Specifications Management Procedure

Define requirements that can be objectively verified

Specifications are required to be clear, accurate and sufficiently detailed to define the applicable requirements and enable verification. Depending on the material or product, that can include identity and grade or variant, composition or formulation, allergen status, relevant physical, chemical, microbiological and organoleptic characteristics, legal or regulatory requirements, customer-specific requirements, packaging, storage, handling and transport conditions, shelf life, and acceptance or verification criteria.

The procedure requires this information to be held in a controlled format that supports correct application and objective verification. For technical and quality teams, that establishes a consistent point of reference for the characteristics and criteria against which materials and products are assessed.

Control finished-product specifications through to use and release

Finished-product specifications must be established, maintained and available for every finished product manufactured or supplied by the organisation. The document requires them to remain accurate, complete and current, with information sufficient to support legal and customer requirements and the safe handling, storage, preparation and use of the product.

Where applicable, finished-product content includes product identification, composition and formulation, allergen status, legal and customer requirements, shelf life and storage conditions, handling or preparation instructions needed for safety, packaging details, and labelling and identification requirements. Only current approved finished-product specifications may support production, verification, release and supply.

Approve specifications before operational use

Specifications are reviewed and approved before use so that their content is complete, accurate, technically valid and appropriate to its intended purpose. Technical or quality management is responsible for reviewing and approving specifications before implementation or use, with senior management approval applied where its authorisation is required.

For raw materials and primary packaging, approval also checks alignment with the defined food safety, quality, legality and authenticity controls, approved supplier status and the outcomes of raw-material risk assessment. Only approved specifications may then be used for purchasing, acceptance, sampling, testing or release activities.

For finished products, approval confirms applicable legal and regulatory obligations, defined customer specifications and contractual commitments where relevant, information needed for safe handling and use, and alignment with the approved formulation, processing controls and labelling requirements.

Make customer approval explicit where specifications are customer-owned

Where a finished product is manufactured to a customer-branded or customer-owned specification, the procedure requires formal customer approval before the specification is used. If formal approval has not yet been obtained, the organisation must be able to demonstrate documented steps taken to ensure formal agreement of the specification is in place.

This preserves an important distinction between the organisation’s internal technical approval and the formal agreement required for customer-owned or customer-branded specifications.

Review specifications against change, evidence and performance

Specifications are reviewed periodically and when circumstances indicate that their continuing accuracy or suitability may have changed. Review triggers include changes to materials, suppliers, formulation, processing methods, packaging or labelling; changes to applicable legal or regulatory requirements; and relevant non-conformances, complaints, withdrawals or recalls. Internal audit, verification activity and management review can also identify the need for review.

Verification forms part of that review. Depending on the specification, it may include reviewing supplier documentation, certifications or supporting technical data; comparing requirements with analytical, inspection or test results; and confirming that operational controls, acceptance criteria and verification activities remain aligned with the specification.

Where inaccuracies, omissions or outdated information are identified, the specification is updated, re-approved and re-issued. Only current approved specifications remain available for operational use.

Assess and communicate specification changes before implementation

Technical or quality management is responsible for assessing the impact of specification changes on products, processes, suppliers and controls. Proposed changes are reviewed and approved before implementation, the impact assessment is documented, relevant personnel are informed of approved changes, and superseded specifications are withdrawn through the document-control arrangements.

This makes change control part of the specification lifecycle rather than treating a specification as a static technical record.

Allocate responsibility from technical ownership to operational use

The procedure gives technical or quality management ownership of establishing, maintaining and controlling specifications, coordinating reviews and updates, approving content and managing change. Senior management provides the necessary resources, supports risk-based decisions relating to approval, change, suspension or withdrawal, and approves specifications where senior management authorisation is required.

Procurement or purchasing must buy raw materials and packaging against current approved specifications, communicate proposed material, supplier or sourcing changes to technical or quality management, and provide suppliers with current specification requirements where applicable. Employees are required to use materials, products and packaging in accordance with approved specifications and to report concerns about specification accuracy, clarity or compliance.

Connect specification management with the wider FSQMS

The procedure deliberately separates specification control from related processes. Supplier approval, raw-material risk assessment and supplier performance monitoring are governed through the Supplier & Raw Material Approval and Performance Monitoring Procedure, while document control and record completion are governed through their own supporting procedures.

Within those boundaries, the Specifications Management Procedure provides the specification-control layer that keeps technical requirements approved, reviewable, verifiable and current across purchasing, acceptance, production, verification, release and supply.