What does it cover

The Standard is designed to assist manufacturers of all types of consumer goods to adopt good manufacturing practices and supporting quality management systems to develop and manufacture safe, legal packaging materials meeting their customer’s quality requirements.

The Standard is applicable to manufacturers producing all types of consumer goods such as toys, textiles, electrical items, kitchenware and DIY items. A few products, however, are excluded from the scope:

• Motor vehicles
• Bulk fuel
• Services
• Pharmaceuticals dispensed by doctors
• Vitamins & minerals
• Plants & flowers
• Live animals / pets 

Consumer products covers a large range of goods and the Standard identifies 21 specific categories divided by product technology and material type and auditors are trained to have knowledge and experience of the particular technologies in order to be registered.

The standard recognises 4 levels of hygiene risk depending on the end use of the consumer goods

• Group 1 : Hygiene and legal requirements or potential to cause serious harm
• Group 2 : Legal requirements and / or potential to cause serious harm
• Group 3 : Some legal requirements and / or potential to cause injury
• Group 4 : Low risk products 

Each Product Group has its own defined audit requirements

Suppliers must assess the Product Group which is confirmed by the Certification Body (and customer if required)

The standard consists of 6 chapters all of which are applicable

1. Product Risk Management - The basis for the program is an effective Hazard and Risk Assessment which is based on the principles from the internationally recognised Codex Alimentarius system
2. Consumer Product Management System - Sets out requirements for the management of food safety and quality building upon the principles of ISO 9000. This includes requirements for product specifications, supplier approval, traceability, and the management of incidents and product recalls.
3. Site Environment Standards - defining expectations for the production environment including the layout and maintenance of the buildings and equipment, cleaning, pest control and waste management.
4. Product Control - including requirements at the product design and development stage, the expectations of Laboratories and product testing
5. Process Control - establishing and maintaining safe process controls, equipment calibration, managing foreign body and chemical controls.
6. Personnel - Requirements for the training of staff and expectations on protective clothing and personnel hygiene.