SQFI Recall Reporting Obligations for 3PL Warehouses

Hello, 

We have had multiple different auditors tell us different things on when a recall needs to be reported to SQFI.  We are a 3pl that stores hundreds of different companies product.  If one of the companies has a recall, would we be responsible to report that to SQFI and FDA?  The confusion is always because we are a 3pl not the initiator of the recall. Thanks in advance!  

If your audited under the code for storage and distribution, the language is really clear

15.6 Notification of Recalls and Regulatory Infringements If your site initiates a food safety event that requires public notification, such as a Class l or Class ll recall or receives a regulatory warning letter, you must notify your certification body and SQFI in writing at foodsafetycrisis@sqfi.com within twenty-four (24) hours of the event. Your certification body and SQFI are required to be listed in your essential contacts lists as defined in system element 2.6.3 of the SQF Food Safety Code: Storage and Distribution. Your certification body is required to notify SQFI within a further forty-eight (48) hours of any action it intends to take to ensure the integrity of the certification.

So if your site DID NOT initiate the recall, it's not on you to perform the notifications

FYI you should have the code open during audits as a referance to save you all kinds of confusion and allow you to question them at the time quoting chapter and verse

I'm with Scampi:  If you're a 3PL and not taking ownership of the product (not buying it, only charging storage fees and shipping/receiving at your clients' discretion), then you are not responsible for initiating a recall.  If your clients initiate a recall, your role is to hold, isolate, and await instructions.  You lack the authority to recall a product you do not own.