Supplier Approval Procedure

We have in place robust systems to ensure that all ingredients, including our food contact packaging are safe, legal and are sourced from reputable suppliers. We understand that a deficiency in due diligence can result in contaminated / unsafe food entering the food chain which can cause illness or injury and there may be legal liability with our Company.

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We only use approved suppliers which are certified or meet the highest UK standards to mitigate safety, quality and legality risks from raw materials and ingredients.

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We visit suppliers, their farms and staff to ensure we have first-hand experience of the businesses we engage with. We follow this up with a supplier approval questionnaire. We ensure we follow the research and literature developments in the field to continually develop professionally to improve the quality and safety of our products.

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Our UK based suppliers are all usually minimum BRC Grade A certified, certificate are kept in our records (attached) and expiries are monitored. We have professional relationships with senior managers to help us with any food safety issues.

Non-UK based suppliers of raw materials which are imported, such as Medjool dates (a major component of our business), are also provided by min BRC Grade A suppliers, however an additional level of extensive scrutiny is applied to ensure the fidelity and safety of the food chain and we ensure we have complete control of all the processes involved from farm to plate.

Our suppliers provide us with BRC Grade A active certificates valid at least 3 months from expiry, need to have and provide us with OSP 22000 2018, Global Gap certification, fill an independent supplier approval questionnaire, have packaging certification to ensure all packaging inContact with food is food grade, perform onsite testing of raw materials including nutritional analysis, MRL testing, biological testing, UKAS accredited lab testing and a direct senior manager to be contactable.

We ensure our non-UK based suppliers, in response to our purchase order, provide us with a proforma invoice, a phytosanitary certificate stamped by the ‘Agricultural Border Centre’, a certificate of origin from the country’s Chamber of Commerce to validate the provenance of products, air waybill, EUR.1 movement certification. We use UK BIFA approved freight handlers to release our shipment from the port and deliver to our unit.

We also conduct internal checks by means of a detailed Supplier Audit Questionnaire which is stored as part of the approval process records.

We maintain an accessible list of approved suppliers which is regularly reviewed; this list facilitates the ingress of raw materials at the Goods In check procedures.

We ensure raw material and packaging specifications are kept onsite including all food contact packaging and processing aids. This information is held within the Approved Supplier Database, to access click here.

In order to ensure full traceability it is mandatory to ensure the Goods In Form is filled in for all raw ingredients and ingress of materials destined for FERA.

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FERA shall carry out checks to ensure raw materials are manufactured to the agreed specifications. This is intended to ensure confirmation that ingredients / materials conform to agreed specifications and parameters. All deliveries for all raw materials including packaging require recording.

It is vital to ensure that materials are accepted only from our ‘Approved Supplier List’. All staff working onsite that will handle deliveries require training in our ‘Goods in Procedure’.

Staff must ensure that delivery drivers do not enter the food production area, there is a designated door and shutter as well as reception area to receive deliveries.

After accepting and recording ‘Goods in’ ensure that goods are put away in the correct storage area. For temperature sensitive goods ensure temperatures are checked. Also ensure there is enough shelf life left on deliveries for use in our products, in particular some clients require a minimum shelf life on receipt of manufactured food product so this is crucial to the success of producing these items.

All raw materials ordered should have a recorded specification and this should be cross checked when receiving goods.

Several aspects of the ingress material require assessment and these can be done systematically by following the ‘Goods in Procedure’ Form.

Note in the event of a product recall or withdrawal, the comprehensiveness of the records will assist in traceability and public safety.

By completing the Goods In Form we ensure we perform due diligence on the receipt of all raw materials. For each delivery follow the procedure below. If you are not sure if the delivery is correct discuss with your Line Manager before deciding whether to accept or reject.

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• Check the vehicle interior is in a good hygienic condition with no sign of odour or taint.

• Check the load contains the correct product(s) ordered.

• Check pallets (if applicable) are intact i.e. no splinters or nails protruding.

• Check bags, boxes, drums, cans etc. are sealed and have no obvious damage/leaks.

• Check no debris such as glass or dirt is on the product or packaging.

• Check all pallets and ingredients for signs of infestation or evidence of pests.

• Check chilled products are below < 5°C (probe between products).#

• Check frozen products below – 18°C (probe between products).

• Check product has sufficient life left: record the BB / UB date per product when received.

• Check certificates of conformity/analysis (where relevant) meet product specification.

• Check batch codes and record.

• Record details on ‘Goods In Form’

• Chilled and frozen deliveries must be put away within 15 mins of delivery.

A detailed Goods In Form is used to recieve all deliveries including raw materials.

The form specifies the member responsible for goods intake, the date and time of delivery. The item name, brand, batch number, best beofre or use by, quantity or weight, supplier name or source of product and whether the item is temperature controlled as mandatory fields.

The form will also record a series of inspections to ensure goods match specifications and the items are safe and secure as well as delivery conditions, shelf life sufficiency, pallets and packaging integrity. Allergens are also recorded as this may affect our existent allergen records and procedures.

Having made thorough inspections, whether the item is accepted or rejected is then recorded with the option to add images, and the item is then signed in.

Water supply, including stored mains water or private water supply, shall be potable and shall not present a contamination risk to products.