
   • Recipes - select the recipes of the menus from which to populate the screen with items.
   • Recipe Boxes - select any recipe boxes of the recipes to filter items that populate onscreen.
   • Food Categories - select any food categories to filter items that populate onscreen.
   • Stock Item Categories - select any stock item categories to filter items that populate onscreen.
   • Items Without Vendor Product Only - select this check box to display items not linked to a vendor product.
   • Include Personal Menu Items - select this check box to display personal items from personal menus.
   • Include Flex Options - for US accounts with the recipe variations function, this option allows items that belong to a flex group to be displayed.
5. After selecting the desired filters, click Apply to refresh the screen with items that match the filter criteria.
    
6. In the Search field, you can further refine the results by entering the name of a food item and clicking the magnifying glass to return results (note that entering the food item ID in the Search field does not return results). 
   
   

7. The Item column (1) displays the item, and the Generated Products column (2) displays the vendor product selected for the item (screenshot below; right click image to open and expand in new tab).

   

8. If you are a parent account, then you can select the child accounts (including DC review unit accounts) to display their vendor product selections. To do so:
   1. Click the View As button (first screenshot below). The View As pop-up appears, listing the child accounts (second screenshot below). 
      
      
      
      
       
   2. Select the check box of each child account you want to view. 
   3. Click the Save button to apply your changes. 
   4. You are returned to the Vendor Product Selection screen (screenshot below). For each food item, the selected vendor products across your accounts (including yours) are listed. Ensure to add the following columns to obtain relevant information of the products selected across your accounts.
      • The Item column displays the food item. 
      • The Generated Products column lists the vendor products selected for the food items across your accounts. The number of accounts using a vendor product is listed in parenthesis below the product. 
      • The Available In column shows the distribution centers (DC's) carrying the vendor products.

      • The Cost/Serving column shows the cost/serving range of the lowest-priced product to the highest-priced product. 

        

   5. As a parent account, you can select the specific vendor product you want your child accounts to use by adding the vendor product to a DC-specific approved purchasing list (APL). To do so, see Using an Approved Purchasing List (APL) to Select Vendor Products for Food Items.

Viewing the Logic of How a Vendor Product is Selected for a Food Item 

When the Vendor Product Selection screen is open, you can view the logic the system utilizes to select a vendor product for a food item. To do so, click the icon in the Product ID column (either the blue I icon or the heart icon) and the Calculation Steps window appears describing the logic (second screenshot below).

Exporting Selected Vendor Product List to Excel® File

You can export the selected vendor product list to an Excel® file for a variety of uses such as sharing with your vendor to make product recommendations or for import as an ordering template in the associated vendor ordering websites.  

1. With the selected vendor product list set up as per above steps, click the Export button. The following message appears:
   
   
    
2. Click OK. The following message appears when the file is processed. 
   
   
    
3. Click the Download button to download the file. 
   
   

Viewing the Verified Vendor Products for a Food Item

To view the verified vendor products for a food item, complete the following steps: 

1. Open the Vendor Product Selection screen (as per above steps).
2. In the Search field, enter the name of the food item and click the magnifying glass to return results (note that entering the food item ID in the Search field does not return results). 
   
   
    
3. For the food item, click the gear icon in the Actions column and select Edit.
   
   
    
4. The Similar Vendor Products window appears (screenshot below). By default, the Vendor Product Linked To Food filter is selected (1), which lists the verified vendor products for the food item (2). The product that is currently-selected for the item is highlighted in yellow (3). The food item is listed at the top of the screen (4). 
   
   
   
   Note: If you are a corporate account viewing similar vendor products for a product, the Pack Price column displays the price range of the product across the different distribution centres the product is available from (lowest price to highest price). 

What if a Verified Vendor Product is Not Correct for a Food Item?

If a verified vendor product is completely incorrect for its food item (i.e., strawberry is linked to grape), reach out to MealSuite Support to address the issue and provide the following information:

• Food item name (ingredient/prepared food)
• Vendor
• Product ID

Viewing Information of a Vendor Product

When the Vendor Product Selection screen is open, you can open a product to view its information. To do so, click the name link of the vendor product in the Generated Products column, and a product window appear displaying vendor information, including nutrient info, distribution centres that the product is available from, and a link to the food item the product is linked to. 

For information on the Assigned Pack Size and the Vendor Pack Size, and how those values are calculated in MealSuite, see Vendor Product Pack Size and Weight.

Setting Preferred Columns on Vendor Product Selection Screen

You can set the columns to display on the Vendor Product Selection screen along with their sort order. To do so:

1. From the left navigation sidebar, select Procurement > Buying Preferences.
2. By default, the Vendor Product Selection tab is selected, which displays the Vendor Product Selection.
3. Click the Set Columns button. The Set Columns pop-up appears.
4. For the columns you want onscreen drag-and-drop them from the right side of the pop-up to the left side of the pop-up.
   
   
    
5. You can set the sort order of the columns displayed onscreen by clicking, holding, and dragging a column to it desired spot in the column list.
   
   
    
6. Click Apply to apply your changes and close the pop-up.

Column Descriptions on the Vendor Product Selection Screen

The columns on the Vendor Product Selection screen are explained as follows: 

Food Item-Specific Columns

• ID - system-generated internal ID of the item.
• Item - name of the food item (ingredient or prepared food).

Vendor Product-Specific Columns

If a vendor product is selected for a food item, then the following columns are populated:

• Approved Purchasing List - shows any approved purchasing lists (APLs) the product is assigned to. Also allows you to add a product to an APL, or remove a product from an APL.
• Assigned Pack Size - stock unit per pack and stock unit weight. Note the following:
  • - indicates the pack is breakable, which means an individual stock unit can be purchased from the pack. The green icon indicates the product's "always purchase" setting is set to full pack
  • - indicates the pack is breakable, which means an individual stock unit can be purchased from the pack. The blue icon indicates that the product's "always purchase" setting is set to individual stock unit.
  • - indicates the product is a catch weight, which is typically associated with meat products to allow pricing based on weight (i.e., price per pound or price per kilogram).
• Attributes - displays an icon attribute associated with the vendor product. For example "Made in the USA" or "Vegetarian". Hovering your cursor over the icon displays the description: 
  
  For a description of each attribute icon, see Attribute Icon Descriptions for Vendor Products below. 
• Availability - the stock status is listed here. For example “Active” or “Out of Stock”. Note that if you are a corporate account viewing the vendor product selections of your child accounts, and the availability status between the DC's of the child accounts is different, then "Varied" is displayed.
• Available In - lists the distribution centre IDs that carry the vendor product. As a parent account (i.e., corporate account) viewing child accounts, this column displays the DCs of the child accounts that carry the product. For an account with no child accounts (i.e., a facility account), its DC is displayed in this column. 
• Cost/Serving - the cost per serving of the item. Note that the serving is pulled from the portion size of the item. See also How Cost Per Serving is Calculated.
• Generated Products - the vendor product selected for the food item. If the item is not linked with a vendor product, then states “No matching vendor product.”
• ID - the ID is a unique internal identifier specific to the record in the system. 
• Not Available In - lists the distribution centre IDs that do not carry the vendor product. This column is only relevant for a parent account (i.e., corporate account) when viewing their child accounts. For an account with no child accounts (i.e., a facility account), then nothing displays in this column. 
• Pack Price - the price of a pack/case.
• Product Brand - the brand of the vendor product is listed here.
• Product ID - the external ID of the vendor product is listed here. Note the following:
  • - indicates that the MealSuite system performed an automatic link to the item using its product-item selection logic.
  • - indicates that the product has been manually selected for the food item by marking it as a favourite.
• Unit Price - the price of an individual stock unit.
• Vendor Pack Size - the original pack size from the vendor before it is automatically parsed or manually edited to the assigned pack size.
• Vendors - the vendor of the product.

Attribute Icons for Vendor Products

The icons that appear in the Attributes column for a vendor product (either a Vendor Product List or the Vendor Product Selection screen) in the MealSuite system are described as follows:

Icon	Description
	Made in USA
	Made in Canada
	Committed Manufacturer Agreement (Premier GPO product)
	Compostable
	Demand Item (shipped from product manufacturer; requires additional lead time to order)
	Direct Item (shipped from product manufacturer; requires additional lead time to order)
	Just in Time. Indicates product must be ordered by a specific time. Hovering cursor over the icon displays the following message:
	Gluten Free
	Halal
	HPSI™ (GPO product)
	Kosher
	Lactose-Free
	Locally Produced
	Marine Stewardship Council
	Navigator (GPO product)
	Tree Nut Free
	Peanut Free
	Ocean Wise
	Organic
	Sysco-recommended product
	Vegetarian
	Vegan
	Vizient Manufacturer Agreement (Vizient GPO product)

FAQs

A food item has the "No Matching Vendor Product" Label? What is that and how do I resolve?

On the Vendor Product Selection screen (Procurement > Buying Preferences), a food item can present with the No Matching Vendor Product text in the Generated Products column (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. For reasons why, and potential resolutions, see the following article: Resolving a Food Item with the "No Matching Vendor Product" Label.

Who is responsible for selecting vendor products for food items (i.e., buying preferences)? 

The system automatically selects the vendor product for a food item via the selection logic (i.e., buying preferences logic). See Verified Vendor Products and the Selected Product for a Food Item: Overview for more information. 

As such, if a client desires to change the vendor product that is currently selected for a food item, this can be done by the client either by favouring the vendor product or using an approved purchasing list (APL). Refer the client to the appropriate instructions below:

• Facility Accounts: Favouring a Verified Vendor Product
• Using an Approved Purchasing List (APL) to Select Vendor Products for Food Items

On the Similar Vendor Products window, what does "Suggest Link" mean?

When you open a food item from the Vendor Product Selection screen, the Similar Vendor Products window appears listing the verified vendor products for that food item (see Viewing the Verified Vendor Products for a Food Item for more information).

From the Similar Vendor Products window you can conduct a search for other vendor products. If any vendor product presents with the Suggest Link text (screenshot below), it indicates that the product is not currently linked to a food item. 

By clicking Suggest Link, you can suggest that the vendor product be linked to a food item in the system. For more information and instructions, see Suggesting a Food Item be Linked to a Vendor Product.

On the Similar Vendor Products window, what does "Linking Not Available" mean?

When you open a food item from the Vendor Product Selection screen, the Similar Vendor Products window appears listing the verified vendor products for that food item (see Viewing the Verified Vendor Products for a Food Item for more information).

From the Similar Vendor Products window you can conduct a search for other vendor products. If any vendor product presents with the Linking Not Available text, it indicates that the product is currently linked to a food item, and as such cannot be suggested to be linked to another food item. 

A vendor product that is linked to a food item can still be "soft linked" to another food item by clicking its heart icon. When you create a soft link, the price of the vendor product will update the costing on recipes and menus, but the nutrient data of that vendor product will not be used. 

For more information on "soft links", see the following article: Facility Accounts: Favouring a Non-Verified Vendor Product ("Soft Link").

Who is responsible for linking an unlinked vendor product to a food item? 

If a vendor product is not linked to a food item (i.e., food item has the "No Matching Vendor Product" label), the client can suggest that the product be linked to a food item via the following article: Suggesting a Food Item be Linked to a Vendor Product.

Alternatively, the client (if a facility account) can select a vendor product for a food item when that product already has a parent food item. This is known as a "soft link" between the vendor product and the food item because the vendor product is not verified for the new food item. When a soft link is created, the price of the vendor product will update the costing on recipes and menus, but the nutrient data of that vendor product will not be used. See Facility Accounts: Favouring a Non-Verified Vendor Product ("Soft Link").

Why are their duplicate line items on the Vendor Product Selection screen?

When similar (but not the same) ingredients are used in various recipes, each ingredient can have the same verified vendor product, which therefore will result in a duplicate line item on the Vendor Product Selection screen. 

How do I see the recipe that a food item is included in?

Unfortunately, there is no direct way on the Vendor Production Selection screen (aka Buying Preferences screen) to see what recipe a food item is included in. 

You will be required to locate the item on the Foods Listing screen (Recipes > Food Listing) and use the "Where Used" function to open its recipe(s). To do so see Seeing the Recipes of a Food Item. 

How do I fix an "incorrect" food on the Buying Preferences screen? On the Buying Preferences screen, why do I see a food item that I do not use?

The food items displayed on the Vendor Product Selection screen (aka Buying Preferences screen) are sourced from the recipes contained in your menus. If a food item is shown on the screen, it is because it is used in a recipe that is on your menu. (To see the recipe a food item is used in, see Seeing the Recipes of a Food Item). 

If your facility does not use a particular food item, you have the following options:

• 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 see the following article: Recipe Variations: Swapping a Similar Food for an Ingredient in a Master Recipe. 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.
   
• 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 can make a copy of the master recipe for your account, and then edit the ingredients as needed (see Making a Copy of a Master Recipe). Then on the menu, you can swap the original recipe (i.e., menu item) with your new recipe (see Replacing a Menu Item).
   
• If you do not want to create a new recipe, then you can swap the original recipe (i.e., menu item) with another appropriate recipe on the menu (see Replacing a Menu Item).