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Questionnaire
Date Author:
26.02.2018 Šuško

1. CONTENT
2. Our Company
3. Certification
4. General Information
5. Purchase, Laboratory and Goods Receiving
6. Crisis Management
7. Foreign Object Management
8. Cleaning Agents and other Materials
9. Food Fraud/ Product Adulteration
10. HACCP
11. Dealing with GMO/ Irradiation and Allergen, Product Information
12. Hygiene/ Housekeeping
13. Ethics and Social Responsibility
14. Environment
15. Premises/ Other
16. Logistic and Shipment
17. Site Security
18. Verification and Validation of the System
Appendix 1. Abbreviations
Appendix 2. Flow Chart Re-cleaning
Appendix 3. Grinding
Appendix 4. Blending
Appendix 5. HACCP Plan Monitoring Plan
2. OUR COMPANY
N° Questions: Comment:
2.1 Company established date: 1991
2.2 Name: AKO GmbH
Address: Chemnitzer Straße 14-16, 30952 Ronnenberg, Germany
2.3 Phone number/Fax: +49 (0) 511 94685-0 / +49 (0) 511 94685-55
Email: info@ako-gewuerze.de
2.4 Website address: http://www.ako-spice.com
2.5 Number of people employed: Approx. 30
Import, trading and processing of raw spices and herbs,
2.6 Nature of business:
production of special-blends
2.7 Belonging to group: Salz Richter Verwaltung Olaf Richter e.K.
Is there product liability
2.8 Yes, Allianz Insurance
insurance in place?
Is there product recall
2.9 Yes, Allianz Insurance
insurance?
2.10 Describe your sourcing Exporters of raw spices and herbs worldwide
2.11 Assortment:

X Dried raw spices and raw herbs

X Dried raw spices and herbs processed (re-cleaned and/or milled)

X Spice blends & spice seasonings

X Special salt blend

X Tropic Organic Spices

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Questionnaire
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3. MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR FOOD SAFETY

N° Questions: Yes No Comment:
Does your company have a
certified quality and/or
3.1 X DIN EN ISO 22000:2005; FSSC 22000
Food Safety Management
system?

FSSC 22000 is an internationally recognized Management system for Food Safety, for all chains of food
production. It is not a private standard, but based on international standards and is GFSI recognized.

3.2 Certification Level Yes No

ISO 22000 X
FSSC 22000 E X
BIO X
Kosher
HALAL
Other:
4. GENERAL INFORMATION
N° Questions: Yes No Comment:
Do you have a company policy on food
4.1 X
safety?
Do you have a person designated as
4.2 X Mrs Šuško
responsible for food safety?
4.3 Have you a Quality Management manual? X
4.4 Do you have a HACCP? X
4.5 Do you have a Food-Defense Group? X
Are sour employees regularly trained in food
4.6 safety at work recording, as well as in the X
current year?
Hygiene- and Infection protection
If yes, what kind of training take and how act, Workplace- and FSSC
4.7
often? training (HACCP), Organic
training each once a year
5. PURCHASE, LABORATORY AND GOODS RECEIVING
N° Questions: Yes No Comment:
Are specifications for raw materials
5.1 X
available?
5.2 Is there a supplier selection process? X
5.3 Are suppliers audited by you? X
Do you carry out about supplier
5.4 X
evaluation?
Is the delivery of raw materials protected
5.5 X
under one roof?
Are the goods delivered in containers
5.6 sealed and do you check the seal- X
number?
Are all goods and raw materials on
5.7 X
delivery tested?
Integrity, completeness,
5.8 If yes, what tests are made?
laboratory analysis
Are raw materials (herbs and spices) at
5.9 delivery compared with the corresponding X See Analyses cluster
specifications/ testes?
N° Questions: Yes No Comment:
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Do you have your own laboratory?

5.10 X 2 Full-time employees
If yes how many employees work there?
5.11 Is the test equipment calibrated? X
Are the investigations carried out in the
5.12 X At least 1x per year
laboratory validated? If yes, how often?
Sensorial, optical, micro-
Which tests for herbs & spices are biological and chemical,
5.13
performed? physical analysis depending
on product
Do you make regulatory a pesticide
5.14 X See Analyses cluster
analysis for organic products?
Is a measure implemented, when delivered
5.15 products do not correspond to the X
specifications?
5.16 Are packaging materials tested? X Optical tests are conducted
Do you have declarations of packaging/
5.17 X Available on website
conformity for products you process?
How is the status of raw material lots HS-Order-Processing System
5.18
identified? and Marks on Packagings
Do you have a quarantine station
5.19 X
for problematic goods?
Is the quarantine container located
5.20 X
outside the warehouse?
Do you have separate storage areas for Different storage zones for
5.21 X
different product groups? different product groups
Packaging material, Allergenic
5.22 lf yes, which kind of storage areas? P., Organic P. Raw-Material,
Processed Goods
5.23 Do you use FIFO? X
ls cross contamination (raw materials and
5.24 X Separate storage areas
finished products) prevented?
ls aquality control during processing
5.25 X Monitoring
implemented?
Are finished product tested against
5.26 X Monitoring
specification?
Which finished product tests are performed
5.27 See Analyses cluster (Website)
and how often?
ls the equipment used for weight or
5.28 X
volume checks calibrated?
Each employee can block the
5.29 Can laboratory block the good? X
goods
Describe how out of specification materials Blocked, reworked, controlled,
5.30
are handled. released or destroyed
Are retained samples of finished products
stored?
5.31 X Expiry date
If yes how much, for which period and under
what conditions?
Are the retained samples controlled after
5.32 x
expiry date?
ls upstream and downstream traceability
5.33 X
possible?
ls the traceability system tested?
5.34 X At least 2 times a year
lf yes, what is the frequency of testing?
5.35 Are employees trained on traceability? X Via regular training
6. CRISIS MANAGEMENT
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N° Questions: Yes No Comment:

6.1 Do you test a crisis management? X
Do you edit a 24h crisis telephone
6.2 X Available on website
number?
7. FOREIGN OBJECT MANGEMENT
N° Questions: Yes No Comment:
Do you have a glass and hard plastic
7.1 X
cadastre?
ls there open or un-protected glass or hard
7.2 X
plastic nearby of open product?
Do you regularly check the intactness
of glass hard plastic parts?
7.3 X At least 2 times a year
lf yes, what is the frequency of
testing?
Do you have special instruction to handle
7.4 X
wood in production?
Do you control foreign body hazards
7.5 X Optical control
during production?
Magnets,
7.6 lf yes, how do you do it? X Wind-Blowers, Sieves,
Metal-Detector (on demand)
7.7 Indicate the power of the magnets. 9.000 Gauss
Do you check the performance of the
7.8 X One a year
magnets and if yes, how many times?
Ground goods: 0,8-1,2 (4,0) mm
7.9 Please indicate the sieve sizes. Re-cleaned goods: 2,0-10,0 mm
depending on product
Fe (Ferrum) 2,5 mm, NFe
Indicate the performance of your metal- (NonFerrous) 3,0 mm
7.10
detector. Such as StSt (Stainless Steel)
3,0 mm
Before each use and yearly on
Do you verify the performance of the metal-
7.11 X maintenance by manufacturer of
detector?
metal-detector
Describe the actions taken if foreign bodies Product is blocked, reworked,
7.12
are found. control, release or destroyed
8. CLEANING AGENTS AND OTHER MATERIAL
N° Questions: Yes No Comment:
Do you use food-grade cleaning-agents
8.1 and do you have instructions how to use X
them?
Are instructions for cleaning-agents
8.2 X
available?
Is the access to chemicals in laboratory
8.3 X Chemicals are under lock
limited?
Are cleaning-agents and other chemicals
8.4 X
stored separately?
Do you use food safe lubricants if product is
8.5 X
involved?
Are data sheets available for chemicals that
8.6 X
are used?
8.7 Do you use water during production? X
8.8 Are other processing aids used? X CO2
Are cleaning procedures for facilities and
8.9 X
premises documented and controlled?
9. FOOD FRAUD/ PRODUCT ADULETARION
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N° Questions: Yes No Comment:

Is a hazard analysis and risk
9.1 assessment created with regard to food X
fraud?
N° Questions: Yes No Comment:
Do you perform an authentic check for
9.2 X
incoming raw materials?
Incoming goods control, 4-eyes
How do you ensure the authenticity of principle in the process and
9.3
the finished products? inspection of the finished
products (monitoring).
10. PROCESS CONTROL & HACCP
N° Questions: Yes No Comment:
10.1 Do you have a HACCP program? X
Are CCP's identified, evaluated and
10.2 X
assured?
10.3 Do you have Flow-Charts for that? X See Appendix
10.4 Do you have a HACCP Plan? X See Appendix
Preventive programs, controls
before and during production,
10.5 How do you manage CCP'S and CP'S?
analysis after production,
verification and validation.
11. DEALING WITH GMO/ IRRADIATION AND ALLERGEN, PRODUCT INFORMATION
N° Questions: Yes No Comment:
Do you have a philosophy on
11.1 X See Analysis and Specifications
genetically modified organisms?
11.2 Do you irradiate your products? X
11.3 Do you have an allergen policy? X Available on website
Do you have special instructions to avoid Method- and working instructions
11.4 an allergenic cross contamination? X for warehousing, cleaning,
If yes, which ones? production, waste, laboratory
How do you deal with native cross See Risk assessment allergens
11.5
contamination?
Does your product information comply with
11.6 X
Regulation (EU) 1169/2011?
11.7 Where is the origin of product to found? In the analysis
12. HYGIENE/ HOUSEKEEPING
N° Questions: Yes No Comment:
Do you conduct hygiene checks?
12.1 X At least 1 times a year
If yes, how often?
12.2 Who is responsible? Laboratory
12.3 What happens with the results? Research, take control action
Are instructions available for washing and
12.4 x
disinfecting hands, before beginning work?
Do you have work- and hygiene-
12.5 X
instructions?
Are hands washing facilities with h y g i e n e
12.6 X
instructions available in toilets?
ls smoking prohibited in areas, away from
12.7 X
production?
Do you have instructions how to deal with
12.8 X
infectious diseases?
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N° Questions: Yes No Comment:

Is cleaning of factory and machinery
12.9 X
documented and verified?
Do you have a service provider for the
12.10 X Performed by entire employers
cleaning work in production?
Are cleaning measures for machinery and
12.11 X
areas documented and verified?
Do you remove waste regularly from the
12.12 process area and stored separately with X
marks?
Waste compactor outside the
12.13 Where is the waste stored?
buildings
Do you store defective pallets outside of
12.14 X
the production?
12.15 Is a pest control system implemented? X
Is the pest control documented and
12.16 X
evaluated?
Are checks carried out by an external
Service provider?
12.17 X Vermin-Bielefeld Kopietz GmbH
If yes, please add the name of the Pest
Control Company?
12.18 Frequency of control? 12 Actions yearly
Rodent, flying and crawling
12.19 Which pests are controlled?
insects, rats and mice
Do you have an electric insect lamp (UV
12.20 X
light)?
12.21 Are toxic baits used? X
Are buildings constructed in such way that
12.22 X
rodents/ animals cannot enter?
13. ETHICS AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
N° Questions: Yes No Comment:
13.1 Are you certified upon BSCI? X
Do you allow using child labour in your
13.2 X
company?
Does your company offer safe and healthy
13.3 X
working environment?
Is there any kind of discrimination in your
13.4 company (i.e. race, religion, sex)? X
14. ENVIRONMENT
N° Questions: Yes No Comment:
Does your company comply with the actual
14.1 X
environmental legislations?

Is the sensible management of resource part

14.2 X
of your Food Policy?
14.3 Do you respect biodiversity? X
Are energy- and waste management part of
14.4 your business practice for environmental X
protection?
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Date Author:
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15. PREMISES/ OTHER

N° Questions: Yes No Comment:
Is the warehouse temperature and
15.1 X
humidity controlled?
Are temporary repairs done in
15.2 such way that there is no risk for X
food safety?
Is a preventive maintenance plan
15.3 X
implemented?
Are maintenance work
15.4 X
documented?
Are breakdowns documented and
15.5 X
yearly evaluated?
Which kind of preventive
measures do you undertake to Stop of production, additional
15.6
avoid contamination during protection of adjoin equipments.
repairs?
16. LOGISTIC AND SHIPMENT
N° Questions: Yes No Comment:
16.1 Are loading areas covered? X

Are trucks and containers inspected prior to

16.2 loading? X Warehouse employee
If yes, by whom?
16.3 Are these inspections logged? X
Are goods well protected during transport? Loading solely on pallets, shrink
16.4 X
If yes, please describe measures taken. foiled
Do you fumigate goods prior to loading in
16.5 X
your warehouse?
Dou you transport the product in dry and
16.6 X
non-refrigerated trucks?
17. SITE SECURITY
N° Questions: Yes No Comment:
Do you have a hazard analysis and risk
17.1 X
assessments for Food Defense?
Are your employees trained on
17.2 addressing external unaccompanied X
persons?
Do you check the effectiveness of
17.3 training? X Once a year
If yes, how often?
Are all entrances to production locked
17.4 X Fingerprint
by a security system?
Are there any entry restrictions to risk
Only one access to production
17.5 areas? X
(Fingerprint)
If yes, which ones?
Is a security service employed at the
17.6 X
facility?
17.7 Have all visitors to registered on arrival? X
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N° Questions: Yes No Comment:

Is it necessary for employees and
17.8 visitors to wear protective clothing when X
entering production?
Are surveillance cameras used in
17.9 X
external areas?
Are surveillance cameras used in key
17.10 X
internal processing areas?
Do drivers have free access to your
17.11 X
warehouse and production places?
18. VERIFICATION AND VALIDATION OF THE SYSTEM
N° Questions: Yes No Comment:
How often do you perform a
Once a year Food safety/
18.1 verification and validation of the
HACCP Team
system?
Do results of Complaints Management
18.2 have influences on this, such as intern X
statistic to not-conform goods?
Do you work with PDCA (Controlled
18.3 X
improvement concept)?

All information above comply with the current state of our management system for food
safety und have no legal claim to completeness/ liability.

Creation reference
Publisher Date Signature

QMB 26.02.2018

Release note
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Questionnaire
Date Author:
26.02.2018 Šuško

Appendix 1. Abbreviations

AA/WI Arbeitsanweisung/Working instructions

CCP Critical Control Point
DIN Deutsches Institut für Normungen e.V.
EN Europäische Normen/European Standards
FB/Form Formblatt/Form
GF Geschäftsführer/CEO
HACCP Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point
ISO International Standardisation Organisation
MA Mitarbeiter/Staff
oPRP Operatives Preventive Program
PRP Präventivprogramm/Preventive Program
QM Qualitätsmanagement/Quality Manager
QMB Qualitätsmanagement-Beauftragter/Quality Management Representative
QMH Qualitätsmanagement-Handbuch/Quality Management Manual
QMS Qualitätsmanagementsystem/Quality Management System
QS Qualitätssicherung/Quality Assurance
SD/OD Sonstiges Dokument/Other document
VA/MI Verfahrensanweisung/Method instructions
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Appendix 2. Flow Chart Re-cleaning

Instructions Process Documentation Remarks

Start

Warehouse

Staff Warehouse
Production Plan Allo cation Raw
Form Re-cleaning
WI Re-cleaning Material/Packaging
Material

Staff Recleaning

Pre pare Equip me nt

Staff Recleaning Form Re-cleaning

WI Re-cleaning
Control Sieves &
Frames
CCP 1

Staff Recleaning Sieve size:

WI Re-cleaning Form Re-cleaning - upp er sieve 3,6-10,0 mm
O.K? no Stop Prod uction - lower sieve 2,0-4,75 mm
Repair Depen ding on the pr oduct

ja

Staff Recleaning
Form Re-cleaning
Start P roducti on
Recleanin g
Magnet stre ngth
900 0 Gau ss
Staff Recleaning Staff Recleaning CP
Form Re-cleaning
WI Re-cleaning Control Sieves/Sieve
Control Ma gnets
Frame

Staff Recleaning
Ok? no Stop Prod uction, Info Continous Co ntro ls
WI Re-cleaning Head of P roducti on Form Re-cleaning duri ng Production
CCP 1 yes
yes

Staff Recleaning Staff Recleaning

Booking, Adding to
Undersized Prod ucts Finished Prod ucts
(Black B ags) (Blue Ba gs)
Stock in EDP System

Staff Recleaning
PL / QS
Closing & Lab elling Form Block/
WI Re-cleaning Packaging Lau nch further Actio ns Destruction Protocol
or destroy goo ds

Go to P rocess

Wareho useing
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Appendix 3. Flow Chart Grinding

Instructions
Process Documentation Remarks
Coming from Process
Warehouse

Production plan Warehouse Staff

WI Grinding
Allo cation Raw
Material/Packaging
Form Grinding
Production Staff Production Staff Production Staff

WI Grinding Pre paring Pre paring Pre paring

Mill A Mill B Mill C

Production Staff
Sieve size 0,8 – 1,2 (4,0) mm
WI Grinding Control Sieves
dep ending of product
Production Staff
Power of mag nets 900 0
Exchange Sie ves i.O.
Gau ss
Pro duction sto p no
yes

Production Staff
Cool down Produ ct
(Dry Ice)

Production Staff Production Staff Production Staff

Grin ding/Sieving
Grin ding/Sieving Grin ding

Production Staff Production

Staff Continous che cks du ring
Control Sieves
prod uction
& Control Sieves
CCP 1 Magne ts & Magne ts

CCP1

yes yes
i.O.
Production Staff
Form Block/
Stopp Pro duction, Info Destruction Protocol
Pro duction Head &
no Lab

yes
Grinding Finished
Products Pro duct Head of Prod./Lab

Lau nch further Actio ns

Analyses Report
WI Lab test Finished Production Staff
Product
Controls
Packaging/Lab elling

EDP-System

Goi ng to process

-Blen ding
-Repacking (1kg)
- Wareho using
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Appendix 4. Flow Chart Blending

Instructions Process Documentation Remarcs

Information about
the spice

Production plan
WI Grinding Maintenance
Prod.Leitung

Lot Nummber s/
Recipe
Form Recipe

Employee Employee 2

Control
Premix
Einwaa ge/Lot
Produce Number

Employee
Waage set,
Magne t use

Employee

Abnahme-
sack/Big Bag
attach
Employee
Control Mi xer
Employee & Magne te

Mixer fill

CP
Employee
Employee
Mix
Control mi x time

Employee
Onl y Salt B lend
Employee Sievecontroll
Inte rme diatehopp er
Ope ning

WI Laboratory Employee
End product Form Nitri t
Tests controll
Packaging (Bigb ag etc.), Determination
OD Test plan Form L aboratory tests
Identifie r, on Pal. Stackin g,
Final products Ship me nt Wareh ouse

Booking

WI Grinding
WI Cleaning
instruction
Mixing
Clean machine, Workplace
clean, Packaging ma teri al
and Residues dispose
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Appendix 5.HACCP Plan Monitoring Plan

Monitoring Corrective
Process step CCP Limit action when Note
Hazard
What? How? Frequency Who? limits are

Cleaning Top sieve suffers CCP from 3,6 to 10 mm Control from Visual After each Machine Information to - WI Re-cleaning
Spices loss of function, (depending on upper sieve inspection for product change worker production - Form Re-cleaning
foreign body in product) sieving (Fill manager, sieving, - WI Material/
repeat the cleaning Machinery breakage
goods Particle size bigger level)
process -WI Blocked goods
2,0 to. 4,75 mm =
- Form Block-/
lower sieve size Extermination- and
depending on Rework protocol
product
Grinding Damaged sieve, CCP Damaged Sieve Control Visual After each Machine Information to - Form Mill
Foreign bodies/ Particle size of 800 sieves inspection for product change production -WI Blocking
sieve to 4000 mµ intactness manager, product - Form Block-/
stop, visual control, Extermination and Rework
constituents depending on
sieving or product protocol
coming in goods product
destruction - WI Material/
Machine breakage