5 replies to this topic

[Igor Tuicial]

Good morning, I hope everyone is doing well.

 

Our company manufactures paper and cardboard packaging for direct/indirect food contact, we are certified with grade AA in Packaging Materials.

We currently have two warehouses in our site, the first one where we have the production process and the second where we only store and ship the finished product (1/3 of the warehouse in use). Due to a fatality, a friendly company that redistributes food products (only finished products) lost his warehouse in a fire accident. 

To help them restart we thought about lending half of the warehouse to stock and redistribute their products.

 

The first step will be to notify the certifier, but is there any point in the standard that says I cannot share a warehouse?

 

Has anyone seen something similar and know what problems we could face?

 

Thanks in advance.

Igor.

[G M]

This is most likely going to qualify as a major change in the category of materials handled on site.  It isn't that it can't be done, but your current certification may not cover it without some very explicit segregation that the CB may want to review.

[jfrey123]

I've had similar setups in a SQF facility, so it is permissible at least from a GFSI perspective.  For my facility, we had designated parts of our warehouse suite as other business and outside the scope of our SQF cert.  It was a separate business and ran very not food related items.  We had physical barriers (plastic walls floor to ceiling) that separated the spaces, and made sure our product/people flow maps were good and presented no cross-contamination chances.  Maps clearly denoted those areas as outside of the scope, and while it was unusual, multiple auditors and customers were able to accept it based on our PRPs.

 

Physical barriers will probably be non-negotiable.  Any food material next to your food packaging is now a contamination hazard, especially so where allergens are concerned.  Not to mention that depending on the product, odors may permeate into your packaging and affect your customers.  To represent the product under your BRC cert, you'll need to contact your CB and have them reaudit to establish you as a food storage/distribution center vs only a packaging manufacturer.

[Igor Tuicial]

I've had similar setups in a SQF facility, so it is permissible at least from a GFSI perspective.  For my facility, we had designated parts of our warehouse suite as other business and outside the scope of our SQF cert.  It was a separate business and ran very not food related items.  We had physical barriers (plastic walls floor to ceiling) that separated the spaces, and made sure our product/people flow maps were good and presented no cross-contamination chances.  Maps clearly denoted those areas as outside of the scope, and while it was unusual, multiple auditors and customers were able to accept it based on our PRPs.

 

Physical barriers will probably be non-negotiable.  Any food material next to your food packaging is now a contamination hazard, especially so where allergens are concerned.  Not to mention that depending on the product, odors may permeate into your packaging and affect your customers.  To represent the product under your BRC cert, you'll need to contact your CB and have them reaudit to establish you as a food storage/distribution center vs only a packaging manufacturer.

 

Jfrey at this moment I was thinking about an exclusion from the scope instead of including the operation in our certificate since this help should not occur for a long period. Is it possible or do I need to include it anyway?

 

In any case, I know that I have to notify WQS so as not to run the risk of a breach/violation of contract.

[jfrey123]

@Igor:  I'm not super familiar with BRC so I can't say for certain.  In your shoes, I'd be attempting to modify the scope of your audit plan to reflect that area becomes outside of my GFSI process (showing on the map that storage area is not going to be used for anything under your BRC cert).  You'll need to update your warehousing SOP's to reflect cross contamination concerns, how it affects sanitation, spelling out how you address the issues, etc.  That's what flew for me under my old facility's weird footprint.

[Igor Tuicial]

Guys thanks for the fast reply, i'll be updating process and people flow, HARA plan and other pertinent questions to prepare for a possible audit to change scope.

 

After that i'll notify our certification body of the changes.