We are a distributor of packaged food products. We do not do any manufacturing or packaging, but we do handle some herring products packaged in glass jars and thus we have a Seafood HACCP program.
Our supplier (the manufacturer of the Seafood Product) includes a Ryan CR1 temperature strip recorder (manufactured by Sensitech) with each shipment to verify temperature during transport. Our process is to review the recorder strip to verify temperature during transport, along with our own measuring of the product temperature and box temperature at the time of receiving.
During a recent SQF audit, our auditor told us that we were required to maintain proof that each recorder was properly calibrated. We have checked with the manufacturer, and they have given us a letter stating that all devices are calibrated at the factory. The devices are not field-calibratable and the temperature cannot be read without opening the device and breaking the seal so
My questions are:
- Does the Seafood HACCP standard really require that the receiving party positively verify the calibration status of each recording device?
- Since the device is not calibratable and cannont be opened to be read, what method is there to aquire this proof of calibration?
If we were held to this standard, our only option would be to convince our supplier to use another device entirely, but they are reluctant to do that saying that they use this same device with all customers currently and have never run into this issue.
Thank you for any help you can give.