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Is it possible to get ISO 22000 Certification if suppliers do not follow strict hygienic practices?

Started by , Jun 10 2020 05:21 PM
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Let's say for the sake of example that you're a manufacturing company that produces dairy products, and that you're in a third world country that's heavily dependent on small scale farmers for the production of milk. These farmers provide you with the milk that you need, but they're not really known for following strict hygienic practices.

 

Is it possible for this company to get certified in ISO 22000 if it follows the standard but continues to procure milk from these farmers? Since it is said that ISO 22000 is applicable to the entire food chain?

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I doubt it: as per section 8.2.4 (f), you shall consider supplier approval and assurance processes. How could you do it if your suppliers're not having FSMS, GMP, etc? It's a potential risk which you could address from your end by testing milk yourself (e.g. for micro, Y&M, Listeria, other potential bacteria, antibiotics). However, as far as I know, milk shelf life is very short, and while you're waiting for testing results it's going to expire. That's my thoughts as a QA from dairy company, Canada. On the other hand, let's listen to other milk/dairy guys on this forum, may be they'll have other ideas or suggestions.  

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I doubt it: as per section 8.2.4 (f), you shall consider supplier approval and assurance processes. How could you do it if your suppliers're not having FSMS, GMP, etc? It's a potential risk which you could address from your end by testing milk yourself (e.g. for micro, Y&M, Listeria, other potential bacteria, antibiotics). However, as far as I know, milk shelf life is very short, and while you're waiting for testing results it's going to expire. That's my thoughts as a QA from dairy company, Canada. On the other hand, let's listen to other milk/dairy guys on this forum, may be they'll have other ideas or suggestions.  

 

What if they just follow standard regulatory hygiene practices, like the minimum requirements for safety? Do they have to be ISO certified too?

I was in Panama at an Orange Juice company and the QA Manager said, "well it's hard here in Panama considering it's a third world country" when he was talking about sourcing oranges from various small farmers.
 
Interestingly enough - Panama (by classification) is not a Third World Country.
 
I had to look it up, because I was curious what it meant - here's the  definition (and it is not what I thought is was going to say)...
 
"The term "Third World" arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either NATO or the Communist Bloc."
 
Ain't that a hoot!
 
Anyway, in answer to your question - no and yes - I say that becuase on the surface and as Olenazh indicated ISO applies to the entire supply chain, so my answer would be NO. 
 
However - if the recieving company would be willing to assist each producer with upgrading their sanitary conditions, putting systems into place, GMP's,etc the answer could become a YES.
 
Here's something interesting --
 
I had a client in North Carolina, USA that made cheese and prior to my visit to their facility I lived in the area and had some of their cheese - it was very good.
 
While at the facility to do an SQF exploratory review I found that the milk they purchased was borderline at best - it had a high bio-load and thus they added a bunch of steps in pre-processing.
 
As it turned out they decided to not get SQF certified - but I looked back to eating that cheese and thought gee whiz, wish I had known that before I ate it.
 
This is one the reasons why I always look in the kitchen at a restaurant before eating.
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Seed321, from my practice - no, some of my suppliers (e.g. bacterial culture and dairy) are not GFSI certified, however they provide COAs for each lot of supplied ingredients. Some of them're being regularly audited by 3rd party, some prove their hygienic practices and food safety by completing a questionnaire I send them. I'm doing regular Supplier risk assessment, and so far this situation wasn't objected by auditors or CFIA.

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Thank you all for your answers!

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