Becoming a QS scheme participant

You have to be registered and approved in the QS database for the production scope logistics if you are a periodical commissioned logistics service provider, who transports goods between QS wholesalers.

Not included in scope of logistics are:

• Transports from producer to customer
• Transports from supplier to food retail branches
• Transports by QS certified wholesalers’ own fleet
• One-time or short term contracted logistics service providers (e.g. within Christmas season). Nevertheless, they must be obliged to fulfill the relevant QS requirements and have to be checked in self-assessments.

The eligibility of delivery can be checked on the QS website. To do this, go to www.qs-plattform.de/QSSoftware/start and click Search: Agriculture/Production. There you can enter your QS-ID or your QS location number and click the button Search. If your company is eligible to deliver, it appears with the corresponding production scope (e.g. outdoor vegetable production) or the approved crops and the registered certification system (e.g. QS-GAP). The name and address of your company will not be displayed.

You participate in the QS scheme via a so-called coordinator. These are for example producer organizations, agencies or consulting companies. You will find a list of all coordinators here.

You can choose between being audited against the QS production standard or the QS-GAP standard. With a QS-GAP audit you concurrently meet the GlobalG.A.P. requirements. Due to mutual recognitions with other standards, participating in the QS scheme is also possible with a GlobalG.A.P., Vegaplan- or AMAG.A.P.-certification.

You can choose between participating with a QS wholesale audit or with a combined IFS-QS audit. With the combined audit, you get both certifications and avoid double auditing. To this, you have to meet the IFS requirements and additionally the QS requirements, contained in an additional checklist.

The following IFS-QS-combined audits are possible:

• IFS Food and QS Wholesale
• IFS Cash&Carry and QS Wholesale
• IFS Broker and QS Agency

The individual steps for a participation in the QS scheme are explained in detail in the supporting document Steps to become a scheme participant - wholesale. Further information including the relevant documents can be found at Wholesaler.

The individual steps for participation in the QS system are explained in detail in the manual Steps to become a scheme participant - logistics. You can find further relevant information under Logistics.

The individual steps for participation in the QS system are explained in detail in the manual Steps to become a scheme participant - preparation/processing. You can find further relevant information under Preparation/Processing.

To participate in the QS scheme, the following steps are required:

• Registration in the QS database (www.qs-plattform.de//index_english) via Initial Registration. With the initial registration you enter, among others, information about your company and choose a certification body, which shall perform the audit. After successful registration you will receive your login data for the database and always have the opportunity to change any information you entered.
• Contacting the certification body: After registration in the database please contact the certification body and arrange an audit date.
• Performing the audit: After passing the audit, the certification body enters the report into the database and authorizes it. QS will then check the audit report.
• Sending the contract: After QS has checked the audit report you get the scheme contract for the wholesale stage in duplicate. When both signed documents have been received by the QS office, one countersigned copy will be sent back to you.
• You will receive the eligibility of delivery once the signed documents have been received in the QS office and have been countersigned. After receiving the eligibility of delivery, your company can be found as eligible to deliver in the public search of the database.

An additional registration and certification for the stage Preparation/Processing Fruit, Vegetables, Potatoes must be obtained if your company prepares or processes products (this includes the following processes: shredding, peeling, grating, slicing, pureeing, staining, freezing, heating, canning production, sprout production) and wishes to market these goods as QS goods.

Your company can be certified according to the QS Guideline Wholesale Fruit, Vegetables, Potatoes if it can be assigned to one of the following categories:

• Wholesalers (with physical contact with goods) who become the owner of the goods
• Agencies (without having a direct (physical) contact with the goods) that become owner of the goods or that are buyer of the goods in order to further commercialization
• Service provider with product handling who do not become the owner of the goods (e.g. packing companies)

If your company is a logistics company that exclusively transports and/or stores goods and does not become the owner of the goods, the relevant guideline is the QS Guideline Logistics Fruit, Vegetables, Potatoes.

The scope of the QS Guideline Logistics Fruit, Vegetables, Potatoes applies to all logistics companies that exclusively transport, and/or store and if necessary do the order picking of fresh, prepared and processed fruit, vegetables, potatoes without becoming the owner of the products.

Companies that also wash or pack goods as a service provider or even become the owner of the goods must be certified according to the QS Guidelines for Wholesale Fruit, Vegetables and Potatoes.

You have to be registered and approved in the QS database for the production scope logistics if you are a periodical commissioned logistics service provider, who transports goods between QS wholesalers.

Not included in scope of logistics are:

• Transports from producer to customer
• Transports from supplier to food retail branches
• Transports by QS certified wholesalers’ own fleet
• One-time or short term contracted logistics service providers (e.g. within Christmas season). Nevertheless, they must be obliged to fulfill the relevant QS requirements and have to be checked in self-assessments.

The eligibility of delivery can be checked on the QS website. To do this, go to www.qs-plattform.de/QSSoftware/start and click Search: Agriculture/Production. There you can enter your QS-ID or your QS location number and click the button Search. If your company is eligible to deliver, it appears with the corresponding production scope (e.g. outdoor vegetable production) or the approved crops and the registered certification system (e.g. QS-GAP). The name and address of your company will not be displayed.

You participate in the QS scheme via a so-called coordinator. These are for example producer organizations, agencies or consulting companies. You will find a list of all coordinators here.

You can choose between being audited against the QS production standard or the QS-GAP standard. With a QS-GAP audit you concurrently meet the GlobalG.A.P. requirements. Due to mutual recognitions with other standards, participating in the QS scheme is also possible with a GlobalG.A.P., Vegaplan- or AMAG.A.P.-certification.

You can choose between participating with a QS wholesale audit or with a combined IFS-QS audit. With the combined audit, you get both certifications and avoid double auditing. To this, you have to meet the IFS requirements and additionally the QS requirements, contained in an additional checklist.

The following IFS-QS-combined audits are possible:

• IFS Food and QS Wholesale
• IFS Cash&Carry and QS Wholesale
• IFS Broker and QS Agency

The individual steps for a participation in the QS scheme are explained in detail in the supporting document Steps to become a scheme participant - wholesale. Further information including the relevant documents can be found at Wholesaler.

The individual steps for participation in the QS system are explained in detail in the manual Steps to become a scheme participant - logistics. You can find further relevant information under Logistics.

The individual steps for participation in the QS system are explained in detail in the manual Steps to become a scheme participant - preparation/processing. You can find further relevant information under Preparation/Processing.

To participate in the QS scheme, the following steps are required:

• Registration in the QS database (www.qs-plattform.de//index_english) via Initial Registration. With the initial registration you enter, among others, information about your company and choose a certification body, which shall perform the audit. After successful registration you will receive your login data for the database and always have the opportunity to change any information you entered.
• Contacting the certification body: After registration in the database please contact the certification body and arrange an audit date.
• Performing the audit: After passing the audit, the certification body enters the report into the database and authorizes it. QS will then check the audit report.
• Sending the contract: After QS has checked the audit report you get the scheme contract for the wholesale stage in duplicate. When both signed documents have been received by the QS office, one countersigned copy will be sent back to you.
• You will receive the eligibility of delivery once the signed documents have been received in the QS office and have been countersigned. After receiving the eligibility of delivery, your company can be found as eligible to deliver in the public search of the database.

An additional registration and certification for the stage Preparation/Processing Fruit, Vegetables, Potatoes must be obtained if your company prepares or processes products (this includes the following processes: shredding, peeling, grating, slicing, pureeing, staining, freezing, heating, canning production, sprout production) and wishes to market these goods as QS goods.

Your company can be certified according to the QS Guideline Wholesale Fruit, Vegetables, Potatoes if it can be assigned to one of the following categories:

• Wholesalers (with physical contact with goods) who become the owner of the goods
• Agencies (without having a direct (physical) contact with the goods) that become owner of the goods or that are buyer of the goods in order to further commercialization
• Service provider with product handling who do not become the owner of the goods (e.g. packing companies)

If your company is a logistics company that exclusively transports and/or stores goods and does not become the owner of the goods, the relevant guideline is the QS Guideline Logistics Fruit, Vegetables, Potatoes.

The scope of the QS Guideline Logistics Fruit, Vegetables, Potatoes applies to all logistics companies that exclusively transport, and/or store and if necessary do the order picking of fresh, prepared and processed fruit, vegetables, potatoes without becoming the owner of the products.

Companies that also wash or pack goods as a service provider or even become the owner of the goods must be certified according to the QS Guidelines for Wholesale Fruit, Vegetables and Potatoes.

You have to be registered and approved in the QS database for the production scope logistics if you are a periodical commissioned logistics service provider, who transports goods between QS wholesalers.

Not included in scope of logistics are:

• Transports from producer to customer
• Transports from supplier to food retail branches
• Transports by QS certified wholesalers’ own fleet
• One-time or short term contracted logistics service providers (e.g. within Christmas season). Nevertheless, they must be obliged to fulfill the relevant QS requirements and have to be checked in self-assessments.

The eligibility of delivery can be checked on the QS website. To do this, go to www.qs-plattform.de/QSSoftware/start and click Search: Agriculture/Production. There you can enter your QS-ID or your QS location number and click the button Search. If your company is eligible to deliver, it appears with the corresponding production scope (e.g. outdoor vegetable production) or the approved crops and the registered certification system (e.g. QS-GAP). The name and address of your company will not be displayed.

You participate in the QS scheme via a so-called coordinator. These are for example producer organizations, agencies or consulting companies. You will find a list of all coordinators here.

You can choose between being audited against the QS production standard or the QS-GAP standard. With a QS-GAP audit you concurrently meet the GlobalG.A.P. requirements. Due to mutual recognitions with other standards, participating in the QS scheme is also possible with a GlobalG.A.P., Vegaplan- or AMAG.A.P.-certification.

You can choose between participating with a QS wholesale audit or with a combined IFS-QS audit. With the combined audit, you get both certifications and avoid double auditing. To this, you have to meet the IFS requirements and additionally the QS requirements, contained in an additional checklist.

The following IFS-QS-combined audits are possible:

• IFS Food and QS Wholesale
• IFS Cash&Carry and QS Wholesale
• IFS Broker and QS Agency

The individual steps for a participation in the QS scheme are explained in detail in the supporting document Steps to become a scheme participant - wholesale. Further information including the relevant documents can be found at Wholesaler.

The individual steps for participation in the QS system are explained in detail in the manual Steps to become a scheme participant - logistics. You can find further relevant information under Logistics.

The individual steps for participation in the QS system are explained in detail in the manual Steps to become a scheme participant - preparation/processing. You can find further relevant information under Preparation/Processing.

To participate in the QS scheme, the following steps are required:

• Registration in the QS database (www.qs-plattform.de//index_english) via Initial Registration. With the initial registration you enter, among others, information about your company and choose a certification body, which shall perform the audit. After successful registration you will receive your login data for the database and always have the opportunity to change any information you entered.
• Contacting the certification body: After registration in the database please contact the certification body and arrange an audit date.
• Performing the audit: After passing the audit, the certification body enters the report into the database and authorizes it. QS will then check the audit report.
• Sending the contract: After QS has checked the audit report you get the scheme contract for the wholesale stage in duplicate. When both signed documents have been received by the QS office, one countersigned copy will be sent back to you.
• You will receive the eligibility of delivery once the signed documents have been received in the QS office and have been countersigned. After receiving the eligibility of delivery, your company can be found as eligible to deliver in the public search of the database.

An additional registration and certification for the stage Preparation/Processing Fruit, Vegetables, Potatoes must be obtained if your company prepares or processes products (this includes the following processes: shredding, peeling, grating, slicing, pureeing, staining, freezing, heating, canning production, sprout production) and wishes to market these goods as QS goods.

Your company can be certified according to the QS Guideline Wholesale Fruit, Vegetables, Potatoes if it can be assigned to one of the following categories:

• Wholesalers (with physical contact with goods) who become the owner of the goods
• Agencies (without having a direct (physical) contact with the goods) that become owner of the goods or that are buyer of the goods in order to further commercialization
• Service provider with product handling who do not become the owner of the goods (e.g. packing companies)

If your company is a logistics company that exclusively transports and/or stores goods and does not become the owner of the goods, the relevant guideline is the QS Guideline Logistics Fruit, Vegetables, Potatoes.

The scope of the QS Guideline Logistics Fruit, Vegetables, Potatoes applies to all logistics companies that exclusively transport, and/or store and if necessary do the order picking of fresh, prepared and processed fruit, vegetables, potatoes without becoming the owner of the products.

Companies that also wash or pack goods as a service provider or even become the owner of the goods must be certified according to the QS Guidelines for Wholesale Fruit, Vegetables and Potatoes.