Gatekeeping in EFISC-GTP: why certified companies choose GIC to assess non-certified suppliers

The ideal scenario in the feed raw materials trade is a fully certified supply chain. In practice, however, a certified company will occasionally receive an offer from an uncertified supplier: high-quality and competitively priced raw materials that it would like to purchase, process and sell further down the supply chain. To make this possible without compromising safety standards, the EFISC-GTP provides for a ‘gatekeeping’ mechanism – an ‘entry gate’ procedure through which an uncertified supplier undergoes an independent assessment and can be legitimately integrated into the certified supply chain.
It is precisely this assessment that certified companies entrust to GIC. Let’s examine the requirements the protocol imposes on such suppliers and why clients choose us for this verification.
1. Geographical and legal restrictions
Gatekeeping is not permitted for goods of all origins:
• Unprocessed cereals and oilseeds — prohibited for suppliers based in France, Germany, the UK, Canada, the Netherlands and a number of other countries.
• Processed feed products — specific restrictions apply depending on the country of origin and transit; the key factor is the country where the physical processing takes place.
Why choose us: before a client enters into a contract with a new supplier, we check whether the gatekeeping procedure applies to them from a legal perspective — based on the country of origin, location and transit. This eliminates the risk of a consignment being blocked after it has already been shipped.
2. High-risk area: by-products of the oil and fat industry
Section 6 of the protocol establishes a 100% Positive Release regime for fatty acids, soapstocks and distillates: a consignment from a supplier is physically held in quarantine and cannot be used, dispatched or mixed with other raw materials until the laboratory confirms its safety in respect of all critical parameters (dioxins, heavy metals, mineral oils, pesticides).
For soapstocks, there is a separate list of strictly prohibited raw materials — for example, by-products of biodiesel production, tanker bottom residues and activated sludge from sewage treatment plants.
Why choose us: we organise the entire supplier verification cycle under the Positive Release regime and compile a final package of evidence for the client:
• a sampling report from an independent surveyor, including seal numbers;
• a Certificate of Analysis (CoA) from an ISO 17025-accredited laboratory, linked to the batch number;
• a report on the batch’s release following quarantine;
• transport documents (CMR/bill of lading) labelled in accordance with EU Regulation No. 68/2013.
This enables the client to accept raw materials from the supplier with minimal downtime for transport and storage tanks.
3. Assessment of suppliers of former foodstuffs (Former Foodstuff)
If the supplier is a food business selling substandard or surplus products for use as feed, an audit of the supplier is required. Strict requirements are imposed on auditors: relevant qualifications, knowledge of HACCP, at least one year’s experience in the sector and complete independence from the commercial department.
Why choose us: we provide independent, qualified auditors to assess such suppliers — including verification of the Feed Safety Data Sheet, the supplier’s process risks and the absence of physical contaminants (glass, plastic, metal).
Why clients choose GIC specifically for supplier assessment
• An international network of auditors. Supplier assessment often requires a physical visit to the supplier’s premises – whether a factory, warehouse or dispatch site. Thanks to GIC’s global presence, we can organise inspections virtually anywhere in the world, reducing the client’s time and travel costs.
• Cross-standard expertise. Our team works daily with ISO 9001, ISO 22000, FSSC 22000, GMP+, EFISC-GTP, ISCC, SMETA and other schemes — this helps us to see the full picture of a supplier’s risks, rather than assessing them against a single, isolated checklist.
• Product knowledge and familiarity with EU legislation. We are well-versed in Directive 2002/32/EC on undesirable substances in feed and Regulation 68/2013 on the catalogue of feed materials, which enables us to assess suppliers with an understanding of the actual physico-chemical and biological risks associated with specific raw materials, rather than merely following a formal procedure.
Gatekeeping gives a certified company access to a wider pool of suppliers and reduces the cost of raw materials — but it requires a resource-intensive, accurate and independent assessment of each new partner. By entrusting this assessment to GIC, you gain:
• Security — eliminating the risk of your own certificate being suspended or revoked due to an error in the assessment of a new supplier;
• Speed — an independent international network of auditors and laboratories, ready to carry out inspections anywhere in the world;
• Expertise — an assessment based on many years’ experience working with international standards for feed and food safety.