SQF 2.4.4.2 Verifying Supplier compliance with 2.4.4.2 Edition 9.0
Hello Friends!
Do we as a manufacturer need to verify our suppliers are complying with this code? Is it an appropriate supplier approval activity? We currently receive COAs on every lot of raw ingredient and that has been no trouble. I am wondering if we should be verifying our suppliers conformance to the code below. I would rather use the 3rd party audit (99% of which are GFSI scheme) certificates and audit reports to demonstrate their compliance as we already receive these. Any dialogue would be appreciated!
2.4.4.2
Product analyses shall be conducted to nationally recognized methods or company requirements, or alternative methods that are validated as equivalent to the nationally recognized methods.
Where internal laboratories are used to conduct input, environmental, or product analyses, sampling and testing methods shall be in accordance with the applicable requirements of ISO/IEC 17025, including annual proficiency testing for staff conducting analyses.
External laboratories shall be accredited to ISO/IEC 17025, or an equivalent international standard, and included on the site’s contract service specifications list (refer to 2.3.2.11).
The following section is copied from SQFI's guidance on the topic.
If external laboratory analysis is used, the supplier must demonstrate that such analysis is completed by a recognized laboratory that is accredited to ISO 17025 or an equivalent national standard, and one that uses recognized industry standard methods. When checking the accreditation status of the laboratory, be sure to check that the testing method is under the laboratory’s scope of accreditation. These methods may be described in the specifications. If in-house sampling and testing is conducted for raw materials, finished product and work in progress of critical food safety tests, then the interpretation of the following code requirements would be identified as meeting the applicable requirements to ISO 17025.
We don't verify that specifically for suppliers. As far as I know you only do if they are a contract manufacturer, in which case you would need to verify the contract manufacturer's compliance with the entire SQF Code as long as the products manufactured by the contract manufacturer are within your scope of certification.
imo No. You do not have to verify that your suppliers meet that requirement according to SQF.
most standards (maybe all) require outside labs to be 17025 certified. I don't believe any of them require 17025 "compliance" for internal labs. I don't it has been stated what "compliance" means in regards to this section.
depending on your operation and what you are purchasing, you may want to gather more information regarding laboratories and testing. Are there specific test/data you are concerned with? or is your question just a "in general" one?
Hi Kingstudruler1,
No this is just a general question. We are currently applying this to all ingredients/suppliers except those that do not test for micros (salt, alcohol based flavors, oils...) We are struggling to obtain in some cases.