550 Chapter 31
Table 31.1. Requirements of the International Food Standard (version 5, 2007 ) for the approval of
suppliers and checking of incoming raw materials
Number Requirement
4.2.2 ( “ knock - out
criterion ” )Specifi cations shall be available and in place for all raw materials ( ... ). The
specifi cations shall be up to date, unambiguous, available and always in conformance
with legal requirements
4.4.1 Purchased products and services shall conform to current specifi cations and contractual
agreements
4.4.2 There shall be records to identify which product is sourced from which supplier
4.4.3 There shall be a procedure for approval and monitoring of suppliers (internal and
external), outsourced production or part of it
4.4.4 The approval and monitoring procedure shall contain clear assessment criteria such as:
audits, certifi cates of analysis, supplier reliability and complaints, as well as required
performance standards based on a hazard analysis
4.4.5 The results of suppliers ’ assessment shall be reviewed regularly. There shall be records
of the reviews and of the actions taken as a consequence of assessment
4.4.6 Risk - based check of purchased products and services on the base of the existing
specifi cations. The schedule of these checks shall take into account the product
requirements, supplier status and the impact of raw materials on the fi nished product
4.11.1 Raw materials, semi - processed and fi nished products, as well as packaging, shall be
checked against the specifi cations on receipt and in accordance with determined
inspection plan. All results shall be documentedtrolled at the level of primary production or
slaughter and cannot be eliminated by the
processing plant upon receipt or later. Hence,
in the aftermath of the BSE crisis and
other meat - related scandals, regulations
were issued to ensure traceability. Moreover,
material fl ow must be carefully controlled to
preserve the identity of the meat if its origin
or statements like “ organic, ” “ kosher, ” “ no
GMO in feed ” are put on the label or into the
specifi cations.
Table 31.2 gives a list of possible specifi -
cations for meat and fat.
Specifi cations should also be in place for
nonmeat ingredients and additives. In addi-
tion to suitable chemical and microbiological
parameters, these should also address com-
ponents that have to be labeled on the fi nal
product. Such components may include aller-
gens (such as celery or mustard seeds), glu-
tamate, or constituents isolated from
genetically modifi ed organisms (e.g., from
soybeans). Specifi cations for casings and
packaging material should include data on
permeability to gases and moisture, techno-
logical properties (e.g., stability against
mechanical impacts), and (in the case of
foils) migration of monomers into the
product.
Specifi cations (e.g., of microbiological
and chemical parameters) should always be
based on scientifi c evidence and current leg-
islation and standards, and should always
contain a reference to the analytical method
to be applied. All this is essential for a fair
cooperation between all partners within the
meat supply chain.
Norms like ISO 9001:2008 and the IFS
require a careful selection of suppliers on the
basis of clearly documented assessment cri-
teria “ such as: audits, certifi cates of analysis,
supplier reliability and complaints, as well as
required performance standards based on a
hazard analysis ” (IFS 2007 ). Purchasing raw
materials from reliable suppliers with a func-
tional quality - management system (verifi ed
by customer or third - party audits) reduces the
costs of testing and dealing with complaints,
and is, therefore, usually more economical
than accepting the cheapest offers.
At receipt of raw materials, standards
require that checks are carried out to reduce
the risk that goods not complying with the
specifi cations (and/or legal standards) enter