GMPs for Storage and Distribution

I just started a new position at a food ingredient distributor.  Lots of experience with SQF but I am new to Storage & Distribution. Can someone provide a brief overview of what GMPs should be followed in Storage and Distribution compared to food manufacturing?  We do not repack or open any of the packages. Thanks! 

All of the same with perhaps the personnel items (jewelry nail polish etc.)

everything else same same----clean-wash hands-no eating/drinking personnel items on the floor

Scampi,

Thank you for your response. 

Are you saying that jewelry and nail polish could be permitted?  What about the use of hairnets and beard nets?  

There are a lot of areas that you could/should consider for GMP of warehouses. As Scampi noted - really need to align the audit closely to what you would do for an actual food manufacturer with some privisos.

Overall condition of the warehouse, no large gaps in roof, around doors, excessively dirty, dust on the floor, wooden splinters from pallets, plastic wrap on floor spilled product from damages, excessive damaged and spilled product from stock movement/forklift damage. 

Doors kept closed to minimise pest entry, Forklifts, electric or gas?

Pest control in place, rodents, insects, spiders etc, you wouldn't want a customer receiving product with mouse dropping in the middle of the pallet or insects wrapped in the stretch wrap. (Speaking from experience)

Staff hygiene, disease and illness control for employees - how do they manage this? sufficient hand wash and sanitising facilities across the site. Check staff break rooms and toilets - they are always a good indicator of the GMP culture of the workplace. Beards and facial hair, are ok. You may consider false nails/eyelashes/jewellery as well but seeing the warehouse workers tend to be mostly male (based on my observations from the many warehouses I've audited)  - this may not (Or May be an issue?) Think of your customer as to how they would feel getting a pallet of product with contamination?

Smoking policy - allowed or not, and if so where?  As above, getting a pallet of stock with used cigarettes on them is not a good look.

Stock rotation - FIFO

Chillers, temperature control - maintenance and monitoring of that.  Chiller fans have drip trays or policy of not putting product under chiller fans, pooling water.

Transport - truck checks at delivery and dispatch to ensure clean, dry, no foreign matter, mixed loads, product in good condition at receipt.

Allergen management - what are they storing?

Processes for managing allergens. How do they manage damaged allergenic products - procedures in place. to prevent cross contamination?

Glass and brittle plastic procedures.

Drinking and eating policies for employees on the floor?

All of the above are areas I've looked at when auditing a warehouse for approval and renewal.

You can get a pretty good feel of a place as soon as you walk onto the site.  Some are "we're just storage", others are "we store food and treat and manage it accordingly."

iso/TS 22002-5.. can be a reference for storage and distrbution