3 replies to this topic

[TeresaE]

Greetings

 

Kindly assist as I have been checking and do not find a conclusive answer.

We are currently in the process of implementing FSSC 22000 v6 and have recently completed Stage 1

The auditor did not specifically mention it, but from previous audits at different companies it noted that once you are certified you should only purchase raw materials from FSSC approved suppliers.

 

Our company is a fruit and veg company and our main activity is cut fruit and veg and RTE salads

90% of our raw materials come from the Fresh Product market - and needless to say farmers are not going to be FSSC approved.

 

Can anyone confirm whether this is a requirement that is cast in stone?

 

The FSSC requirement is from a customer and we are based in South Africa

 

Any feedback will be greatly appreciated.

Teresa

[SQFconsultant]

FSSC does not approve suppliers nor dictate what suppliers you must purchase from.

 

Your own internal Supplier Approval program is what you must go by.

 

What is cast in stone is that you must have a supplier approval program and your suppliers must conform to the requirements that you set in place.

[GMO]

I'm not super up to speed on FSSC but I know other GFSI standards are keen that you buy from GFSI certified suppliers but have other ways of approving them (for example, on site audit) if they're not GFSI.  FSSC tends, as I understand it, to be less prescriptive not more so I'd imagine they'd be at home with risk based as long as that risk and the basis for it is recorded.

[Tony-C]

Hi Teresa,

 

The FSSC 22000 Certification Scheme for food manufacturing is based on the requirements of:

International ISO Standard 22000:2018 Food safety management systems — Requirements for any organization in the food chain

FSSC 22000 SCHEME VERSION 6.0 Part 2 Requirements for Organization to be Audited -2.5 FSSC 22000 Additional Requirements

ISO 22002-1 2009 * Part 1: Prerequisite programmes on food safety - Food manufacturing

 

Your supplier approval process does not require all your suppliers to be certified by FSSC, the requirements for supplier approval are an assessment of the supplier’s ability to meet quality and food safety expectations, requirements and specifications.

 

Examples of supplier approval include by supplier audit or appropriate third party certification. I have posted the relevant requirements below.

 

International ISO Standard 22000:2018 Food safety management systems — Requirements for any organization in the food chain

8.2 Prerequisite programmes (PRPs)

8.2.1 The organization shall establish, implement, maintain and update PRP(s) to facilitate the prevention and/or reduction of contaminants (including food safety hazards) in the products, product processing and work environment.

8.2.3 When selecting and/or establishing PRP(s), the organization shall ensure that applicable statutory, regulatory and mutually agreed customer requirements are identified. The organization should consider:

a) the applicable part of the ISO/TS 22002 series;

b) applicable standards, codes of practice and guidelines.

 

8.2.4 When establishing PRP(s) the organization shall consider:

a) construction, lay-out of buildings and associated utilities;

b) lay-out of premises, including zoning, workspace and employee facilities;

c) supplies of air, water, energy and other utilities;

d) pest control, waste and sewage disposal and supporting services;

e) the suitability of equipment and its accessibility for cleaning and maintenance;

f) supplier approval and assurance processes (e.g. raw materials, ingredients, chemicals and packaging);

g) reception of incoming materials, storage, dispatch, transportation and handling of products; h) measures for the prevention of cross contamination;

i) cleaning and disinfecting;

j) personal hygiene;

k) product information/consumer awareness; l) others, as appropriate.

Documented information shall specify the selection, establishment, applicable monitoring and verification of the PRP(s).

 

 

ISO 22002-1 2009 * Part 1: Prerequisite programmes on food safety - Food manufacturing

9 Management of purchased materials

9.2 Selection and management of suppliers

There shall be a defined process for the selection, approval and monitoring of suppliers. The process used shall be justified by hazard assessment, including the potential risk to the final product, and shall include:

a) assessment of the supplier’s ability to meet quality and food safety expectations, requirements and specifications;

b) description of how suppliers are assessed;

NOTE Examples of a description of how suppliers are assessed include:

1) audit of the supplying site prior to accepting materials for production;

2) appropriate third party certification.

c) monitoring the performance of the supplier to assure continued approval status.

 

* ISO 22002-1 2009 will be replaced in the FSSC Scheme by newly published ISO 22002-1:2025 & ISO 22002-100 Part 100: Requirements for the food, feed and packaging supply chain but the requirements for supplier approval are the same/similar.

 

Also note 2.5 FSSC 22000 ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

2.5.1 Management of Services and Purchased Materials (All Food Chain Categories)

 

Kind regards,

 

Tony