Working paper · No. 01

Is your file ready for review?

Would my documents survive a desk review today?

Working paper · No. 01

Document-Readiness Scorer

Tick what you already have. The score measures file completeness — not certifiability.

Which marks are you preparing for?

The desk-review checklist

Product list — every SKU you want certified, by nameThe certificate scope is written from this list; nothing on it is assumed.All marks
Full ingredient list per product, with each ingredient's supplier namedThe review works ingredient by ingredient — unnamed suppliers are the most common gap.All marks
Formulation breakdown per product (percentages or parts)Proportions decide which ingredients are risk-relevant and which are trace.All marks
A short production-flow description for each manufacturing siteProcessing aids and shared equipment live here, not in the recipe.All marks
Current label artwork for each productThe claim as printed is what gets certified — artwork is checked against scope.All marks
A named contact at each ingredient supplier who can sign declarationsDeclarations are the slowest documents to obtain — the contact list starts that clock early.All marks
Supplier declarations for animal-origin risk ingredientsGlycerin, lecithin, enzymes, flavorings, vitamin D3 — the usual borderline suspects need paper.Vegan · Vegetarian
Your animal-testing policy statement, finished product and ingredientsThe claim covers testing as well as composition — the policy has to exist in writing.Vegan · Cruelty-Free

File readiness

0%0 of 8 documents readyFile completeness — not certifiability.

Named gaps

Product list — every SKU you want certified, by name
Full ingredient list per product, with each ingredient's supplier named
Formulation breakdown per product (percentages or parts)
A short production-flow description for each manufacturing site
Current label artwork for each product
A named contact at each ingredient supplier who can sign declarations
Supplier declarations for animal-origin risk ingredients
Your animal-testing policy statement, finished product and ingredients

A gap pauses the review clock — it is never a rejection.

The gap list, written as an email

Subject: Certification file — 0 of 8 documents ready

Team,

I scored our certification file against the V-Cert desk-review checklist (Vegan).
We are at 0% — 0 of 8 items ready.

Still needed:
  - Product list — every SKU you want certified, by name
  - Full ingredient list per product, with each ingredient's supplier named
  - Formulation breakdown per product (percentages or parts)
  - A short production-flow description for each manufacturing site
  - Current label artwork for each product
  - A named contact at each ingredient supplier who can sign declarations
  - Supplier declarations for animal-origin risk ingredients
  - Your animal-testing policy statement, finished product and ingredients

A gap pauses the review clock; it is never a rejection. Once these are in one folder, the review runs without pauses.

Checklist: https://v-cert.org/tools/readiness/

Copy it to whoever owns the missing documents.

None of these documents are needed to apply — the checklist comes after the quote.Get my quote

A tool can check a list; the certification decision is made by a human reviewer against everything the mark requires.

Check us

Check anything we've said

The instrument's answer travels with you — its hand-off link carries your selections straight into the application.

Get my quote

Typical desk review: 5–10 business days from complete documentation.