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SAQ for Contract Service Suppliers

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DSTechnicalManager

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Posted 09 November 2022 - 11:25 AM

Hi,

 

Could you please share examples / ideas what to include in my SAQ to approve service suppliers ? This is mainly for transport and storage suppliers.



Tony-C

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Posted 10 November 2022 - 06:06 AM

Hi DSTechnicalManager,

 

First of all, I would ask is approval for suppliers providing storage & distribution services likely to be low risk? probably not, so certification or a site audit are likely to be the route to go down for approval.

 

Having said that, if you consider the service to be low risk then I have underlined the relevant requirements that should be in your questionnaire as per the standard.

 

BRCGS Global Standard for Agents and Brokers Issue 3 – relevant requirements/guidance are in section 4.2 Management of service providers:

 

4.2.1 Approval and risk assessment of service providers

There shall be a procedure for the approval and monitoring of service providers (e.g. transport, storage, laboratory testing or labelling).

The approval process shall be risk-based and shall take into consideration:

• risk to the safety and quality of products

• compliance with legal requirements (e.g. weight or label controls)

• customer-specific requirements

• potential risks to the security of the product (i.e. risks identified in the vulnerability and food defence assessments).

 

4.2.2 Guidance: Approval and monitoring of service providers

Service provider approval and monitoring procedures should be based on risk assessment (see clause 4.2.1).

As a minimum, service provider approval will be based on one or more of the following:

• Certification of the service provider to a relevant and recognised standard (e.g. BRCGS Standards, GFSI-benchmarked standards or an applicable ISO standard).

• A successful site audit that, as a minimum, covers …………

• A historic trading relationship supported by documented evidence of performance reviews, demonstrating continuing satisfactory performance.

• 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. This questionnaire must be reviewed and verified as acceptable by a demonstrably competent person (i.e. someone who can demonstrate knowledge of product safety and of the service being provided). The BRCGS auditor is likely to assess this competence by discussion with the individual during the BRCGS audit.

• Legal registration (e.g. waste management licences).

 

Kind regards,

 

Tony



DSTechnicalManager

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Posted 10 November 2022 - 09:01 AM

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 ?



pHruit

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Posted 10 November 2022 - 02:31 PM

It might be worth downloading a copy of the BRC Storage & Distribution standard, as that will give you an idea of the areas that BRC thinks should be covered for these activities.

If your suppliers are already certified then that obviously makes the approval relatively easy, but otherwise you can use the BRC S&D section headings as a guide for questions to add to your current set.

 

Some possibly significant ones might be:

Food safety / quality policies

Temperature control and breakdown procedures

Staff training

HACCP or equivalent

Cleaning

Staff training

Complaint management

Corrective/preventative action procedures



Tony-C

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Posted 11 November 2022 - 05:19 AM

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



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DSTechnicalManager

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Posted 14 November 2022 - 11:20 AM

Hi Tony

I have attached a copy of the SAQ i am working on now, would you be able to review it ?



DSTechnicalManager

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Posted 14 November 2022 - 11:21 AM

Attached SAQ here

Attached Files



Tony-C

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Posted 15 November 2022 - 04:43 AM

Hi DSTechnicalManager,

 

It appears that you have converted a generic food manufacturer template, I would prefer it to be tailored for storage/distribution service providers and more structured as per the list I posted but it is better than nothing.

 

I don’t think all the highlighted questions need to be answered if certified >95% to a GFSI benchmarked standard, you want a full copy of the report to review.

 

Things that come to mind:

Site Registration No./Company ID No.

Certification not accreditation

Notification of hazard or risk to food safety within a specified timescale

SECTION-10 PRODUCT INTAKE CONTROLS – Is that correct or do you want to cover goods receipt, storage, loading/dispatch and transport here?

 

Kind regards,

 

Tony



DSTechnicalManager

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Posted 16 November 2022 - 04:15 PM

Hi Tony,

 

Are you able to share any example ?





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