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How to Evaluate a Co-Packer or Contract Packager: A Scorecard

Compare co-packers with a weighted scorecard covering capability, quality, labeling, barcodes, capacity and terms, plus a worked example and audit checklist.

Prepared by Teal Packaging

Build a weighted scorecard before you tour a facility. Score each candidate on capability fit, food or cosmetic handling, labeling and barcode competence, quality documentation, capacity, and communication. Verify claims with an audit and a paid trial run rather than a phone call. This guide gives you a scoring framework, a worked example, a decision table, and a checklist you can adapt to your product category.

Start With Your Requirements, Not Their Pitch

Before you contact any contract packager, write a one-page brief of what you actually need: product type, fill weights or counts, packaging formats, target volumes per month, and the channels you sell into. A co-packer that excels at liquid filling in rigid bottles may be a poor fit for a powdered supplement in stick packs, even if both call themselves contract packagers.

Your brief also frames the audit questions. If you sell cosmetics, labeling accuracy matters as much as fill speed. If you sell through Amazon FBA, packaging must survive parcel handling. If your packaging carries a 2D barcode, print quality and quiet zones matter at retail checkout. Score each candidate against your brief, not against a generic checklist.

Product form: liquid, powder, solid, fragile, or mixed
Packaging formats you need now and in 12 months
Monthly volume range and peak season expectations
Sales channels: retail, e-commerce, direct-to-consumer
Any regulated claims, ingredients, or materials such as recycled food-contact plastic

The Scorecard Structure

Use five to seven categories, each weighted by how much it drives your decision. Weights should sum to 100. Score each category from 1 to 5, multiply the score by the weight, and add the results. The maximum possible total is 500. You can divide by 5 if you prefer a score out of 100. The categories below are Teal Packaging's editorial planning framework; adjust them for your product.

A scorecard does not replace an audit. First identify mandatory capability, safety, regulatory, and channel criteria with qualified reviewers. Treat unresolved failures against those criteria as disqualifying, not as weaknesses that a high commercial score can offset. Use weighted scores to compare candidates that pass those gates.

Capability fit: equipment, formats, and volume range
Quality systems: documentation, traceability, holds and releases
Regulatory handling: labeling, food-contact materials, category-specific rules
Capacity and scheduling: line time, changeover, peak handling
Communication and commercial terms: responsiveness, fees, minimums

A Worked Scorecard Example

Suppose a hypothetical salsa brand is choosing between two co-packers. The brand weights capability fit at 30, quality systems at 25, regulatory handling at 20, capacity at 15, and commercial terms at 10. Co-packer A scores 5, 4, 4, 3, and 4 on those categories. Multiply each score by its weight: 5 times 30 is 150, 4 times 25 is 100, 4 times 20 is 80, 3 times 15 is 45, and 4 times 10 is 40. That totals 415. Co-packer B scores 3, 5, 5, 4, and 3: 3 times 30 is 90, 5 times 25 is 125, 5 times 20 is 100, 4 times 15 is 60, and 3 times 10 is 30, totaling 405.

On raw totals A leads by 10 points, assuming both candidates have passed the brand's mandatory qualification criteria. A is stronger on equipment fit, while B is stronger on quality and regulatory handling. As a hypothetical sensitivity check, weights of 25, 30, 25, 10, and 10 give A 125 plus 120 plus 100 plus 30 plus 40, or 415, and B 75 plus 150 plus 125 plus 40 plus 30, or 420. The ranking flips. This example does not establish the salsa's food classification or processing requirements. Set weights from documented risk priorities before scoring; use sensitivity checks to understand the decision, not to justify a preferred supplier.

Category	Weight	Co-packer A score	A weighted	Co-packer B score	B weighted
Capability fit	30	5	150	3	90
Quality systems	25	4	100	5	125
Regulatory handling	20	4	80	5	100
Capacity and scheduling	15	3	45	4	60
Commercial terms	10	4	40	3	30
Total	100	-	415	-	405

What to Verify On Site

A facility tour can help substantiate a proposal. Ask to see the proposed line, the changeover procedure, and redacted documentation for a hold or recall drill, subject to confidentiality controls. For food products, request documentation supporting the intended use of food-contact materials, including recycled plastic components. FDA describes case-by-case review and informal advice for proposed recycled-plastic uses, but its guidance also identifies processes for which it no longer issues individual opinion letters. Have qualified reviewers assess the applicable regulatory basis, material and process documentation, and intended food type, contact time, and temperature; do not treat an FDA letter as universally required or sufficient.

For cosmetics, ask who is responsible for label review. FDA guidance explains that cosmetics marketed in the United States must comply with applicable labeling requirements under the FD&C Act, the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act, and their regulations. Missing required name and address or net quantity information can make a cosmetic misbranded; these are examples, not a complete labeling checklist. If the co-packer prints or applies labels, agree in writing who checks the approved artwork and production output before release.

Observe a live run and a changeover, not just an empty line
Ask for a sample lot record and traceability exercise
Confirm how artwork versions are controlled and who approves final proofs
Ask how barcode quality is checked after printing and package forming
Clarify who is responsible if a regulatory or labeling error reaches retail

Barcode and Print Quality Questions

Packaging that fails to scan at retail becomes your problem even if the co-packer printed it. GS1 guidance notes that quiet zones, the clear spaces around a barcode symbol, are a mandatory component of most barcode design. For 2D barcodes, GS1 identifies insufficient quiet zones as one of the most common causes of scan failure. Ask the co-packer how quiet zones are preserved through trimming, laminating, varnishing, and package forming. GS1 recommends evaluating them after those processes, not just in the artwork file.

Color matters too. GS1 notes that most retail scanners use red illumination, so red, orange, or yellow used as dark barcode elements can appear effectively invisible to scanners. Ask whether the co-packer verifies contrast and scan performance on finished packages from each run, and how they handle it when a print run drifts.

How is barcode placement checked against dielines and finishing
Are finished-package scan checks distinguished from formal barcode print-quality verification, and what applicable specifications and verifier reports are used
How are quiet zones protected across artwork revisions
What happens when a run fails verification mid-production

Channel Requirements and Shipping Fitness

If you sell through Amazon FBA, ask whether the co-packer has experience with Ships in Product Packaging, which lets FBA orders ship in your own custom packaging. Amazon describes grouping products by size, weight, material, packaging, and product-to-packaging ratio, then testing the largest or heaviest product in each group. Amazon allows self-testing for products under 50 lbs without liquids or sharp items; otherwise a third-party ISTA 6 lab test may be needed. A co-packer familiar with this process may help you prepare, but confirm current program requirements directly with Amazon.

For parcel shipping generally, ask the co-packer how they protect fragile items and how they size master cartons. Carriers commonly price by dimensional weight, so an oversized but light case can cost more than its actual weight suggests. Dimensional weight divisors and packaging rules vary by carrier and service and can change. Confirm them in your current carrier and seller agreements rather than relying on this guide.

Ask for master carton specs and how cube utilization is optimized
Confirm who pays for and manages channel packaging certification
Discuss ISTA or transit testing expectations before the first run

Commercial Terms to Compare

Compare fee structures explicitly. Ask whether each quote includes setup, plate, tooling, changeover, or minimum-run charges. Teal Packaging does not charge setup, plate, or tooling fees; this packaging policy does not establish a co-packer's own charges. Ask each candidate to quote the same hypothetical job so you compare like with like, and treat the resulting quotes as job-specific inputs, not market benchmarks.

Also clarify ownership of tooling and artwork, storage terms, insurance, and what happens to inventory if you terminate the agreement.

Setup, changeover, and plate or tooling fees, if any
Minimum order quantities and how peaks are handled
Who owns dies, plates, and artwork files
Storage, insurance, and termination terms

Practical Checklist Before You Sign

This checklist is Teal Packaging's editorial planning framework for the evaluation process. It does not certify any supplier, and the cited sources cover only specific underlying principles, such as FDA's food-contact and cosmetics labeling guidance, GS1's barcode quality recommendations, and Amazon's program description.

Work through each item and record the answer in writing. If a candidate cannot answer several items, that is itself a scorecard signal, regardless of price.

One-page requirements brief written and shared with all candidates
Scorecard categories and weights agreed internally before scoring
On-site audit completed, including a live run and changeover
Lot records, traceability, and hold procedures reviewed
Labeling responsibility matrix signed, including cosmetics elements where relevant
Finished-package barcode checks and any required formal verification agreed, including applicable specifications, sampling, and acceptance criteria
Channel packaging requirements confirmed in your own seller or retailer agreement
Commercial terms compared on an identical hypothetical job
Trial run completed and accepted before volume commitment

Scope and Limits

This guide is an evaluation framework, not a compliance determination. It cannot tell you whether a specific recycled plastic, cosmetic label, or food-contact material is acceptable for your product; those depend on your specific materials, use conditions, and jurisdiction. For food safety, regulatory status, and hazardous or temperature-sensitive products, use this scorecard to structure your questions and route answers to qualified reviewers such as your regulatory counsel, testing lab, or the supplier's documented FDA correspondence. Do not treat a scorecard total as a substitute for testing, audits, or legal review, and confirm any channel-specific requirement in your current agreement rather than relying on this guide.

Questions about co-packer evaluation scorecard

How many co-packers should I score before choosing one?

As a planning suggestion, start with three to five candidates if your market, budget, and schedule allow. This is not a documented minimum or an assurance of launch speed. Score qualified candidates against the same brief and weights. If totals are close, examine the underlying evidence and consider a paid trial run before committing.

What is the single biggest red flag in a co-packer audit?

One important warning sign is an inability to substantiate quality procedures. Request a redacted lot record, hold and release procedure, and traceability exercise, allowing for confidentiality restrictions or an NDA. If equivalent evidence remains unavailable, or responsibility for label and barcode checks is unclear, investigate before proceeding. An unresolved mandatory qualification gap should not be offset by price or equipment scores.

Should the co-packer or my brand own packaging artwork approval?

As a recommended governance approach, retain brand signoff on final artwork and document the co-packer's production responsibilities. Approval arrangements do not by themselves determine legal liability. Agree on version control, proof signoff, and finished-package barcode checks. Specify any required formal verification separately from routine scan checks, including the applicable specifications, sampling plan, and acceptance criteria.

Sources and further reading

Recycled Plastics in Food Packaging | FDA: FDA describes case-by-case review and informal advice on recycled-plastic food-contact uses, considering recycling processes, source controls, and intended conditions of use. The page also identifies tertiary recycling processes for PCR-PET and PCR-PEN for which FDA no longer evaluates individual processes or issues individual opinion letters.
Cosmetics Labeling Guide | FDA: Cosmetics sold in the United States must comply with FD&C Act and Fair Packaging and Labeling Act labeling requirements, and a cosmetic can be considered misbranded if the label omits the manufacturer, packer, or distributor name and address or the net quantity of contents.
GS1 2D Barcode Playbook for Creation and Printing: Quiet zones are a mandatory component of most barcode design. For 2D barcodes, insufficient quiet zones are one of the most common causes of scan failure. Quiet zones should be evaluated after finishing and package forming. Most retail scanners use red illumination, so red, orange, or yellow dark barcode elements may appear effectively invisible to scanners.
Ships in Product Packaging | Sell on Amazon: Amazon's Ships in Product Packaging program involves grouping products by size, weight, material, packaging, and product-to-packaging ratio, then testing the largest or heaviest product in each group. Self-testing is allowed for products under 50 lbs without liquids or sharp items; otherwise an ISTA 6 lab test may be used.