1 reply to this topic

[nickrhoward]

Hello All,

 

I'm curious as to how people are complying with the supplier approval requirements as it relates to BRC Section 3.5.  I've been with this company a few months now, and they were previously only sourcing approval related documents annually, but procurement would source additional items from existing suppliers or even new ones without any communication taking place between them and Food Safety.  Anyways, we're a sauce company and have a decent amount of ingredients.  We source from suppliers who supply ingredients from numerous manufacturers, but also source directly from some manufacturers.  I've literally went through over 950 randomly named documents including GFSI certs, LOGs, Allergen Statements, Emergency Contacts, Kosher certificates, and individual product specifications; and have labeled them in a standardized fashion and organized them extensively by manufacturer and document types.  We also have our own questionnaire we send suppliers, but I've noticed the majority of questionnaires saved on our drive are through the Trace Gains template and don't answer some of the specific information that ours asks for like emergency contacts.  

 

What do I really need to do to comply, because some suppliers have been great and sourced all sorts of documents from the individual manufacturers they deal with, while others seem to provide an ingredient specification and it was like I was like some sort of ordeal to get just that.  

 

If the distributor themselves is GFSI certified in storage and distribution, can I forego acquiring individual GFSI certificates for the 20+ manufacturers they source from, as I'm interpreting 3.5.1.5 to be explaining.  It mentions an agents and brokers standard or standard benchmarked by GFSI.  Does storage and distribution meet this description because a few of our suppliers do have such certifications.

 

I'm just pulling my hair out here because I'm not trying to go overboard, but it also seems like I'm asking for a lot from some of these suppliers, and we're not some big company where they're going to go out of their way so to speak, and I don't have the most management support.  I also don't want management to back me up on some of the requests and have it turn out I'm asking for unnecessary documentation.  

 

2 examples:  We source from Skidmore, and they supply from various manufacturers.  In the instance that they are GFSI certified in storage and distribution, what should I be requesting.  In the instance that they aren't, they're just sourcing from multiple manufacturers, what should I be requesting.  

 

As it stands, I try to acquire a questionnaire for each manufacturer, an LOG, allergen statement, emergency contacts, audit certs, audit reports, and lot code explanations.  It almost sounds like all I really need from a GFSI standard certified supplier is the certifcate itself (do I even need the report).  

 

I then have a few suppliers who only have an AIB cert or even something less.  I'm assuming this is where the last option of 3.5.1.2 comes into play.  We've also been sourcing from a local restaurant supply store, but they're not certified in a standard, and when I call the manufacturers of the items we buy, they'll tell me to call the supplier.  The store's corporate food safety is not being of much help.

 

I apologize for the lengthiness of this.  Like I said I think I might be going overboard in what is being requested, but I don't want to come up short anywhere.  I'm trying to finally get it all squared away and then keep it that way!  Thank you to anyone who can help.

Edited by nickrhoward, Yesterday, 04:29 PM.

[Tony-C]

Hi nickrhoward,

 

You need to assess which category your suppliers fall into:

Agent: A company that facilitates trade between a site or company and their raw material or packaging suppliers or their customers through the provision of services, but does not at any point own or take title to the goods.

Broker: A company which purchases or ‘takes title to’ products for resale to businesses (e.g. manufacturers, retailers or food service companies) but not to the ultimate consumer.

Wholesaler: A distributor or middleman who purchases products to sell mainly to retailers, institutions or other companies rather than to consumers.

 

I suspect that we are talking about wholesale here and that certification to BRCGS Global Standard for Storage and Distribution Issue 4 including the Wholesale additional voluntary module is acceptable. See explanation/requirements below.

 

BRCGS Global Standard Food Safety Clause 3.5.1.5:

Where raw materials (including primary packaging) are purchased from companies that are not the manufacturer, packer or consolidator (e.g. purchased from an agent, broker or wholesaler), the site shall know the identity of the last manufacturer or packer, or for bulk commodity products the consolidation place of the raw material.

Information to enable the approval of the manufacturer, packer or consolidator, as in clauses 3.5.1.1 and 3.5.1.2, shall be obtained from the agent/broker or directly from the supplier, unless the agent/broker is themselves certificated to a BRCGS Standard (e.g. Global Standard Agents and Brokers) or a standard benchmarked by GFSI.

 

According to your description most of your suppliers need to be certified to the BRCGS Global Standard for Storage and Distribution Issue 4 including Additional voluntary module 10 Wholesale requirements:

For the purpose of the Standard, wholesalers are defined as companies that purchase (take legal title to) product for resale to other businesses (i.e. not to the final consumer). The Standard can only be applied to wholesalers that have storage facilities under their direct control, where purchased product is received, and they either deliver this product to customer businesses or allow customer businesses to collect.

 

Kind regards,

 

Tony