Should a regular delivery driver sign in every day?

Hello All,

I am the new Quality Manager for this facility and also the SQF Practitioner.  We will be working towards a future SQF Cert and I am modifying the current manuals to fit SQF standards.  Slowly but surely we will get there.

So, as I was enjoying my delicious breakfast taco (we are In Austin, Tx) I started to think about the food truck that has been coming to this facility for years now.  All our employees know the owner/operator and they actually have their number saved as a point of contact.  Now my question is, how is this going to affect our food defense program? Should they be signing in every day? Can we type up some sort of agreement that they will supply our employees with safe products?

We do not have a big facility, we only have one gate entrance that faces our reception area.  So we know exactly who comes in and out.  What do you guys and gals think? Have y'all had to deal with a similar issue?

- Louie S.

This is a Food Truck that the employees is getting food and eating.  It is correct.  I start with asking for a copy of the food license.  I do not see why it would fell under the SQF Scope.  But for the safety of your employees I would get the license. 

Jeff

We've considered this issue here in the UK. We use external caterers for "special" occasions such as customer/supplier visits, audits and major internal meetings. We decided to treat them as suppliers and assess them accordingly.

The lunch trucks are ignored as they supply staff at their request. Life is easier if there's no perimeter fence to consider!

The QA personnel responsible for maintaining their GFSI - Recognized, Company's Food Defense Plan must surely be wincing at the moment.

Hello Louie

Your question called my attention because Food Truck culture are starting to land in my region, here in Spain, in the very west corner. 

I agree to Brummy, consider the Food Truck as a take away or restaurant located just around the corner outside your facilities.

Regards

Esther

Thank you all for your comments on this question! I think for now I will consider this as a take away restaurant.  Our facility parking lot where the truck usually ends up is right within view of our front office and under video surveillance.  Until otherwise forced to change this, we will keep enjoying food truck yummies without the use of a document.   :spoton:

Dear Louie,

Herewith you receive some additions, to take the best possible decision. I cannot fully visualize the described situation. However, I would not make exemptions for daily deliverers of the lunch (if they take the same way and have a similar situation as other deliverers). And well for the following reason:

--> As your company grows and is going to get a certificate, this will be one of the consequences. Of course we want to be nice, but in this case an adjustment of the culture is necessary.

Your advantages to handle it in such way:

• The policy will be clear for everybody.
• No exceptions, as this kind of exceptions often leads to Non-conformances during audits (and the auditor is right in this case). And the NC's will land on your desk.
• As mentioned above, you will just postpone a decision, it is better to take it now.
• Even if the auditor does not give a NC directly to this point, he will see and notice it. His interpretation will be that you make exemptions and that gives him or her a track.

I hope to have informed you sufficiently. In case of further questions, please don't hesitate to ask me. I wish you good luck with the certification.

Kind regards,

Gerard Heerkens

The food truck driver does not enter the building or leave the car park?  So, no, I can't see why he would have to sign in and out every day (unless he has to sign at security just to get onto the site?).  Do you also make the mail delivery man sign in every time he brings the company a letter?  where do you draw the line?  If in doubt, do a risk assessment to justify and document your decision.

Hi Louie,

I think it would be in your facility's best interest to have some kind of record of the food truck's visits, even if it is as simple as having them log into a visitor's log for the time they are in the parking lot. In my opinion, I would have a file on the food truck, including copy of business license, owner contact information, service provided to the company, and usual visiting hours (do they come into the lot at the same time every day?). It also wouldn't hurt to include any food safety or certification-related certificates the food truck may have. 

It may sound overboard to gather such information on someone who's had a good relationship with the plant for many years, but it's better to take precaution. An auditor walking into your facility for the first time won't know the history between your facility and the food truck operator, so it could open a can of worms that could affect your audit. SQF is big on "say what you do, do what you say, and prove (document) it," so the auditor may want to see a record or a policy showing that your facility is aware of the food truck visiting and has documentation showing that,

Good luck with your certification! I hope it goes well.

Is there some sort of business relationship between the food truck and your company? Is he contracted to show up every day? If not, the implied contract would be between the employee and the food truck. The food truck has no inputs to the manufacturing process. We have some local restaurants that make deliveries. And  what about take out food? Any inputs to the manufacturing process (such as allergens in the meal delivered to the employee) would be covered by your GMPs, such as hand washing before going onto the production floor.

Another thought: If the truck parks on the public street in front or your facility and the employee is not on the time clock (punched out for lunch) what relationship does the food truck have with the company?

Fare thee well,

wherever thee fare,

Bruce Z