Woolworths Quality Assurance Update #138 March 2012

AUDIT FREQUENCY VARIATION
Vendors who wish to apply for an audit variation need to assess their eligibility
based on the How to Guide #2: How to Identify the Audit Frequency Required.
Eligible vendors need to apply in writing to their Quality Specialist for review and
approval. The Quality Specialist needs to receive the application 3 months prior to
the annual audit. Written approval for audit variation will be provided.
Once approval is provided, vendors are required to ensure they have their annual
audit prior to the adoption of the annual audit frequency. This will ensure the
reoccurring audit month (RAM) and the continuation of the WQA certification are
maintained.
Woolworths Quality Assurance Update No.138
March 2012
NUTRITION
WOOLWORTHS PALM OIL POLICY
Woolworths is a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil and has
committed to using only certified sustainable palm oil by 2015 (when palm oil is
used) for all Own Brand products to facilitate customer choice. To assist in ensuring
correct labelling is applied to products containing Palm Oil ‐
• Palm Oil and its derivatives must be declared in product specifications
whether added as a direct ingredient, compound ingredient or as an additive
derived from Palm oil.
Trade Partners are asked to provide the breakdown of palm oil and palm oil
derivatives, including additives derived from Palm oil in product specifications to
assist with commitments and labelling requirements.
RSPO Certification
RSPO Chain of Custody Certification ensures palm oil used in a product is indeed so
produced, and volumes are traceable through the supply chain by certification of
each facility which processes or uses the certified oil. That is, RSPO Certification is
required for all processes from grower to end user.
Where Palm oil or Palm oil derivatives are added into a product, vendors are
required to commence action towards the certification of sustainable palm oil.
Palm oil or palm oil derivatives which are RSPO certified can be purchased through 3
supply chain systems (4 certification methods):
• Segregated (2 certification methods)
• Mass Balance (1 certification method)
• Book and Claim (1 certification method)
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