Farm Sustainability Assessment

SCS can assist you by conducting supplier audits, or by providing more comprehensive Responsible Sourcing solutions.

1. Instructions

   Request initial instructions to begin verification process

2. Complete Questionnaire

   Initiate the audit process by completing a self-assessment questionnaire

3. Review

   Review guidance and supporting documents with SCS assistance

4. Audit 

   Schedule, prepare and undergo third-party audit by SCS

5. Deviations

   Any deviations are reviewed during the Audit Review Meeting and a path forward is agreed upon

6. Report

   SCS will produce a report detailing the outcome of the audit, including the verified Performance Level achieved by the operation

7. Letter of Attestation of Verification

   SCS will provide a Letter of Attestation demonstrating successful completion of the third-party verification process in accordance with FSA 3.0. SCS can also provide client marketing support.

There are two parts to the FSA verification audit: 

•    FSA Management System Audit - Consists of 28 control points
•    On-Farm Verification Audit - Verifies the answers to the Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) completed by the farm, consisting of 109 questions

SCS is also accredited to perform certification under these FSA-benchmarked standards and codes of conduct:

•    Bonsucro production
•    GLOBALG.A.P.
•    ISCC
•    RSB
•    RSPO

What is SAI Platform?
SAI Platform is a food and beverage industry organization dedicated to promoting sustainable agriculture in the food chain. It created the Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) tool to evaluate the level of on-farm sustainability.

How long does an FSA audit take from start to finish?
The timeframe for completion of the audit depends on the size and complexity of your operation. Typically, the entire process can be completed within a few weeks to a few months

What is FSA? 
FSA (Farm Sustainability Assessment) is a highly effective new tool providing you - companies in the food and drink value chain around the world - one single, simple tool to assess sustainable practices and helping you source more and more sustainably grown agricultural products. It’s a free, multi-purpose reference tool that you can use to benchmark your own company code, and/or third party certification schemes and even country/region specific legislation. It can also be used as a self-assessment and way to communicate your expectations to the supply chain, if no standard exists. Already many global brands, such as Coca Cola, Unilever, McCain and Mondelēz, have adopted FSA and are using it to assess and benchmark sustainable farming practices.

Why should I consider using it?
Instead of having to assess and verify multiple farm sustainability practices, or benchmark existing schemes, you now – for the first time ever – have one tool that can do this, saving time and resources.

Do we really need a new standard or a new way of selfassessment? 
FSA is not intended to replace existing, accepted, benchmarked standards. Many SAI Platform members are already using FSA to compare and assess existing standards such as Red Tractor, Rainforest Alliance, Skylark, and ISCC, just to name a few.

But what real benefit does FSA deliver to companies?
In short, FSA helps you save time and resources by avoiding multiple assessments of farmers’ sustainability practices. For example, Coca Cola and Unilever are using FSA to source sustainable sugar beet in Europe. Like many companies they have their own sustainability codes for suppliers, but they are using FSA to communicate expectations with its suppliers. As a result, sugar companies (SAI Platform member companies and others alike) are now actively communicating their FSA performance levels to multiple customers. So FSA is helping to harmonize expectations, and drive action by all those involved in the sustainability supply chain. 

How can using FSA help to deliver measurable impact on the ground? 
In a number of ways. While FSA does not measure impacts such as reduced greenhouse gas emissions or water savings, it does focus on practices that should lead to those impacts (and that can be measured). FSA can also be used as a basis for improvement plans that will lead to (measurable) impacts.

Apart from the potential savings in time and resources, does FSA deliver any other benefits? 
Yes. It also provides a valuable way for you to engage with suppliers and producers and creates a basis for developing improvement plans. FSA can also be used to identify potential risk topics (hotspots or trends) in specific supply chain and/or regions and, in some cases, it eliminates often unseen duplication in assessments and verification efforts.

Does FSA mean we would need to stop using other codes, standards and benchmarks?
FSA is a voluntary tool, and SAI Platform members can use FSA to suit their specific needs. Some companies are using it across all of their supply chains, while others chose to use it in one or two. Other members chose not to use it at all. FSA is not about introducing more standards or pushing any company to abandon what is working for them. FSA is about creating a common, harmonized language and encouraging the voluntary sharing of information about sustainable practices up and down the supply chain, to promote enhanced collaboration and improved practices between all parties.

Who is behind FSA?
SAI Platform developed FSA in response to a need for a single set of requirements on which the industry is aligned, and to translate the Platform’s Principles & Practices into a practical implementation tool. SAI Platform is a not-for-profit organization with over 75 members from across the food supply chain, and aims to drive sustainable agricultural practices globally.

Is FSA supported and seen as credible by those outside of the food industry?
FSA was developed with expert input from those in and outside of the industry and that includes representatives from leading NGOs, universities, farmers and their representative groups. We used their advice and input - as well as building on well recognized existing standards and schemes – to develop FSA. We have also tested it in pilots around the world. It is therefore seen as both credible and complementary as a new tool for assessing sustainable agricultural practices.