An approved supplier/vendor is an entity that has been approved by the franchisor to sell products and/or services to franchisees of its system. Items sold by approved suppliers may include equipment, ingredients, and other materials or items for use in operating the franchise business. The franchisor will generally approve several suppliers for each item and the franchisee may purchase the items from any of the approved suppliers. In some instances, a franchisor approves only one approved supplier of a specific product (i.e., a soft drink supplier) for purposes of system-wide uniformity. Also see “Designated Supplier/Vendor.”