USDA or is FDA + SQF sufficient?
Hi everyone, we have a bit of a quandary and hoping for some feedback.
Our company manufactures packaging (boxes, displays etc) and also provides fulfillment services. As part of the fulfillment services we are registered with the FDA for secondary food packaging and are SQF certified.
We have some food manufacturing accounts we sell displays to that we are actively offering fulfillment services to, but one manufactures meat sticks (beef jerky). They have mentioned that we should also be USDA registered as an ID Warehouse to pack their meat sticks (fully sealed) into the displays. This is all a secondary packaging process, so no open seals or direct food contact is involved.
We have done much research that seems to indicate that the USDA ID Warehouse is intended for raw agricultural commodities under the US Warehouse Act and may not be best suited for the function we are doing.
Is FDA food registration enough or do we need to also go down the route of USDA? The line is very confusing.
Thank you for any feedback!
Even though fully sealed you will need a USDA registration.
I think you will find that you also need to have an SQF Storage and Distribution certification as well since you are now handling (even though fully sealed) food.
You are entering a separate relm when you go down the path of handling DF.
Even though fully sealed you will need a USDA registration.
I think you will find that you also need to have an SQF Storage and Distribution certification as well since you are now handling (even though fully sealed) food.
You are entering a separate relm when you go down the path of handling DF.
Hello, thank you so much for the reply! We are indeed SQF certified for Storage and Distribution.
May I ask if you know whether the operations I describe above would fall under "USDA ID Warehouse"?
The USDA is honestly the hardest regulatory body to get information from.
I appreciate your reply, thank you!