Feed safety certification (GMP+, FAMI-QS, FSSC 22000)
GMP+ Feed Certification, of Dutch origin, is a HACCP-based safety standard for producing, trading, storing and transporting feed ingredients; European feed buyers often require it of suppliers, and it also requires certified road and sea carriers. FAMI-QS is a quality and safety standard specifically for producers of feed additives such as vitamins, amino acids, enzymes and premixes. On the food side, FSSC 22000, BRCGS and IFS play a similar role. Validity and scope – which products, which site – should be checked in the online databases.
Related terms
ISO 9001 quality management and related ISO certificates
ISO 9001 is the international quality-management standard, audited by accredited certification bodies, showing that a company defines, controls and continually improves its processes; it certifies the system, not the product. Other certificates frequently requested in raw material supply include ISO 14001 (environment), ISO 45001 (occupational health and safety), ISO 50001 (energy), ISO 22000/FSSC 22000 (food safety), IATF 16949 (automotive) and ISO/IEC 17025 (laboratory competence). Validity should be checked in the certification body’s database or IAF CertSearch.
Mycotoxins and aflatoxin limits
Toxic compounds produced by moulds in grains, oilseeds, nuts, spices and feed: aflatoxins (B1 and total), ochratoxin A, deoxynivalenol (DON), zearalenone, fumonisins and T-2. Legal limits differ widely by country and use – in the EU, for example, aflatoxin B1 in nuts for direct consumption is limited to 2–8 µg/kg, and exceeding it triggers RASFF notifications and rejection of the shipment. The contract must state the limits, the sampling method and whose laboratory result is final.
Traceability (supply-chain transparency)
The ability to document, at every stage from source – mine, farm, forest or refinery – to end user, who processed a raw material, where, and from which lot. It is becoming mandatory in raw material trade because of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), OECD guidance on conflict minerals and recycled-content claims such as ISCC or GRS. Geolocation data, mass balance and digital product passports are key concepts here.