Section 8

Bench Marking with Global Scheme (s)

1. Introduction

The Q Mark Scheme for Food products is a voluntary product certification scheme
which is based on certification criteria which includes product quality and safety
requirements as well as safe processing requirements. Over a period of time the
scheme aims to achieve equivalence with any of the various global schemes/best
practices so that it is recognized world wide.

The Scheme Owner shall strive to bench mark Q Mark scheme to either Global Food
Safety Initiative (GFSI) or comparable body for achieving international recognition. The
Q Mark Scheme has been designed based on international systems that comprises of
auditor competence requirements, certificate audit programme, complaints & appeals
and other management system which makes it ideal for benchmarking with any
international scheme.

2. Objective of Benchmarking
The main objective of bench marking of certification scheme is to offer consumers with
a scheme that will be eventually recognized globally as a hallmark for assurance of
quality as well as safety and will be treated at-par with other international schemes.

The initiative of having this scheme benchmarked to international standards means that
the scheme owners have attempted to achieve the harmonisation of food safety
standards throughout the components of supply chain in a manner that it shall achieve
the same purpose as any other global food safety centric scheme.

The purpose of bench marking is to give due recognition to the Q Mark scheme for
inclusion of elements of food safety management components including hygiene, safety
and design that science-based, contemporary, and rigorous. Once the scheme meets
the criteria that are aligned with other bench marked schemes, the scheme shall itself
be a strong candidate to be gaining equivalency with other food safety management
schemes.

3. Scope of the Scheme

a) This scheme is applicable only to the Packaged Food Commodities and Products.
b) Scheme is open to all Food Business Operators (FBOs) in India and if required
outside India, engaged in the processing, packaging of food commodities and
products.

4. The Rationale
Many international bodies including GFSI have provisions of recognition of schemes
that encourages buying companies to accept certificates issued during third party audits
against a recognised schemes that enables suppliers to work more effectively through
less audits. The provisions include that a scheme if recognised under the one body the
FBO need not go for a secondary scheme. To give an analogy viz., GFSI recognises Q
Mark for food safety management system (FSMS) then the FBO need not have to be
audited for any other FSMS scheme.
As a result, optimal use of resources can be redirected to continually ensure the quality
of food produced and sold worldwide.
To quote example of GFSI, many major retail, manufacturer and food service
companies have come to a common acceptance of the GFSI recognised food safety
schemes. By agreeing to have various schemes recognized by GFSI, a supplier treats a
scheme at par with other schemes that have been pre-approved by GFSI which
ultimately leads towards driving cost efficiencies in the supply chain and reducing the
duplication of audits.
5. Current Scenario
Globally there are various initiatives that allow a new scheme to be recognized and be
part of a global initiative. The most important of such initiatives is the Global Food
Safety Initiative (GFSI). Such initiatives have an inherent component of bench marking
that allows the new scheme to be part of their initiative through a structured process.
Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI): The Global Food Safety Initiative is a business-
driven initiative for the continuous improvement of food safety management systems to
ensure confidence in the delivery of safe food to consumers worldwide. GFSI provides a
platform for collaboration between some of the world's leading food safety experts from
retailer, manufacturer and food service companies, and service providers associated
with the food supply chain, international organizations, academia and government.
GFSI has provisions to review a commercial food safety programme that is auditable/
certifiable to be benchmarked with other schemes. For this the GFSI has a Guidance
Document that defines the process by which food safety schemes may gain recognition
by GFSI. GFSI recognition offers the industry the knowledge that benchmarked
schemes are based on a foundation of contemporary food safety principles.
Currently GFSI has various schemes that they have benchmarked that includes the
Food Safety Management System (FSSC) 22000, Global Red Meat Standard (GRMS),
CanadaGAP (Canadian Horticultural Council On-Farm Food Safety Program), SQF
CODE 7th Edition Level 2, GlobalGAP, PrimusGFS, Global Aquaculture Alliance
Seafood BRC Global Standard For Food Safety Issue 6, BRC/IOP Global Standard For
Packaging And Packaging Materials Issue 4, IFS Food Version 6, Dutch HACCP and
Synergy 22000.
6. Benefits of Benchmarking:
By virtue of bench marking provisions, the Q Mark shall be able to be a part of global
network which shall be recognised as food safety standards that provide retailers,
manufacturers and food service operators with confidence in sourcing, comparable
audit approaches, and above all, safer food for the consumer all around the globe.
It is also expected that the Scheme will eventually not only provide additional benefits to
FBOs like reduced regulatory oversight by FSSAI in domestic front and but also shall
aid in acceptance of Indian food products in the international market.

The benefits of bench marking of Q Mark shall includes less duplication of food safety
management systems thus helping driving down audit costs. Comparable audit
approach and outcomes, healthy competition between other GFSI approved schemes,
improved consumer confidence and safer food. The biggest advantage will be that if Q
Mark manages to be benchmarked it shall be the sole Indian voluntary scheme that
shall international recognition.

7. Q Mark Ideal Candidate for Benchmarking to GFSI:

Q Mark has been designed by QCI by keeping the Codex General Principles of Food
Hygiene Code of Practice as the minimum base while moving up in terms of product
design and safety. The additional requirements have been included in the scheme by
due process of multi-stakeholder consultation with industry and food safety experts in
order to ensure the best of product and management system compliance; there are
references to product specifications, product analysis, purchasing procedures, internal
audit and full product/ingredient traceability that extends right upto the farm level and
has built in provisions to grade the degree of compliance. The additional requirements,
by their very nature, add robustness and rigour to the process that shall built confidence
with the countrys regulator FSSAI and shall provide added confidence to the
consumers globally with element of verification of processes.

While giving importance to the compliance with legal requirements, HACCP principles,
and prerequisite programmes including Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Q Mark
schemes has elements of a robust auditable scheme based on best practices backed
up with principles of science.

8. Process of Bench Marking:

The process of benchmarking comprises of presenting an application in the specified

format that shall have the summary of the food safety scheme, its objectives, details of
its development and the operating procedures required for the certification system. This
shall have a clause by clause cross-reference of the schemes standard, which is
seeking compliance with that shall detail the compliance criteria and provide the
evidence necessary to justify compliance.
If, during the course of drafting the application documentation, the scheme owner
identifies obvious areas of non-compliance with the intended Guidance Document,
these must be addressed prior to submission of the scheme for benchmarking. The
application shall be forwarded to the relevant office that shall ensure the application is
fully reviewed to assess its acceptability to progress to the benchmarking process.