Ordering from Suppliers
Food businesses should establish an appropriate and proportionate policy for assessing the allergen status of ingredients that they use in their own manufacturing processes and premises, and for assessing ingredients used by their suppliers or co-packers, if appropriate.
Manufacturers should ensure that materials are ordered against a clear specification and that they ask appropriate questions of their suppliers.
Keeping track of the allergenic ingredients used in any workplace is an important part of HACCP as it ensures you have accurate records of the products you make, sell and serve. The information you record must be accurate kept up to date and include:
- Product specification sheets for each food product. These contain a list of all the ingredients present in the final product, both allergenic and non-allergenic, as well as information on the products nutrition, weight, storage requirements and shelf-life etc.
- Ingredients labels for all pre-packed foods. These should be retained for every prepacked ingredient or food product your business uses. If ingredients are decanted into storage containers, then these must be labelled with the same ingredient's listings.
- Recipe information cards for each food product made on site. Each food product you prepare should have accompanying information about the ingredients it contains. These cards need to be up-to-date, especially if a recipe ingredient changes.
