Costco Food Safety Supplier Requirements

Hello,

Can someone share with me Costco's most recent food safety supplier requirements? I've searched on their website but I can't find it. 

Thanks!

Jenna

Hi Jenna, attached for your reference.

Thank you so much! This forum is the best. 

I haven't worked with anyone selling to Costco in the past few years.  Am I reading that document correctly in that ALL third party GFSI audits must be unannounced in order to meet Costco's standards?  (Meaning that the standard format of SQF, for example, with an unnanounced audit 1 out of 3 years would be unacceptable to Costco?)

I haven't worked with anyone selling to Costco in the past few years.  Am I reading that document correctly in that ALL third party GFSI audits must be unannounced in order to meet Costco's standards?  (Meaning that the standard format of SQF, for example, with an unnanounced audit 1 out of 3 years would be unacceptable to Costco?)

Hey jfrey123, I'm having de ja vu: we've already had the same thread recently - and the answer was NO for unannounced audits. (I'm not sure how to look for that thread - but you may try, it's somewhere there:)) I'm personally being a Costco vendor never had the unannounced audits, they've always been addendums to my GFSI audits.

My understanding was that whomever your 3rd party audit scheme is (FSSC, SQF, BRC etc) must include an unannounced audit in the certification process (every 3rd year etc)  and that not every audit needs to be unannounced

I just received confirmation from my CB that as of April 1, 2023 all Costco audits will be unannounced annually, overriding the 1 in 3 GFSI requirement.

(I can't seem to upload the link)

Is that for FULL costco audits, or addendums as well???????

  So I still can't figure out how to attach a file.  I am asking for a combined SQF with a Costco Addendum so I'm assuming all audits.

It says: all audits unannounced, annually; overriding the 1-in3 GFSI requirement, suppliers who refuse will need a Costco Food Safety Audit

We get the Costco addendum added to our SQF audit and have know when our audit is going to be for 6 months.  

I'm going to assume it's for full Costco audits and not addendums and/or based on risk of your finished good

I've done some digging  read this link  https://www.eurofins...upplier-audits/

I think this will be difficult for some...

I know it will be a challenge for us being a smaller facility to schedule production and people around a yearly unannounced audit - I personally think that this requirement should be based on audit history and risk and that 1 in 3 unannounced audits is sufficient.

This was sent from my CB this week..

Costco has updated their expectation manual to include a mandatory unannounced audit for their supplier's with GFSI audits effective April 1st, 2023. The unannounced audits will follow each GFSI Scheme's requirements.

Additionally, as outlined in the standard, Costco will no longer have its own addendum, but will integrate their program into the various GFSI Standards. 

***Costco has indicated that Costco product does not need to be in production during an unannounced GFSI audit, however records will be reviewed, and Costco item categories cannot be excluded from the audit scope.

Also...

Costco may, at times, shadow a supplier’s 3rd party audit.

A member of the Costco Food Safety staff will accompany the auditor for the entire duration of the audit. During the audit, the Costco employee will examine all documentation reviewed by the auditor and will also walk the entire operation during the inspection (interior and exterior). Observations made by the Costco employee will be disclosed after the auditor is finished with the closing meeting. Costco observations do not impact audit scoring.

To ensure that Costco’s observations are addressed, operations must provide Costco with an e-mailed corrective action response for each observation.

I think this will be difficult for some...

I know it will be a challenge for us being a smaller facility to schedule production and people around a yearly unannounced audit - I personally think that this requirement should be based on audit history and risk and that 1 in 3 unannounced audits is sufficient.

 

This was sent from my CB this week..

 

Costco has updated their expectation manual to include a mandatory unannounced audit for their supplier's with GFSI audits effective April 1st, 2023. The unannounced audits will follow each GFSI Scheme's requirements.

 

Additionally, as outlined in the standard, Costco will no longer have its own addendum, but will integrate their program into the various GFSI Standards. 

 

***Costco has indicated that Costco product does not need to be in production during an unannounced GFSI audit, however records will be reviewed, and Costco item categories cannot be excluded from the audit scope.

 

Also...

Costco may, at times, shadow a supplier’s 3rd party audit.

A member of the Costco Food Safety staff will accompany the auditor for the entire duration of the audit. During the audit, the Costco employee will examine all documentation reviewed by the auditor and will also walk the entire operation during the inspection (interior and exterior). Observations made by the Costco employee will be disclosed after the auditor is finished with the closing meeting. Costco observations do not impact audit scoring.

To ensure that Costco’s observations are addressed, operations must provide Costco with an e-mailed corrective action response for each observation.

We're having our first Costco audit as an addendum to our annual GMP audit. It will be unannounced (sometime soon). We also received an email from a higher up at Costco that him and one other Costco higher up will be shadowing our auditor. He made it clear that they are auditing the auditor to ensure that Costco's expectations are being met.

Will let you all know how that goes...

Yeah, I found out about the changes / updates to supplier expectations from Costco last week.  I've been in touch with the auditing group at Costco and they enlightened on some of the changes.

• Costco Requiring all suppliers to have annual unannounced audits. 
• Their unannounced audit window is 90 days.  Most GFSI is 60 day unannounced audit window.
• If you currently have a GFSI annual audit you can opt to make it unannounced each year to meet Costco requirement, or you have the additional Costco 1 day audit (most plants are 1 day) for the years where your GFSI audit is announced.
• Costco will accept a 60 days unannounced audit window if you opt to only have GFSI unannounced audits.
• If you have your 2023 audits scheduled by 4/30 you will not be required to have an unannounced Costco audit for 2023.  But will be required thereafter.
• FOREIGN MATERIAL CONTROL:
  • ​Costco mandates X-Ray with the following exceptions:
  1. It does not work for your product(s) sold into Costco. You must provide scientific justification of this from someone with scientific X-Ray expertise.
  2. You can utilize physical separation / control methods such as screens, sieves, etc provided they have sufficient control of foreign material.  Again, must provide validation for the physical screening.
  3. ****Costco does not accept metal detection as replacement for X-Ray.

All Costco standards can be found in the Dropbox link below. 

https://www.dropbox....8RhJL-jHUa?dl=0

For some supplier this may just be a choice between continuing business with Costco or not.  My company is on the fence and now I'm having to provide the cost / benefit of implementing unannounced audits and X-Ray and reviewing with leadership team.

In case anyone was wondering how our Costco audit went, here are updates:

We combined it with our GMP audit and it was scheduled as an unannounced 2-day audit

Our boundary window was Feb 1 - Mar 31

Auditor showed up Mar 30 (the last possible day he could show up)

Costco had a food safety higher up and a Costco food safety trainee, both shadowing the auditor. This was a weird dynamic but it went well. They were both very nice and although they were quiet most of the time, they did offer some useful information.

They did not have any observations that required action on our part nor on the auditor's part. 

Hi All

We are a 3PL (Storage and Distribution only) in Montreal, Canada. Anyone with experience on compliance in with Food Safety in Canada in order to ship to Costco? Any help would be appreciated. 

Nuts to Costco.

My CB has been bugging me for the past couple of weeks to add the Costco Addendum to our SQF Edition 9 audit because one of our customers sells one SKU to Costco. 

Hi All

 

We are a 3PL (Storage and Distribution only) in Montreal, Canada. Anyone with experience on compliance in with Food Safety in Canada in order to ship to Costco? Any help would be appreciated. 

I can help

I can help

That would be Amazing! 

here is a link to Costco's dropbox for food safety requirements, includes their contacts. I've contacted via and get a response within 24 hours.

Dropbox - Food Safety Documents - Simplify your life

Nuts to Costco.

My CB has been bugging me for the past couple of weeks to add the Costco Addendum to our SQF Edition 9 audit because one of our customers sells one SKU to Costco. 

Sounds like your CB just wants some extra money.  Whom your customers sell the product to once they buy it is outside your company's scope.

Sounds like your CB just wants some extra money.  Whom your customers sell the product to once they buy it is outside your company's scope.

Yeah... that was my thought too.  I wonder if there's a way to clarify that officially.

I can help

Let me know how we can get in touch.

Once you've posted enough times, private messaging becomes available on this site

Alternatively--post your questions on this thread

We're going to schedule Bureau Veritas to do the safety audit, however, since this is Fresh and new to us, I imagine theres lots that we need to do to prepare. Example, they want us to have an HACCP in advance, etc.