Hello,
I work for a produce company that has multiple growing sites, packing sites, and some combined growing/'packing sites. Often there is transfer of product from one facility to another. The SQF code reads as follows:
2.4.4.7 Raw materials, ingredients, and packaging materials received from other facilities under the same corporate ownership, shall be subject to the same specification requirements (refer to 2.3.2) and approved supplier requirements as all other material providers.
The way our program is written it doesn't currently differentiate between a supplier from a separate company vs. an "internal" supplier within our own company (product supplied to packaging from a separate growing facility for example). Our program requirements include having audit certificates provided, food safety contact information, signed specifications, a Letter of Guarantee, and a completed Food Safety Questionnaire.
As we are all one company and we do have access to each location's Food Safety programs, certificates, and specifications. Is it necessary for "sister" locations to complete a questionnaire as the program is currently written? To me the intent of 2.4.4.7 is to ensure that "sister" sites are all following a food safety program. I don't see the value in completing a Questionnaire for each site to provide each other site, when this information is readily available but perhaps not in the Questionnaire format.
Perhaps I am answering my own question, but would I just revise the Supplier Approval program to differentiate internal suppliers from external ones and not have completing a questionnaire as a requirement for internal suppliers so long as the equivalent information is available to the QA Manager and/or SQF Auditor?
Any advice on different approaches to satisfy this requirement of the code would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance for your responses.