Hi Tony
Thank you for your reply. I am aware what standard says, however i would like to ask what questions would you ask in your SAQ ?
For now we ask about allergens segregation, stock rotation, traceability and pest control.
Is there anything else we could have missed ?
Hi DSTechnicalManager,
This part was from BRCGS Global Standard for Agents and Brokers Issue 3 Guidance – not from the standard:
4.2.2 Approval and monitoring of service providers:
• The completion of a site questionnaire (and the replies from the service provider). This must assess the product safety management systems and contain all the relevant information (e.g. product safety, traceability testing, hazard analysis review, product security/food defence, prevention of product fraud, evidence of good operating practices) to allow the company to confidently make a decision on whether to approve the service provider.
The standard simply reads: a supplier questionnaire that has been reviewed and verified by a demonstrably competent person
For suppliers of storage and distribution services I would use the BRCGS Global Standard Storage and Distribution Issue 4 requirements as a guide for developing my questionnaire:
1 Senior management commitment
1.1 Senior management commitment and continual improvement – includes policy and product safety and quality culture planning
1.2 Management review
1.3 Organisational structure, responsibility and management authority
2 Hazard and risk analysis
3 Product safety and quality management system
3.1 General documentation requirements
3.2 Internal audits
3.3 Corrective and preventive action
3.4 Customer contractual arrangements
3.5 Purchasing
3.6 Traceability
3.7 Management of product withdrawal and product recall
3.8 Incident management and business continuity
3.9 Control of non-conforming product, damages and returns
3.10 Complaints handling
4 Site and building standards
4.1 Location, perimeter and grounds
4.2 Site security and product defence
4.3 Layout, product flow and segregation – product intake, handling, storage and dispatch areas
4.4 Fabrication – product intake, handling, storage and dispatch areas
4.5 Staff facilities
5 Vehicle operating standards
5.1 Vehicle standards
5.2 Vehicle and load security
5.3 Vehicle management
5.4 Vehicle temperature controls
6 Facility management
6.1 Equipment
6.2 Maintenance
6.3 Calibration and control of measuring and monitoring devices
6.4 Housekeeping and hygiene
6.5 Waste and waste disposal
6.6 Pest management
7 Good operating practices
7.1 Receipt of goods
7.2 Product handling
7.3 Environment control
7.4 Physical and chemical product contamination risk
7.5 Stock rotation
7.6 Product release
7.7 Management of allergens
8 Personnel
8.1 Training and competency
8.2 Personal hygiene
9 Handling of open food products
11 Cross-docking requirements
You might need to consider Contracted services modules if those are applicable
13 Contractual arrangements (all services)
14 Product inspection
15 Contract packing (repacking, assembly packing)
16 Quantity control inspection
17 Contract chilling/freezing/tempering/defrosting and high-pressure process operations
18 Contract cleaning of baskets, roll cages and other distribution containers
19 Waste recovery and recycling
If I get some spare time over the next few days I’ll see if I can draft a template questionnaire for suppliers of storage and distribution services.
Kind regards,
Tony
