New feed supplier audit service in China

FACS Ltd is responsible for the animal feed supply chain audits for the UKs
largest supermarket and therefore has considerable experience of supplier
approval auditing.

Managing Director Jon Ratcliff explains “Supplier
approval and traceability are the biggest challenge facing the feed
industry.

“The global food and feed industry is searching for cost
effective sources of ingredients and additives and many of these are sourced
from China.

“Unfortunately, whilst there are many very respectable
companies supplying from that country, the recent experience with melamine and
dioxin has raised great concern, even with companies that possess some form of
recognised certification.

“Supplier approval is an increasingly important
and essential part of the due diligence process, however, reliance on
certificates of analysis and quality system certificates is not sufficient in
terms of risk assessment.

“Sending your own company employees to audit is
expensive and limited in effect due to language differences.

“We are able
to provide highly qualified and specialised local auditors that will carry out a
full audit inspection and process risk assessment tailored to the clients’
needs.

“The service will be aimed not just at external companies looking
for supplier approval but also companies within China that are looking to
demonstrate to their customers the highest levels of food
safety”.

Second party audit
“We are intentionally moving away
from an assurance type scheme, to a bespoke second party audit which is
comprehensive and reliable. In my view, although assurance schemes have proven
very successful in Europe, the export of these schemes to third countries is
having limited success for various reasons.”

We will be able to provide a
very cost effective solution for companies that are concerned about effective
supplier approval in China”.

For more information contact: +44 1789
751812 (UK office),

+86 10 65919042
(China office) or email jon@facs.uk.com