Passing through Food Safety Documents from our supplier to our customer

Hi, All!

We are a distributor that receives, stores and ships fully-packaged RTE goods. We do not manufacture or produce and items on-site. As is the standard, our customers are requesting information regarding the products that we are supplying to them but the information that they are requesting fall under NDAs that we hold with our suppliers. Based on the agreements we hold with our suppliers, we are not permitted to share their audit certificates, audit reports, spec sheets, etc. We provide our Food safety documentation to customers (audit, HACCP, PRPs, SSOPs, etc) with our customers but they require further documentation due to the fact that the items are not produced on site.

Has anyone ran into this situation? How did you manage this? 

It's good that you have that and provide it, unfortunately your customers need specific documentation from the actual supplier.  I would work with your suppliers to have them provide you documents that you would need to share with customers, such as LOG, 3rd party audit certificates, etc.  The way things are, no auditor is going to only accept your information from your customers, they will want actual guarantees and such from your suppliers especially as you are a RTE distributor.  You are just the pass through point, which is still important, but they need the actual information from where the RTE products are being manufactured as their is more risk on that end.

Hi, All!

 

We are a distributor that receives, stores and ships fully-packaged RTE goods. We do not manufacture or produce and items on-site. As is the standard, our customers are requesting information regarding the products that we are supplying to them but the information that they are requesting fall under NDAs that we hold with our suppliers. Based on the agreements we hold with our suppliers, we are not permitted to share their audit certificates, audit reports, spec sheets, etc. We provide our Food safety documentation to customers (audit, HACCP, PRPs, SSOPs, etc) with our customers but they require further documentation due to the fact that the items are not produced on site.

 

Has anyone ran into this situation? How did you manage this? 

Having been on your customer's end of things recently, I can say that there can be requirements for certifications etc. that necessitate certain information from the producer.

In some cases we got the information needed and carried on as normal.  In a few cases the documentation was not made available, and we found a different source to purchase from that could provide all the required documentation.

The brokers/distributors we buy from are typically the ones we run through the full gambit of our approval process (forms, audits, the whole shebang), but we absolutely do require spec sheets and GFSI certs (and audits when we can get them).  Seems like SQF auditors jump straight to it once they see you're buying from a distributor, hoping that they'll have you in a 'gotcha' moment.

You would think being able to show them that my broker only sources from GFSI as part of their program could be sufficient.  Then again, you would think that if I'm buying from a GFSI certified manufacturer, I shouldn't have to ask about their allergen management or sanitation programs, or whether their facility has a GMP program.  I'll shut up now before I rant about the circular counter-logic in GFSI supplier approval...

It's good that you have that and provide it, unfortunately your customers need specific documentation from the actual supplier.  I would work with your suppliers to have them provide you documents that you would need to share with customers, such as LOG, 3rd party audit certificates, etc.  The way things are, no auditor is going to only accept your information from your customers, they will want actual guarantees and such from your suppliers especially as you are a RTE distributor.  You are just the pass through point, which is still important, but they need the actual information from where the RTE products are being manufactured as their is more risk on that end.

This I understand but I am trying to manage fulfilling these request while still being compliant with my Supplier's NDA. I need to pass through this information to my customer without violating their requirements not to share their company information with third-parties.

I would ask your supplier to assemble a packet of information for each product that can be shared with the customer. This puts the supplier in charge of what is and is not shared with the end customer, protects your NDA, and allows the end customer to have the supplier documentation they need. If the suppliers are not willing to share this information with the end customer, they may start loosing business, especially if the items are part of Traceability Part 204.