Food production, manufacturing, distribution and retailing are becoming a highly complex business. Such complexity necessitates the development of comprehensive control procedures to ensure the production of safe and high quality food.
Consumer expectations for food safety, animal welfare, and the environmental as well as progress in gene technology and biotechnology are the main driving forces behind the continuously developing of the food production systems.
The total food chain has to ensure that the highest standards of quality and safety are maintained.
All the stages of the food chain from acquisition of raw materials through manufacture, distribution and sale, whether it retail or catering outlets, consideration must be given to quality issues associated with specific products, processes and methods of handling.
Quality together with safety in the food chain is one of the most important issues facing the agricultural and food industries.
Accessing global markets for food products can be complex. Every market has its own unique requirements, be it consumer driven tastes and demands or regulations covering safety, quality and sustainability.
We provide a comprehensive range of assurance and advisory services to help food businesses deliver high quality, safe and compliant products to the international markets.
Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and Good Distribution Practice (GDP)
Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) describes the basic requirements in food processing. It includes regulations concerning cleaning, personal hygiene, infrastructure and traceability. GMP is the part of quality assurance which ensures that products are consistently produced and controlled to the quality standards appropriate for their intended use as required by the product specification or marketing authorisation. GMP is concerned with both production and quality control.
GMP certification demonstrates to customers companies commitment to producing and trading safe food while confirming regulatory compliance.
GMP certification can be applied to all operators in food, ingredient or food supply chains – from production and packaging to retail, logistics and storage.
Good Manufacturing Practices create the foundation of developing and implementing quality and food safety management systems.
GDP as part of the quality assurance, ensures that products are consistently stored , transported and handled under suitable conditions as required by the marketing authorisation or product specification. Represents a basic requirement of a safe food production.
We support our customers in implementing and verifying GMP and GDP compliant processes that demonstrate their commitment to supplying safe foods, beverages to global markets.
Hazard Analysis and Critical control Point (HACCP)
HACCP is a central instrument of food safety, demonstrates the integrity of your manufacturing processes and compliance with food safety regulations.
They are seven principles which define HACCP concept:
- identifying any hazards that must be prevented, eliminated or reduced to acceptable levels,
- identifying the critical control points at the step or steps at which control is essential to prevent or eliminate a hazard or to reduce it to acceptable levels,
- establishing critical limits at critical control points which separate acceptability from unacceptability for the prevention, elimination or reduction of identified hazards,
- establishing and implementing effective monitoring procedures at critical control points,
- establishing corrective actions when monitoring indicates that a critical control point is not under control,
- establishing procedures, which shall be carried out regularly, to verify that the measures outlined above are working effectively,
- establishing documents and records commensurate with the nature and size of the food business to demonstrate the effective application of the measures outlined.
A HACCP certification demonstrates to their customers the companies commitment to safety during the manufacture of food, ingredients and beverages. Using its evidence-based approach, manufacturers will also gain the data they will need for inspections by regulatory authorities and stakeholders.
We support our customers in gaining and maintaining HACCP certification, helping them to demonstrate regulatory compliance with recognised food safety standards.
ISO 22000
Food Safety Systems Certification (FSSC) 22000 is a Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) benchmarked standard based on the internationally recognised ISO 22000 standard, the industry relevant Pre-Requisite Program (PRP) and FSSC defined additional requirements. It demonstrates compliance with industry and market requirements for safe foodstuff handling and can be applied to organisations of any size or complexity operating in the global food, beverages, ingredients or supply sector.
We support our clients in gaining and maintaining an ISO 22000 certification, that will offer them to sell food products, beverages, ingredients with confidence.
Assessment, audit, certification
We offer a comprehensive range of food safety, quality and sustainability solutions to help our clients to grow consumer confidence and a sustainable business, to mitigate risk, and improve efficiency at every stage of the value chain.
Certification means for the consumers and stakeholders that the company is operating within a proven framework to achieve customer satisfaction and meet regulatory requirements, health and safety obligations and more.
We support our customers through the entire process of certification:
- Understand the standard as understanding the requirements
- We identify any skill and competence gaps staff may have
- Gap assessment as identify any weaknesses
- Following the steps of implementation
- Assuring standard is fully implemented
- On spot visits to help maintain and enhance the implemented management system