Managing Supplier Allergen Risks 

The Supplier Approval Process is the documented procedure that describes how suppliers are assessed, approved, monitored and reviewed from an allergen management perspective. 

The procedure supports confidence in supplier information and helps ensure that approved suppliers maintain appropriate allergen controls.

Why have a supplier approval process?

A supplier approval process helps ensure:

  • Suppliers understand allergen risks
  • Effective allergen controls are established
  • Changes are communicated
  • Information remains current
  • Supplier performance is reviewed

The process should work alongside the raw material approval process to provide confidence in both the supplier and the materials supplied.

What should the procedure define?

Supplier assessment criteria

The procedure should establish how suppliers will be assessed, including:

  • Food safety certification requirements
  • Allergen management expectations
  • Supplier questionnaires
  • Audit requirements

Supplier risk rating

The procedure should define how suppliers are risk rated. Factors may include:

  • Type of ingredient supplied
  • Allergen profile
  • Supplier allergen controls
  • Confidence in information
  • Audit history
  • Certification status

Approval requirements

The procedure should specify:

  • Who can approve suppliers
  • Required evidence
  • Documentation requirements
  • Escalation processes

Monitoring and review

Approved suppliers should be reviewed at frequencies determined by risk. Activities may include:

  • Documentation reviews
  • Supplier questionnaires
  • Audits
  • Performance reviews
  • Testing programs

A risk-based approach:

Supplier risk rating supports a risk-based approach to supplier management. Higher-risk suppliers should generally receive more frequent review and oversight.

Change notification requirements

The procedure should require suppliers to notify the business of changes that may affect allergen status, including:

  • Ingredient changes
  • Site changes
  • Process changes
  • Cleaning changes
  • New allergens introduced to production

Outcome of the procedure

The supplier approval process ensures that approved suppliers:

  • Understand allergen management expectations
  • Maintain appropriate controls
  • Provide reliable allergen information
  • Notify significant changes
  • Support accurate allergen management and labelling

How the processes work together

Together, the supplier approval process and raw material approval process form the foundation of an effective allergen management system. The supplier risk review and raw material risk review provide the information needed to determine where risks exist and what controls are required.

Getting started

If you do not have the processes in place, or your processes are not as comprehensive as those described here, a great place to start is to document what you currently do.

Consider what could be done differently within your business framework to strengthen your process and give you confidence that the label you prepare is accurate and that allergen risk is being managed.

Example:

You could decide to eliminate certain allergens from your facility by only approving materials that do not contain those allergens.