In SQF is external storage considered like a co-manufacturer?

Hi, I just passed an audit but I have a NC about external storage. Seems like from now external storage are considered like a co manufacturer. Have others heard about this thing. Thank for your help. Auguste

Could you please describe/clarify please. Thanks

The SQF auditor considered an external product storage warehouse as a co-manufacturing rather than a service provider and give and non compliance.

What are the activities that are done on your behalf at the external storage facility ?

just frozen storage and nothing else.

Classification is service provider. Auditor miss- called it.

Need to contact CB to challange.

Maybe Glenn, you can contact all the auditors you know and push for an immediate change to the glossary definition........that's where the error lies, they've said  ".....and/or store"  Which of course is nonsense!

Scampi... the Auditors I know have brains, maybe because all of them refused to wear oxygen depleting control masks.

This is an update from SQF

*Any storage or distribution facility that is contracted to handle your product prior to sale  or ingredients for the process is considered part of your process and would be defined as a Contract Manufacturer.  As per the code you will need to assess their risk to the product and then determine how you will monitor their conformance to the SQF code.  I suspect they would not be high risk and as such they can either self assess to the code or you could audit them to the code.  Note they must be in compliance to the entire code since the products they are handling are within the scope of certification.  The audit checklist available from our website are excellent tools for you or the storage facility to use to assess to the code.*

Auguste

you need to read between the lines on this one --- 

--- handle your product prior to sale  or ingredients for the process ---

This is NOT A CONTRACT MANUFACTURER, i STICK WITH MY INITIAL ANSWER.

If all they are doing to storing your product, they are not handling your product nor the ingredients as part of a process.

SQF seems to have a habit of shooting their auditors and setting them up for miss-calls.

But after 13 years of being an SQF Consultant we have learned how to roll with it.

Agree with Scampi and Augusteissa - We may not like it or agree but warehouses not owned by your company are considered co-manufacturers. The SQF Guidance Document for Edition 8.1 states the following for 2.3.4:  "Contract manufacturers are facilities that are contracted by the SQF certified supplier to produce, process, pack, and/or store part of all of one or more products included in the supplier’s product scope." - We used our own company warehouse off-site and even though it was not a co-manufacturer because it was company owned we had to basically provide the same documentation to show they were storing and handling our products properly so as not to put it at risk. - Edition 9 that will be implemented in May spells it out in the code that they fall under the co-manufacturers section.