[Suzanne]

I have to cost out the basic recipe that the company I'm working with plans to use. Unfortunately, the numbers they currently have are for retail purchases, not from bulk distributors. I have some numbers, but not those for meats and a couple of grocery items. Can anyone help me fill in the blanks?

I need units costs for: [list=1][*]Beef kidney[*]Beef sirloin (sorry, I don't have the IMP number); assume fully trimmed[*]Chicken livers[*]Cider vinegar[*]Sea Salt (the less fancy the better)[*]Yogurt[/list=1]

Also, if anyone happens to know unit costs for bulk purchases of bone meal, fish oil, dried kelp, powdered Vitamin E, lecithin, brewers yeast, and ground flaxseed, I'd appreciate those as well.

Even if you can just point me toward a website, that would be great.

In case all that looks kind of weird, remember that it's for pet food.

[Peachcreek]

Try a few different distributors. For supplements like flaxseed or lecithin try a natural foods wholesaler. I don't know if they are national, but on the west coast there is Mountain People Distributing. Any large meat wholesaler will give you pack size and unit costs on meat products in your area. For vitamin and nutritional suppliments try either a wholesale animal food dealer, or health food distributor. Out west we have several big chains like CalRanch, Cenex and Big R that sell nutrient supplements to ranchers, including some of the things you need, so they must order from somewhere. They don't keep cows in Central Park, do they?
Good luck.

[kuan]

Cargill, ConAgra, Kerry Ingredients, Morton Salt, etc. Call them, and you need to be more specific, for example, granulation and functionality of the salt, etc. Do you have a procurement person? Marketing needs to tell you what the volume goal is going to be and that will have an effect on prices too.

Kuan

[panini]

I'm thinkin about 3 dollars.