Logistics Meat and Meat Products

No, registration is only mandatory for the transport and storage of QS goods.

If logistics companies are commissioned for the transport of QS goods on the spot market on a short-term basis within the framework of individual daily contracts (e.g. in the case of high seasonal volumes), no QS registration and approval is necessary. However, if the logistics company is commissioned regularly, i.e. repeatedly for planned tours, or if a permanent contract is concluded, registration and approval in the QS scheme must take place.

No, logistics companies that transport QS goods by direct delivery or from the central warehouse to the food retail shops are exempt from the obligation to register in the QS scheme.

QS certification is required for subcontractors if they are regularly, i.e. recurrently, commissioned for planned tours by a QS scheme participant for the transport of QS goods. QS certification is also required if permanent (i.e. not order-related) contracts exist between the subcontractor and the ordering QS scheme participant.

This regulation also applies if subcontractors carry out logistics activities that are covered by the scope of certification at the slaughtering/ cutting, processing and wholesale stages.

The client (QS scheme partner) who commissions logistics processes in the sense of storage and transport activities is responsible for compliance with the requirements. He must inform the logistics company if a delivery with QS goods is involved.

If only the staff and tractor are provided by the external service provider to transport QS goods in semi-trailers of the contracting company, which itself has QS approval, no QS registration or approval is necessary.

The GMP+ recognition only applies to the transport of unpacked, loose potatoes and onions in bulk or in bulk containers and cannot be used for the transport of meat and meat products.

The fees for scheme participation are based on the level at which the QS scheme participant operates. The QS scale of fees distinguishes between production, wholesale, processing, logistics, and food retail. The wholesale and processing stages are further differentiated into first-line merchants, i.e. companies that receive the goods directly from the producer, and trading partners.
A flat annual fee applies to all scheme participants, with the exception of first-line merchants. The fee for first-line merchants is based on the company's total turnover. The respective amount is based on a 7-level turnover table. It is irrelevant how much turnover the company generates with QS products.

1. You can check the current eligibility of delivery without login, using the public scheme participant search.

2. You can store commissioned subcontractors with your login data in the QS database in order to be automatically informed by e-mail in the event of changes to delivery authorisations (detailed instructions can be found in the support section of the database).

You can find detailed instructions on how to register in the QS database here. Registration takes place at the level meat wholesale and the production type 87 - logistics of meat and meat products.

In this case, in addition to the declaration at level 19 - Wholesale meat trade, a separate declaration must be made at level Wholesale/logistics fruit, vegetables, potatoes with production type 84 - Logistics fruit, vegetables, potatoes. You can find the corresponding instructions for this level here.

You can find a delimitation of the requirements in the document Steps to become a logistics scheme participant on the QS website.

The scope of the QS Guideline Logistics of Fruit, Vegetables, Potatoes refers to companies that store and/or transport packaged and unpackaged foods that have to be stored under controlled conditions at their own locations, but do not own the goods. The scope of the guideline also covers in particular the following processes within the scope of storage activities: primary packaging for industrial goods, vacuuming, picking (incl. transport packaging for end consumer products), repalletising, tumbling (inverting), freezing and thawing. Own storage locations of QS scheme partners of the slaughtering/ cutting and processing stages, which have their own EU approval number and whose scope of activity does not exceed the scope described above.

Note: If the storage facility is part of the production site at QS scheme partners and does not have a separate approval (own EU approval number), the requirements are also checked as part of the audits at the slaughtering/ cutting and processing and meat wholesale stages. No additional registration in the QS scheme is required for this.

As an alternative to participation via certification in accordance with the QS Logistics Guideline, participation can also take place via a certificate recognised by QS.

These include:

• IFS Logistics,

• IFS Food and

• IFS Cash & Carry/Wholesale.

• BRC Storage and Distribution

• BRC Food Safety