Co-Manufacturer Required to Test Finished Product
Hello all,
We are a co-manufacture packaging a product for a customer of ours who just acquired a new customer that is from outside the US and is requiring finished product testing on the product that we are packaging. The product is a mixture of ready to eat components which we do not currently receive COA's for. We have not done finished product testing before so I am just looking for some insight and advice from anyone.
1.) Do we start requiring COA's from the suppliers of the components in our mix?
2.) What to test for/not test for (I also asked this to our customer and am awaiting a reply)
3.) Should we keep a retain sample of the same lot we send for testing?
Thanks in advance!
Hi AC2018,
Here is my opinion for your queries:
1.) Do we start requiring COA's from the suppliers of the components in our mix?
Yes, you should inquire for COA from the non-US customer/supplier of the product, as it seems like they are the manufacturer. If they are not able to provide you with one, you should inquire for the components/ingredients of the product (specifically for micro reasons).
2.) What to test for/not test for (I also asked this to our customer and am awaiting a reply)
This can vary depending on the type of product and packaging process you handle (as it is not mentioned in the original post), however, since it is RTE, it should require Salmonella testing as starters, while other hazards can be determined by researching the industry of the product.
3.) Should we keep a retain sample of the same lot we send for testing?
Yes, it is always a good idea to keep a duplicate sample. Different people have different opinions on it, however, as a common rule it should be retained for 1 year plus the shelf life of the product.
Hope it helps.
Yes, this helps validate my original thoughts. Thank you!
1.) Do we start requiring COA's from the suppliers of the components in our mix?
it is always good to have COAs from suppliers. However, I don't put much faith in them. PCA is one example of why. a good supplier approval program with on going monitoring is more effective.
2.) What to test for/not test for (I also asked this to our customer and am awaiting a reply)
I think you need to wait for the customers reply. you should have a specification from your customer. The testing done should be verifying that you are meeting those parameters. ex - color, odor, appearance, texture, micro(salmonella), chem.
3.) Should we keep a retain sample of the same lot we send for testing?
keeping retains of the raw materials and finished product is a good idea.
Good information, this helps me a lot.
Thank you!