Preparing an Export Sample: Specification and Traceability

A sample helps a buyer judge a product, but it is useful only when the later supply can match it. Selecting the best-looking handful from several unrelated lots creates a misleading expectation. Agree what the sample should demonstrate, then choose and document it from a defined source.

Confirm the evaluation before selecting the sample

Ask the buyer for the product specification, intended tests, sample quantity, packing format, receiving address and contact person. Clarify whether the sample will be assessed for appearance, processing performance, laboratory parameters or all of these. Record the acceptance criteria and how feedback will be returned.

Check whether the proposed sample may legally enter the destination and what declarations, inspection, certificates or permits apply. A “free sample” description does not automatically create an exemption. Use the current APEDA export procedures, the relevant destination authority and a competent logistics or customs adviser for the product and route.

Make the sample traceable

Assign a sample ID linked to the source lot, supplier or member code, collection or processing date and specification version. Keep enough information to identify the origin and handling history without exposing unrelated personal details. If several source lots are combined, record their quantities and the new lot identity.

APEDA's HortiNet supports traceability and certification processes for relevant horticultural exports. Its workflows are product-specific; an internal spreadsheet does not replace a required official process. Confirm which system and current procedure apply to the intended shipment.

Prepare the evidence pack

Include a product sheet, sample ID, actual quantity, pack details, handling instructions established for the product and the agreed test or inspection information. Identify who took the sample and how it was selected. Where laboratory evidence is needed, confirm the relevant test scope, method, sample conditions and acceptance of the laboratory for that purpose.

Do not relabel another lot's report as evidence for this sample. A test result needs a clear connection to the material tested and a suitable interpretation. Retain a reference sample only when it can be stored safely under an appropriate documented method; a deteriorated sample may not provide a meaningful comparison.

Keep dispatch and feedback connected

Before shipment, check the invoice or other required description, courier acceptance, destination requirements and address. Use truthful quantity and value declarations as advised for the transaction. Record dispatch date, tracking reference, packaging condition and the recipient's confirmation.

Create a feedback form that asks about each agreed characteristic. Separate the buyer's commercial preference from a safety or regulatory result. If the buyer says “acceptable,” ask whether that means the specification is approved and what conditions apply to a commercial order.

Test whether scale will match the sample

An illustrative pulse sample comes from Lot P07. Before accepting a larger order, the FPO should identify the quantity of P07 available or show how a different production lot will meet the same specification. If the crop, supplier, process or grade changes, communicate the difference and seek a fresh decision when needed.

Keep rejected-sample feedback too. It can reveal a mismatch in specification, packaging or market expectations and prevent an expensive commercial failure.

Can we send the finest material we can find? Send material representative of what you can reliably supply, selected according to an agreed method. An exceptional sample should be described honestly.

Does sample approval replace shipment testing? No. Follow the contractual and applicable regulatory requirements for the actual commercial lot. Preserve the buyer's feedback as one part of that evidence.

Prepared with AI assistance for the CAFIC knowledge series. Examples are illustrative. Check current official requirements and local conditions before acting on regulatory or technical guidance.