Supplier Allergen Management Certificate

Is anyone familiar with a Supplier Allergen Management Certificate?

Does any one know what is mean by Supplier Allergen Management Certificate?

Are you referring to a specific requirement of the standard?

Dear All,



Does any one know what is mean by Supplier Allergen Management Certificate?

Please share you experiences and thoughts.



Regards

Martiblue

This is an excerpt from our Allergen Management Program:

3.1.1 Incoming raw material suppliers that supply products that contain allergens. These suppliers are required to certify that they have an allergen management program in place that is verified by third party audit.

3.1.2 Incoming raw material suppliers that supply products that do not contain allergens but they do handle allergens in their production facilities. These suppliers are required to certify that they have an allergen management program in place that is verified by third party audit.

3.1.3 Incoming raw material suppliers that supply products that do not contain allergens and claim that no allergens are used in their production facilities. These suppliers are required to certify that their products are “free from allergens”.

We require certification of the above from all of our raw material suppliers as a condition of supplier status.

Marshall

Dear Marshall,

Can you provide more information about this certification on allergen management?
- are ther any specific standards/schemes for it?
- What are the main requirements?
- How does an auditor verify this?
- Is laboratory verification involved?

Dear Marshall,

Can you provide more information about this certification on allergen management?
- are ther any specific standards/schemes for it?
- What are the main requirements?
- How does an auditor verify this?
- Is laboratory verification involved?

BRC Issue 6 clause 5.2.1 states:
"The company shall carry out an assessment of raw materials to establish the presence and likelihood of contamination by allergens. This shall include review of raw material specifications and, where required, obtain additional information from suppliers, for example through questionnaires to understand the allergen status of the raw material, its ingredients and the factory in which it is produced."

We choose to have our suppliers certify that they have an allergen management system in place that is audited by a third party, or that their products and facility are free from allergens. That would be the "additional information" above.

The main requirements are that if they supply us and have allergens in their facility, they have an allergen management system in place and it is audited by a third party. If they do not have allergens in their facility, they certify that they do not.

As an auditor, I would request a list of current suppliers and ensure that such certification exists for each of the suppliers on the list.

I suppose if you wanted to go to the time and expense, you could have a laboratory test each of your raw materials for the presence of allergens. However, the whole point of product specifications, letters of guarantee and certificates of analysis is to NOT have to do lab testing on ingredients.

Marshall

Hi Marshall,

Thanks for you reply.
My questions were actually related to the third party allergen audit, that should be conducted at your suppliers premises. Is there a recognised allergen management certification standard? What do you accept as this third party verification of an allergen management system? Perhaps the Suisse AHA? Is there a certificable allergen management standard in the US? If there is not, what would you like to see in this third party verification report, that your suppliers sent to you?

Hi Marshall,

Thanks for you reply.
My questions were actually related to the third party allergen audit, that should be conducted at your suppliers premises. Is there a recognised allergen management certification standard? What do you accept as this third party verification of an allergen management system? Perhaps the Suisse AHA? Is there a certificable allergen management standard in the US? If there is not, what would you like to see in this third party verification report, that your suppliers sent to you?

I don't know of any standards in the US.

For an existing supplier, I would accept a letter from the supplier guaranteeing that they have an allergen management program in place and that it is audited by a third party. In the absence of any "allergen standard" to be audited against, I would accept any third party standard that includes allergen management programs. (AIB, BRC, SQF, etc.)

For a new supplier I would request a copy of their allergen management program and a copy of the applicable portion from their last third party audit. This would be a part of the Supplier Approval Program.

Marshall