EDI Requirements

KeHE Distributors EDI Requirements

KeHE is a major natural/specialty/fresh distributor (B Corp, ~19 DCs). It tightened its EDI program in 2025 around a core set of documents, requires suppliers to onboard via SPS Commerce, and routes all transactions and disputes through the mandatory KeHE CONNECT supplier portal. KeHE refreshed its supplier documentation set — Policies and Procedures, Inbound Routing Guide, and Fee Schedule — effective November 1, 2025, so a compliance checklist built before that refresh will be out of date on fees and process.

Required EDI documents

Document	Name	Notes
EDI 850	Purchase Order
EDI 860	PO Change
EDI 855	PO Acknowledgment	PO confirmation is time-boxed — confirm the clock in your current guide
EDI 856	Advance Ship Notice (ASN)	most compliance-sensitive
EDI 810	Invoice
EDI 820	Remittance	maps consolidated payments to invoices
EDI 846	Inventory Advice	used
EDI 852	Product Activity Data	used
EDI 997	Functional Acknowledgment

Labeling & packaging

Per the 2025 Inbound Routing Guide, every outer case needs a scannable ITF-14 case GTIN or GS1-128 — KeHE prefers GS1-128 (carries expiration + lot).
SSCC-18 (in GS1-128) on pallet labels must match the 856 exactly. The guide also covers BOLs, packing lists, temperature control, and pallet requirements.
Pallets: 48 x 40 inch Consumer Brands Association (CBA) three-stringer pallets, and product is not to be stacked higher than 72 inches. Over-height loads get reworked at the DC and billed back.

Connection & portal

AS2, SFTP, and VAN; suppliers are required to subscribe to KeHE’s data-exchange provider, SPS Commerce, which leads onboarding.
KeHE CONNECT Supplier portal is mandatory — as of 2025 all transactions and disputes flow through it (email no longer accepted). K-Solve is the dispute/deduction tool.

Onboarding & testing

The KeHE EDI team and SPS set protocols and run test exchanges with a customized test data set, then mark you production-ready. Timelines follow SPS general figures rather than a published KeHE SLA.

Compliance & chargebacks

• Inbound fill rate 98% required; below threshold is reported as a 3% fee on the value of shorted product. Reported examples: missing packing slip ~$100, missing pallet sticker ~$250.
• On-time delivery is measured across a calendar quarter against a reported 85% threshold; in a quarter that falls below it, late shipments are reported at $250 each. It compounds quietly — the fee applies per late PO once the quarter is already non-compliant.
• Shipment and supplier non-compliance fees are reported in the $20–$400 per-occurrence range, covering lumping and unloading, sort and segregate, appointment no-shows and short-notice reschedules, dock delays, and loads not ready at pickup.
• An “extra performance” (EP) processing fee is reported at 8% ($35 min / $700 max) — the minimum and the higher cap both arrived with the 2025 refresh, which replaced a no-minimum, $500-max structure. MCB promotional processing is reported at 8% with a ~$65 per-DC minimum. Retailer spoils and discontinued product are reported around $0.29 per unit.
• The two clocks that decide whether a deduction is recoverable: a discrepancy at the dock generates an Unloading Discrepancy Report (UDR), and suppliers are reported to have ~48 hours to answer it with a signed BOL and packing slip before the shortage hardens into a deduction. After that, disputes go through K-Solve and are reported to be waived if not filed within 180 days of the deduction date.

Worth knowing

• B Corp; ~19-DC network; acquired DPI Specialty Foods.
• Administrative Allowance Program (AAP): an opt-in flat 2% invoice allowance for suppliers who are both new (first year with KeHE) and small (under ~$500k), reported to cover five launch-stage fees at once — new-item introduction allowance, new-item setup, EP, MCB, and lumping.
• The 2025 refresh also retired charges: the ~$40/SKU product image setup fee was removed and the placement processing fee section was eliminated, with “placement allowances” renamed “free fills.” Worth re-reading the current schedule rather than budgeting from an older one.
• Payment terms are reported as 2% 10 net 30 standard, with 2% 60 net 61 on special-event orders. The KeHE CONNECT BI program is reported as a 2% allowance calculated on the net of each PO.

How EndlessEDI helps with KeHE Distributors

EndlessEDI supports KeHE’s tightened core document set with GS1-128 case labels and SSCC-matched ASNs, validates before the truck leaves, and keeps fill-rate-critical orders accurate to avoid the 98% shortfall fee. Because orders, inventory, and EDI sit on one record, the BOL and delivery evidence a UDR response needs is already attached to the PO when the 48-hour clock starts.

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KeHE Distributors EDI FAQ

What EDI documents does KeHE require?

KeHE’s 2025 program centers on a tightened core set — 850, 860, 855, 856, 810, and 997 — with the 820, 846, and 852 also used. All transactions route through the mandatory KeHE CONNECT portal.

Do I need SPS Commerce and KeHE CONNECT?

Yes. KeHE requires suppliers to subscribe to SPS Commerce for data exchange, and as of 2025 all transactions and disputes flow through the KeHE CONNECT supplier portal rather than email.

What is KeHE’s fill-rate requirement?

KeHE requires a 98% inbound fill rate; falling below is reported to incur a 3% fee on the value of shorted product. Confirm current figures in KeHE’s Inbound Routing Guide.

What is a KeHE UDR, and how long do I have to respond?

An Unloading Discrepancy Report is what KeHE receiving files when the case count at the DC disagrees with what you shipped. A UDR is notice of a discrepancy; the deduction lands only if the DC count stands. Suppliers are reported to have about 48 hours to answer with a signed bill of lading and packing slip; miss the window and the DC count stands and the shortage becomes a deduction.

How long do I have to dispute a KeHE deduction?

Disputes are filed as cases in K-Solve inside the KeHE CONNECT portal, and are reported to be waived if not filed within 180 days of the deduction date. Each case needs backup matched to the deduction type — typically the PO, BOL, proof of delivery, and any UDR response already on file.

What is KeHE’s on-time delivery requirement?

On-time delivery is measured over a calendar quarter against a reported 85% threshold. Once a quarter falls below it, late shipments in that quarter are reported at $250 each, so a single bad stretch can bill per late PO rather than once.

What changed in KeHE’s November 2025 supplier documentation update?

KeHE refreshed its Supplier Policies and Procedures, Inbound Routing Guide, and Fee Schedule effective November 1, 2025. Reported changes include the EP processing fee moving to 8% with a $35 minimum and $700 maximum (from no minimum and a $500 cap), removal of the ~$40/SKU product image setup fee, and elimination of the placement processing fee section. Confirm against the current documents in KeHE CONNECT.

EDI requirements and penalty schedules change and vary by program. Figures marked “reported” come from third-party sources, not the retailer’s published fee schedule — always confirm against the retailer’s current routing guide and your vendor agreement.