Hello all, I've been having recurring issues with sourcing documentation from suppliers and also interpreting the BRCGS for Food Safety in this regard. I handle food safety for a small sauce company. We source some raw ingredients and packaging materials directly from manufacturers, but also source many of our raw materials (i.e. ingredients) and packaging materials from distributors, foodservice companies, packaging supply companies, etc.
What documentation do I actually need to be gathering. My understanding is that I need the material manufacturer's GFSI certification, and if they don't have one, then the questionnaires and other areas of food safety verification come into play. Then if I'm dealing with a supplier like US Foods or Sysco, do I only need documentation from them? However, the way the food safety system has been set up prior to me coming on board is such that we are requiring completion of a Food Safety Questionnaire, Letter of Guarantee, Allergen Declaration/Information, Emergency Contacts, GFSI Certification.
If we're dealing with a food service company supplying multiple ingredients, is there a specific BRC Standard that eliminates the need for us to source GFSI certificates from every manufacturer whose products they are selling us. I'm having numerous suppliers saying they don't usually get asked for documentation to the extent that I'm asking for it, and based on the difficulty I'm running into, I'm wondering if we're going too far with what we're asking for compared to what the standard actually requires.
Differentiating between brokers, wholesalers, distributors, manufacturers, etc as it relates to the code and from who I should require what has me quite confused. I feel like I'm going overboard currently and would like to understand why I'm requesting the documentation I'm requesting per the situation, rather than expecting everyone to provide every possible type of document. If anyone has some good insight on this, I would greatly appreciate it.
Thank You
