Food

It is a basic tool that guarantees the manufacturing of safe products that are fit for human consumption. It focuses on hygiene and handling of goods.

Advantages:

• Guarantees the production of safe goods and the protection of consumer´s health.
• Helps maintain a cleaner and safer work environment.
• Reduces complaints and returns.
• Employees get a higher sense of quality work, their knowledge level grows.
• Customer loyalty.
• Higher customer´s satisfaction.

The Good storage practices (GSP) constitute a group of minimum and mandatory storage regulations for perishable and non-perishable goods, in relation to the facilities, equipment and operational procedures, that are destined to guarantee that the products properties are fit for human consumption.

Advantages:

• Safe and efficient handling of goods.
• Less complaints and returns.
• Reduction of costs and resource savings.

HACCP is a tool to use to control potential hazard in food production and to establish control systems to prevent affecting consumers´ health. HACCP guarantees complying with the requirements of Food Safety.

Advantages:

• Better image.
• Trained personnel.
• Avoids fines, sanctions or even business closure.
• Minimum requirement to obtain other safety international certifications such as: BRC, FSSC, ISO 22000, among others.

BRCGS Food Safety, is a certification that was developed in the United Kingdom. It was created in 1996, as British Retail Consortium (UK Trade Association), which established the global standards BRC, to provide a coherent focus to audit suppliers. Two years later the food safety auditing program, was accepted by the majority of retailers in the United Kingdom.

In 2016, BRC Global Standards (BRCGS) was acquired by LGC and, to accelerate presence worldwide and to focus less in the retail sector, they decided to change the meaning of the acronym: BRC = Brand, Reputation and Compliance, BRCGS.

Advantages:

• This certification contains the requirements of a HACCP system, in accordance with the requirements of the Codex Alimentarius, it also contains a documented management system, and a requirement control of the facility, products, staff and processes’ evironmental conditions.
• It is recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), a program that harmonizes the international norms related with food safety, along with the support of the major retailers and the main food and packaging manufacturers in the world.
• Advantages:
• Access to markets where this standard is required.
• Consumer protection, offering a safe and quality product.
• International prestige and that of its distributor.
• Suppliers standardization (constantly audited).
• Involves management.
• Reduces costs of possible flaws in the production chain.
• Allows organized and effective communication within involved parties.
• Audits can be performed along with ISO 9001 and HACCP audits.

Global market – Start, complements Food safety global standard – BRCGS. It is aligned with the GFSI, it has two requirement levels: basic and intermediate.

The program establishes the requirements for processed foods manufacturing, and the processes that supplied primary products, catering and food manufacturers undergo.

Advantages:

• Companies that reach the basic and intermediate levels, are listed in the public section of the BRC Global Standard directory.
• Its requirements are based on the BRCGS Food standard, which allows for the basic and intermediate levels to progress effectively towards the completion of the certification.

BRCGS Agents and Brokers, is a standard that guarantees that companies or businesses are audited and certified in the commercialization of products or in the provision of services to other parties, but without obtaining a certification on the production or storage of goods.

Advantages:

• Access to markets where this norm is required
• Consumer protection, offering a safe and quality product.
• International prestige and that of its distributor.
• Suppliers standardization (constantly audited).
• Involves management.
• Reduces costs of possible flaws in the production chain.
• Allows organized and effective communication within involved parties.
• Audits can be performed along with ISO 9001 and HACCP audits.

The FSSC has been developed by The Foundation for Food Safety Certification, founded in 2004. It is the new certification scheme for food products, based in the integration of the food safety standard ISO 22000:2005 and the Publicly Available Specification ISO 22002-I. It is the highest standard in food safety.

The FSSC 22000 scheme has been approved by the Global Food Safety Initiative GFSI, as well as other food safety schemes, such as, BRC, SQF or IFS.

Advantages:

• Focuses on engaging the upper management of the organization in the process.
• Focuses in the effectiveness and the continuous improvement, achieving better results and a greater level of satisfaction.
• Centered in food safety.
• Helps comply with the requirements of the market: The FSSC 22000 standard includes additional requirements that reinforce criteria already covered by standards that manufacturers and suppliers must comply with.

The ISO 22000 certification covers all processes of the food chain, that have consequences in the final product´s safety. It specifies the requirements needed for a food safety integrated management system, as well as the inclusion of the elements required for GMP and HACCP.

The ISO 22000 norm can be applied to any organization in the food chain, from the farm to the food packaging manufacturer.

Advantages:

• Provides a greater guarantee of product safety.
• Increases the organization´s competitiveness.
• Enhances the knowledge of legal requirements that apply to products.
• Useful to anticipate possible food crisis
• Improves the public perception of the company.

FSMA is the most radical law of Food safety modernization, that has been approved in the last 60 years. It imperatively applies to companies that export food products to the United States. FSMA allows the industry to change to a more proactive culture, focusing on preventing contaminating events rather than just reacting to them. Having a HACCP plan or an implemented GFSI system, does not guarantee compliance with FSMA, however they are a part of it.

COMPLIANCE DATES

The Foreign supplier Verification Program requires importers to verify the food products they import, follow food safety standards established by the FDA (USA).

FSVP importers must develop and keep a verification program for each product that is imported, unless an exception applies. The purpose of this program is to guarantee that each product provides the same level of public health protection as preventive control systems and manufacturing safety regulations do, and also to guarantee that the products they are acquiring are not adulterated or have labelling issues.

Advantages:

• To ensure that suppliers that sell to US, comply with FSMA requirements.
• To guarantee that the ingredients, raw materials or finished products, which are handled and manufactured in an international facility, are not held, on the grounds of non-compliance.

IFS is a food safety norm recognized by the GFSI, that applies to companies that manufacture food or that pack bulk foods. It is focused in the safety and food quality of processed products.

This standard applies when products are “processed” or when there is risk of product contamination during primary packaging. IFS Food is important for all food manufacturers, especially those that manufacture their own brand as this standard includes several requirements that are related with the compliance of the specifications.

Advantages:

• Better communication between upper managemente and the staff, in relation with good practices, standards and procedures.
• Follow up on the compliance of food regulations.
• Better use of resources.
• Clients require less audits.
• Better reputation as a manufacturer that offers quality and safe products.
• Ability to negotiate with clients that require third parties audits.
• The use of IFS logo and the certificate, showing clients a compliance of the highest standards.

Standard that helps verify and validate safety and quality systems throughout the food chain, increasing brand protection and as a result, customer´s trust and loyalty. It is recognized by the GFSI, retail vendors, food services suppliers and regulatory agencies around the world, whose suppliers require safety and quality management systems with a HAACP analysis.

SFQ has 2 certification levels, to choose from:

Level 1: This level focuses on food safety and does not include quality requirements. Level 2: This level includes both, food safety and quality management requirements.

Advantages:

• Recognized around the world.
• Promotes trust in quality, legitimacy, and food safety.
• Better image of the commercialization process.
• Increases production by reducing material waste.
• Optimizes process and risk management.

The principle of agriculture is the production of healthy foods that come from a balanced and fertile soil. The control process guarantees the organic quality of a product, it verifies the compliance of the organic production norm that applies, according to the destination market. For the manufacturer is a great tool. For the buyer it is a guarantee of product quality.  Some of its guidelines: no pesticides, no synthetic fertilizers, promotes the use of manure based products, plant extracts, etc. This certification promotes the preservation of the environment and offers the consumer a healthy product.

Advantages:

• Guarantees the organic nature of a product.
• Biodiversity protection and animal welfare.
• Human health protection.
• Greater access to local, regional and international markets.
• Access to financing.

Certifies that a company has a preventive focus on food safety, managing effectively the gluten health risks, throughout the manufacturing process. This certification helps consumers identify products that are 100% gluten free.

Advantages:

• Guarantees consumers products are 100% gluten free.
• Allows the development of new strategies to enter new markets.
• Keeps the market at a competitive level.

Kosher food complies with dietary guidelines set by traditional Jewish law. The certification guarantees the inexistence of contamination or traces of particles that may affect consumers that suffer from dairy or meat related allergies.

Advantages:

• Allows the development of new strategies to enter new markets.
• Keeps the market at a competitive level.

NON GMO stands for “Non genetically modified organism” – a genetically modified organism  is an organism whose genetic material has been altered by using genetic engineering, and are the source of genetically modified foods or known as transgenic foods.

Non Gmo Project certifies that food products are 100% organic and non-transgenic, conserving its natural qualities.

Advantages:

• Guarantees consumers that products do not contain elements that have been genetically modified.
• Allows for the development of new strategies to enter new markets.
• Keeps the market at a competitive level.