3 replies to this topic

[NorCalNate]

I was hired about a month ago at a coffee company with an interesting business model. They manufacture their own coffee and also supply coffee shops with products manufactured from other companys such as flavorings, cups, lids, etc. This all happens in the same production facility. 

 

I'm reviewing their approved supplier list, and it looks like the last SQF Practitioner only listed the suppliers associated with the coffee that they produce. She left off the companys whom they purchase and resell to retail stores though she did get food safety information from most of those companies. 

 

Do I treat these companys any differently than the suppliers associated with the coffee they produce? Also, would this business be considered a vendor or distributor?

 

Help appreciated!

[SQFconsultant]

Whats in the scope of their certification as far as product is concerned and are their any known exemptions noted?

 

I had a coffee company with locations in the US and Canada that run a coffee service for retail businesses and local and they wanted to go SQF   -  we included ALL suppliers and put them all thru the approved supplier procedures  - things like cups, stir sticks, etc were still listed but were not included on scope -stored in a separate area with the area exempted - but open to SQF Auditor inspection of course.

 

The company would still be treated as a food manufacturer.

[jfrey123]

If I'm reading it correctly, the company produces its own coffee but also purchases coffee to resell to your customers?  I would venture to say that makes you a distributor of those resold products, and the suppliers of it should be on your approved register along with the documentation required in your approval program.

[GMO]

Is there no "traded goods" provision in SQF?  There is in BRCGS.  That's where I'd fit this in if you were working to that but I suspect then it's simply out of scope.  For info, the BRCGS requirements aren't onerous but things you'll probably have anyway, i.e. it's in your HACCP / Food safety plan, you have trace, supplier approval, specifications, and you do something to check compliance with specs and legality, trace.  That kind of stuff.  I still think all of that is part of being a compliant business from a food safety perspective irrespective of whether your 3rd party audit scheme asks for it.  Of course you can put in separate documents that you don't show to the SQF auditor if it's out of scope. 

 

Of course your customer should also be aware that not all of the goods you supply them are covered by the scheme.

 

Stumbled across this thread, not sure if it's helpful. How do traded goods get covered by SQF? - IFSQN