5 replies to this topic

[Chrispy Chips]

I have an issue that I'm hoping someone can resolve - I work for a company which has three "sister" facilities, all SQF certified. Occasionally, raw materials and finished goods are shipped from one facility to another and someone created a document called a "Transfer Request Form" on which the facility in need of goods/materials indicates what is needed, the volume, etc. The form has an issue date and version number, but no document control number (all of our SQF documents, from corporate to facility-level, have a document control number and are maintained on a register). When I brought this up, another SQF Practitioner stated that a doc # wasn't necessary as the form was essentially a "packing slip for accounting purposes".

 

I stated that, once complete, the form will be a record (with retention requirements, specified by our customers and regulatory guidelines). It has an issue date and version number, so is obviously in need of control.

 

With those criteria being met, should it NOT be a corporate-level controlled document on the corporate SQF document register? I tried making these points, but the other individual is VERY DISAGREEABLE, as they have already been discussing this form with other departments for some time now...   

 

Thanks in advance for your time and insights!

 

-Chrispy Chips

[wtheriot]

There are a few ways to deal with this. MY first question would be, dont you have a receiving policy already in SQF documents, whereby the received goods are inspected? There are several administrative documents within my company that are not important to my SQF. You are only audited under the documents you have in place for Food Safety. This would be a shipping/receiving inspection form. Is the product being transferred being inspected when it arrives at the other facility? That is sufficient for SQF. Let that other form be administrations problem, not one you add to SQF. 

[majoy]

agreed to the above comment.

 

I will however look into if this document is relevant to traceability as this the RM is transferred from one facility to another.

[SQFconsultant]

I have an issue that I'm hoping someone can resolve - I work for a company which has three "sister" facilities, all SQF certified. Occasionally, raw materials and finished goods are shipped from one facility to another and someone created a document called a "Transfer Request Form" on which the facility in need of goods/materials indicates what is needed, the volume, etc. The form has an issue date and version number, but no document control number (all of our SQF documents, from corporate to facility-level, have a document control number and are maintained on a register). When I brought this up, another SQF Practitioner stated that a doc # wasn't necessary as the form was essentially a "packing slip for accounting purposes".

 

I stated that, once complete, the form will be a record (with retention requirements, specified by our customers and regulatory guidelines). It has an issue date and version number, so is obviously in need of control.

 

With those criteria being met, should it NOT be a corporate-level controlled document on the corporate SQF document register? I tried making these points, but the other individual is VERY DISAGREEABLE, as they have already been discussing this form with other departments for some time now...   

 

Thanks in advance for your time and insights!

 

-Chrispy Chips

 

Dear Chrispy,

 

Please inform the VERY DISAGREEABLE person that this former SQF Auditor and now SQF Consultant said to get his/her act together, issue a control number and make it a part of the register - there's a lot more risk here than just a simple form used for accounting purposes.

 

 

[Chrispy Chips]

There are a few ways to deal with this. MY first question would be, dont you have a receiving policy already in SQF documents, whereby the received goods are inspected? There are several administrative documents within my company that are not important to my SQF. You are only audited under the documents you have in place for Food Safety. This would be a shipping/receiving inspection form. Is the product being transferred being inspected when it arrives at the other facility? That is sufficient for SQF. Let that other form be administrations problem, not one you add to SQF. 

 

@wtheriot - Yes, we do have an inspection form for incoming RMs, however it mainly covers general conditions of the load (pallet tags intact, allergen statement checks, etc.) and the conditions of the receiving trailer (overall cleanliness, signs of pest activity, odors, etc.). The only document that lists the items received on the trailer would be this Transfer Request Form. The formatting used is SO similar, that it makes it look like one of our SQF docs with the document number missing. If I were auditing shipping and receiving paperwork, this would raise a red flag.

 

-Chrispy Chips

[Timwoodbag]

@wtheriot - Yes, we do have an inspection form for incoming RMs, however it mainly covers general conditions of the load (pallet tags intact, allergen statement checks, etc.) and the conditions of the receiving trailer (overall cleanliness, signs of pest activity, odors, etc.). The only document that lists the items received on the trailer would be this Transfer Request Form. The formatting used is SO similar, that it makes it look like one of our SQF docs with the document number missing. If I were auditing shipping and receiving paperwork, this would raise a red flag.

 

-Chrispy Chips

 

When things like this happen to me it unfortunately has to become my job for it to get done correctly.  Be sure to emphasize that nothing changes for them, you just need better control for food safety.  Print out copies for them, on the computer be sure to put a printable version exactly where they were printing the old document etc.  If its a pre-numbering issue and they don't want to do it, then I now have to pre-number, which sucks, but the documents are controlled properly.  If the document gets updated, you have to be the one who physically changes their files again. 

 

Or treat those transfers like a regular receiving, though it sounds like these documents are directly tied into accounting too?  

 

I guess you could also have two of those RM receiving forms, one for internal transfer receiving, and one for supplier receiving with additional details as needed.  

 

As Glenn said, if it's this important (and not accounted for anywhere else) it's not just an accounting file, so therefore should be in your register, and under your control.