Co-Manufacturer Qualification Checklist: Templates & Best Practices

Hi everyone,

I am developing a qualification checklist to screen potential contract manufacturers. I would appreciate it if anyone could share a template or example. Any guidance or best practices would also be very helpful.

Cheers!

Are you a GFSI certified facility? You will want your co-man to meet those same standards as a starting point...

Hi Foodie_2110,

The first step is to assess the contract manufacturer to determine if they/the process they will carry out are high or low risk. High risk should be SQF certified (according to the guidance) although a third-party audit may be accepted, for low risk you can decide how to determine compliance with the SQF Food Safety Code. You could carry out this audit yourself if qualified and use the SQF Food Safety Code Checklist Food Manufacturing, Edition 9. Alternatively, for low risk, certification to a relevant GFSI benchmarked standard would also be acceptable. Relevant requirements are quoted below.

SQF Food Safety Code 2.3.3 Contract Manufacturers

'2.3.3.1 The methods and responsibility for ensuring all agreements with contract manufacturers relating to food safety, customer product requirements, their realization, and delivery shall be documented and implemented.

2.3.3.2 The site shall establish a method to determine the food safety risk level of contract manufactured product and shall document the risk. The site shall ensure that:

i. Products and processes of co-manufacturers that are considered high-risk have undergone an audit by the site or third-party agency to confirm compliance with the SQF Food Safety Code: Food Manufacturing and regulatory and customer requirements;

ii. Products and processes of co-manufacturers that are considered low-risk meet the requirements of the SQF Food Safety Code: Food Manufacturing, or other GFSI benchmarked certification programs, and regulatory and customer requirements; and

iii. Changes to contractual agreements are approved by both parties and communicated to relevant personnel.'

From the SQF Contract Manufacturers Edition 9 Guidance Document

'The contract manufacturing must be assessed for risk to determine if their process or part of their process in high or low risk. This will determine how they are managed. High risk sites must achieve SQF certification and low risk sites must show compliance to SQF or another GFSI recognized program particular food sector category.'

SQF Food Safety Code Food Manufacturing, Edition 9 & Checklists in all languages

SQF checklist in English here: Food-Manufacturing-Checklist-Edition-9.xlsx   177.52KB   3 downloads

Kind regards,

Tony