Is SQF 2000 or BRC/IOP the best choice for a food packaging supplier?

Last week we had an audit from one of our large customers, they are BRC Food Standard qualified and have asked us to look at the BRC Packaging Standard with a view to becoming qualified. The problem is some other of our large customers work with SQF 2000 and I’m thinking they may not be so interested in or recognize BRC and would prefer us to go for SQF 2000. Right now we have AIB Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) Food Safety Audit and are rated Superior the last three years. We are a US flexibles plant.



I’d be interested in getting feedback from anyone who has experienced the same issue, which way did you go?

Hi Sylvester, I don't know anything about SQF 2000 for packaging. To be honest I didn't even know there was one available until I checked on their website just now. I can mention the BRC/IOP standard which has been around for about eight years. It is a HACCP based standard, and provides extremely detailed requirements in relatively plain English. It was written by the BRC, retailers, food producers, packaging producers and industry experts and is a tried and tested standard. Without knowing anything about the SQF 2000 packaging standard there will not be anything in there that isn’t covered by BRC/IOP.

I would be proactive and survey say your ten largest customers asking them about their FSMS (BRC, SQF Other?) and tell them what you plan to do and ask them how they would feel about it. I think this would be a good way of dealing with it.

Good luck and if you need anything else let me know.

By the way if anyone does have experience of SQF 2000 for packaging please let me know as I would be very interested in hearing your experience with it.

Regards,
Simon

Hi there Simon, I like your idea and will survey some customers at least that way I'm not scratching around in the dark. The last thing I want is to be required to hold dual or worse multiple certifications. We need to choose our path and follow it.