FAQ - Wholesale Fruit, Vegetables, Potatoes

Below, you will find an overview of the production scopes that are assigned to the stage Wholesale/Logistics Fruit, Vegetables, Potatoes:

Wholesaler having direct (physical) contact with the goods

• First-Line merchant (81)
  First-Line merchant of goods are all companies which purchase goods directly from producers and thereby register the goods on the market for the first time.
• Trading partner (82)
  A trading partner of goods is any company which operates in the market between the first-line merchant and food retail and therefore procures its goods exclusively from upstream companies. If the company purchases some of its goods directly from growers, it is considered a first-line merchant.

Agencies:

• exclusively carry out trading and marketing activities
• No direct (physical) contact with the goods
• Owner of the purchased goods or buyer of the goods in order to further commercialization
  • First-Line merchant (801)
    First-Line merchant of goods are all companies which purchase goods directly from producers and thereby register the goods on the market for the first time.
  • Trading partner (802)
    A trading partner of goods is any company which operates in the market between the first-line merchant and food retail and therefore procures its goods exclusively from upstream companies. If the company purchases some of its goods directly from growers, it is considered a first-line merchant.

Service provider (82)

• engaged in activities within the meaning of the wholesale trade (e.g. storage, sorting, packing)
• Do NOT become owner of the goods

Logistics companies (84)

• Service provider activities: road transport, short-term storage for the purpose of transshipment of the goods during delivery, long-term storage, order picking, rough/healthy sorting
• Do NOT become owner of the goods

Broker (-)

• Only assume a mediating function between suppliers and recipients.
• Neither owner nor holder of the goods
• No issuing of invoices for fruit, vegetables and potatoes
• NO QS-PARTICIPATION

The fees for scheme participation are based on the level at which the QS scheme participant operates. The QS scale of fees distinguishes between production, wholesale, processing, logistics, and food retail. The wholesale and processing stages are further differentiated into first-line merchants, i.e. companies that receive the goods directly from the producer, and trading partners.
A flat annual fee applies to all scheme participants, with the exception of first-line merchants. The fee for first-line merchants is based on the company's total turnover. The respective amount is based on a 7-level turnover table. It is irrelevant how much turnover the company generates with QS products.

QS will moderately adjust the fees for wholesalers and preparing and processing companies for fruit, vegetables, and potatoes by 10 percent starting in 2026. In addition, the previous six-tier turnover table used to determine the fee for first-line merchants will be supplemented by a further tier. The new highest turnover level applies to companies with an annual turnover of more than €75 million. The scale of fees thus reflects the structural change in the branch more fairly and adapts to the declining number of companies.
The QS scale of fees applicable from January 1, 2026 in the fruit, vegetables, and potatoes supply chain can be found here.

In addition, the participating company may incur further costs for certification, residue monitoring, and fees charged by the coordinator for bundled companies. However, these fees are not charged by QS.

For the first time in over 20 years, QS is adjusting its fees for fruit, vegetables, and potatoes. The reasons for this are, on the one hand, the general increase in costs, particularly in recent years, which has had an impact on business activities, and, on the other hand, the declining number of companies in the FVP sector as a result of structural change. The adjustment will enable QS to continue to cover its costs in the future and offer the branch a broad and flexible range of services.

The fee covers the system scheme participant's registration in the QS database and all services provided directly by the QS scheme. This also includes the right to use the QS certification mark in accordance with the General Regulations and the Style Guide (for the QS certification mark). The fee also entitles scheme participants to additional programs such as QS-FIAS and QS-FIN and the option of combined audits with McDonald's and Chain of Custody free of charge.

For QS-GAP certified production companies, the fees for scheme participation also include the registration fee for the GLOBALG.A.P database and the participation fee for the GLOBALG.A.P system.

An additional registration and certification for the stage Preparation/Processing Fruit, Vegetables, Potatoes must be obtained if your company prepares or processes products (this includes the following processes: shredding, peeling, grating, slicing, pureeing, staining, freezing, heating, canning production, sprout production) and wishes to market these goods as QS goods.

Your company can be certified according to the QS Guideline Wholesale Fruit, Vegetables, Potatoes if it can be assigned to one of the following categories:

• Wholesalers (with physical contact with goods) who become the owner of the goods
• Agencies (without having a direct (physical) contact with the goods) that become owner of the goods or that are buyer of the goods in order to further commercialization
• Service provider with product handling who do not become the owner of the goods (e.g. packing companies)

If your company is a logistics company that exclusively transports and/or stores goods and does not become the owner of the goods, the relevant guideline is the QS Guideline Logistics Fruit, Vegetables, Potatoes.