Hello,
I was wondering if there is anything wrong with working with a company that is not SQF certified? The company I work for is SQF certified but we have an opportunity for business with a company who is not currently SQF or BRC certified. The company is working towards becoming certified but they are very far away from it happening. It's a very new business and they are trying to get started, I have visited the facility which is very clean, they follow GMP guidelines but they just don't have any policies written out. Thoughts please?
I believe it is okay to work with suppliers that are not certified, as long as you are aware of the risks, have documented them and have a plan in place to address these issues as soon as possible.
You can't follow GMP without having the procedures and policies written out, so that is something that the supplier should address first.
Secondly, they should have a solid procedure in place as their improvement plan to keep mistakes and problems to a minimum.
Unless they keep you informed with documentation that shows continuous improvement, I would plan more visits to make sure their cleanliness remains on point and implementation of other policies and procedures are actively being addressed.