5 replies to this topic

[petratsitlak2]

Hi All,

 

I need your urgent assistance in regards with the approval of our primary packaging supplier.

We are a relatively small company but BRC certified for food safety. We are handling liquid ingredients in low risk production zone.

I am having troubles to find a proper supplier for packaging and this is where I need your help and guidance.

As I said, we are a small company and we cannot order from GFSI- certified packaging manufacturers as they require huge orders which we cannot afford and store. Therefore, our next option would be to find an agent/broker or Storage & distribution supplier. Still none of the BRC certiifed S&D or agents/brokers don't supply packaging material. My last (but least) option to find non-certified supplier who buy packaging from big packaging manufacturers. My question is if I ask for a SAQ to be completed in which you can trace supplier's and manufacturer's product code , manufacturer's GFSI-certificate, migration data and spec sheet, would I be compliant with BRC? Would ISO 9001 stand as packaging manufacturer's main GFSI-certificate?

 

If you also have faced this problem, please share your experience or if you have any suggestions for suppliers (i don't know if I allowed to ask...).

 

My point is that any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Many thanks.

Petra  

 

 

[CMHeywood]

ISO 9001 is quality.  GFSI is food safety.  They are not the same. 

 

The company I work for produces packaging and has several plants that are SQF certified.  We sell directly and to brokers.

 

Can you do an internet search for packaging brokers?

[Gway]

I've faced similar and not had an issue with BRC certification. We would send a SAQ to the supplier which we have developed based around the BRC/IOP packaging standards and evaluate from there - in instances where your supplier is acting as a agent having copies of their manufactures certifications is acceptable accompanied with as having evaluated your direct supplier is handling with suitable GMP and good hygiene (again an SAQ if you can deem low risk) - particularly for food contact materials - all this will need to be accompanied by a specification for the material along with food contact suitability statements / migration certificates as you described - it sounds as if you are along the right lines.

 

Have you discussed with larger suppliers them holding stock for your later call off? Many will manufacture and store for you under agreement so you can pull smaller volume from them as you need it - obviously there may be other implications to this but always worth a conversation

 

Good Luck

[redfox]

Hello,

 

If you buy product from agent and brokers, be sure that you can trace the product to its last manufacturer.

 

regards,

redfox

[dcollings]

There are many small packaging suppliers out there depending on where you are in the region.  if you do a search for Bulk Bag Manufacturer you will get certain companies like: West Pack, Inc, Material Motion, Inc., Alibaba.com, Continental Industrial Products. and a few more. 

 

As far as your BRC issue:

3.5.1.2 - The company shall have a documented supplier approval and ongoing monitoring procedure to ensure that all suppliers of raw materials, including packaging, effectively manage risks to raw material quality and safety and are operating effective traceability processes.

The approval and monitoring procedure shall be based on risk and include one or a combination of:

• Certification (e.g. to BRC Global Standards or other GFSI-recognized scheme)
• Supplier audits, with a scope to include product safety, traceability, HACCP review and good manufacturing practices, undertaken by an experienced and demonstrably competent product safety auditor

Or, for suppliers assessed as low risk only, supplier questionnaires.

Where approval is based on questionnaires, these shall be reissued at least every 3 years and suppliers will be required to notify the site of any significant changes in the interim.

The site shall have an up-to-date list of approved suppliers.

 

Your packaging supplier does not need to be certified unless you have a high risk product.  if your products are low risk products then a supplier questionnaire every three years would suffice.  Do not forget to include a question in the questionnaire about traceability and request the current trace exercise from your supplier every three years or if any significant changes.  Make sure you add the trace procedures to your policy also. 

 

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about my response.

 

thank you,

[Charles.C]

There are many small packaging suppliers out there depending on where you are in the region.  if you do a search for Bulk Bag Manufacturer you will get certain companies like: West Pack, Inc, Material Motion, Inc., Alibaba.com, Continental Industrial Products. and a few more. 

 

As far as your BRC issue:

3.5.1.2 - The company shall have a documented supplier approval and ongoing monitoring procedure to ensure that all suppliers of raw materials, including packaging, effectively manage risks to raw material quality and safety and are operating effective traceability processes.

The approval and monitoring procedure shall be based on risk and include one or a combination of:

• Certification (e.g. to BRC Global Standards or other GFSI-recognized scheme)
• Supplier audits, with a scope to include product safety, traceability, HACCP review and good manufacturing practices, undertaken by an experienced and demonstrably competent product safety auditor

Or, for suppliers assessed as low risk only, supplier questionnaires.

Where approval is based on questionnaires, these shall be reissued at least every 3 years and suppliers will be required to notify the site of any significant changes in the interim.

The site shall have an up-to-date list of approved suppliers.

 

Your packaging supplier does not need to be certified unless you have a high risk product.  if your products are low risk products then a supplier questionnaire every three years would suffice.  Do not forget to include a question in the questionnaire about traceability and request the current trace exercise from your supplier every three years or if any significant changes.  Make sure you add the trace procedures to your policy also. 

 

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about my response.

 

thank you,

 

Hi dcollings,

 

Thks yr input.

 

I am slightly unclear as to the meaning of yr word "products". If you are solely referring to the raw material risk status i may disagree.

 

Unfortunately BRC7 nowhere defines a precise interpretation of "low risk supplier".

 

IMO a "low risk supplier" of input X in the BRC context is referring to the risk status of X as assessed for its safety/legality/etc impact on the subsequent process.

 

For example, IMO a direct-contact packaging for a "low risk" status raw material is not also automatically implied to be"low risk", or its supplier. Probably the contrary in fact.

 

It is possible that all direct-food contact packaging is required to be "food-grade", if so, perhaps such packaging should be auto-classified as "high risk", together with its suppliers. This is perhaps the situation in the BRC Packaging Code ?.

 

Or perhaps you were referring to packaging products only ?