Here are a few questions for us to ponder:
Are you getting all of the skimmed milk powder from only one company all of the time? In my last position we used to get powdered milk via a broker so it was a pain to keep up with requesting relevant documentation. I'm assuming from what you said it's only 1 supplier but I never fully assume anything.
Is your supplier under a GFSI certified food safety standard and/or any other standard? Yes we all know this isn't something that provides absolute protection... but it helps to analyze risk.
Do you have any type of control point (IE Inspection) for your filter that the skimmed milk powder goes through? That is if it is defeated by a hole in the filter today will you be aware anytime soon?
Does your supplier have a control point for their sifters? (if they are under a GFSI standard they should)
Have you reviewed your suppliers HACCP plan? Do they have a HACCP plan?
Have you asked them the last time they had a customer complaint for a foreign material in their product and what their Corrective Action Plan was? How many times, on average in a year, they have complaints for foreign materials?
For me a reputable supplier is a supplier that at least forwards all relevant documentation, when requested, for their system. Possibly they may be well known and is known for producing a quality product. Ones that understand why your asking these types of things and do whatever they can, within the constraints of their policies, to give you all appropriate information. Have a full HACCP plan, audited to a well known standard, food defense plan, and all of the other normal good stuff.
Sure they may say no when you ask for something... but it doesn't stop you from asking.
Personally, just from what I've seen above, I'd rate it as a high severity with a low probability with the rational that foreign materials are a danger to health but there are layers of sifting/filtering being done and therefore there is lower risk of it getting through the process. This would give it a level, off the top of my head and not knowing your HACCP plan, that you can control it with your filter and just have an inspection of your filter.
But that's only if the mesh size of the filters are small enough to remove a foreign body.
That's my opinion on the situation with the current information.
Edited by Mr. Incognito, 25 June 2014 - 12:09 PM.