Quality Standards
The first standard in the field of food safety was HACCP which was developed in the 1960s to preserve food and keep it safe fro space travel. Years later, in 1993, the EU decided that HACCP should be embedded in the legislation of all member states. Since then, having a food safety system has been a legal obligation.
The quality standards as we know them today originated in 1998. In that year the British Retail Consortium, better known as BRC, developed a standard to improve the food safety of foodstuffs. In the following years, more standards were developed, such as IFS and FSSC22000, as well as standards for activities related to food, such as transport, storage and trade.
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The Standards
In order to counteract the proliferation of quality standards and to guarantee their quality, the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) was established in May 2000. This foundation set benchmark requirements that food safety standards must meet. In addition to GFSI, there is another initiative in the Netherlands that approves quality standards: Ketenborging.nl. This is an initiative of the Taskforce Food Confidence. The Taskforce, in consultation with the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Authority (NVWA), has drawn up criteria for private quality schemes, which should strengthen the private assurance of food safety and especially food integrity. Currently there are 3 standards that have been approved by both GFSI and Ketenborging.nl for the food industry: BRC, IFS and FSSC22000. Currently, there are 3 standards for the food industry which have been approved by both GFSI and Ketenborging.nl: BRC, IFS and FSSC 22000.
BRC
BRC was founded in 1998 from a partnership between retailers and retailers in Great Britain (British Retail Consortium). In addition to the legal HACCP requirements, BRC also sets requirements in the areas of management, food safety culture, personal hygiene, business design, food defense and food fraud. Some standard requirements are seen as fundamental to guaranteeing food safety and ultimately count more heavily in the final assessment of whether your company is certified. Précon is happy to help you towards certification.
IFS
IFS (International Featured Standards) was initiated in 2003 by German retailers, which later also included French and Italian retailers and wholesalers. Like BRC, IFS was set up to guarantee the food safety of private label products from retailers and wholesalers. IFS is very similar to BRC, but it is precisely the differences in nuance that can have a major impact on your organisation. Therefore, make sure you are well informed about the impact on your company.
FSSC22000
FSSC22000 is a Dutch initiative and the mission at launch was to develop a globally accepted independent, non-profit food safety programme. Compared to BRC and IFS, FSSC22000 offers the most freedom of choice in the implementation of the rules. The chain concept is the most important starting point. The scheme consists of three parts:
ISO22000 Food safety management systems - Requirements for an organisation in the food chain.
One of the technical specifications from the ISO / TS 22002-1 series, as a standard for the prerequisite programmes.
The so-called ‘additional requirements’.
Different standards for different types of business
In addition to food producers, companies that provide services in relation to food must also comply with food safety standards. Based on the BRC, IFS and FSSC22000 standards, separate standards have been developed for companies that transport, trade or produce packaging materials for the food industry. Let us advise you on the standard that applies to your organisation.
Quality Marks
In addition to the quality standards, there are also product-specific quality marks that can set certain requirements for your product. A quality mark helps the consumer decide on a purchase. For example, when it comes to complying with dietary laws such as Kosher and Halal, or to be sure that products are of a certain origin, such as SKAL (organic), MSC, UTZ and Fairtrade. Précon helps you to meet the requirements of these quality marks.
Our Approach
In recent years, the number of rules in the standards has only increased, which has resulted in bulky quality manuals. At Précon, we believe it can be leaner. By taking a sharp look at the intention of the standard and your organisation, we strive for a quality system that is as lean as possible that befits your organisation. We do not work with standard templates, but we look at what best suits your company. We also look for the perfect match between your company and our consultants. The consultant not only brings his or her own skills and expertise, but can also call on the knowledge and experience of many colleagues. We fully adapt our support to your wishes. It is our aim that you will be able to continue under your own steam.
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