Polish products are safe
Membership in the European Union obliges Poland to observe certain standards regarding quality and safety of food products. Full adjustment to the EU regulations is a time-consuming process and does not take place evenly across all sectors. Nevertheless, it is necessary to pay attention to a significant progress in this field. It is visible both among producers, who consider adjustment to such standards an element necessary to stay on the market, and among consumers, who pay increasing attention to the quality and safety of products pointing out any irregularities through the media.
Safety procedures and methods are supposed to guarantee that customers receive healthy, safe and high-quality goods. Companies carry out detailed controls upon raw materials acquisition, production as well as storing and distribution. The International Food Standards (IFS) are a collection of rules and requirements relating to food safety, which are designed to meet the needs of retailer and wholesaler organisations and are addressed to food manufacturers. Apart from the criteria with respect to the quality and safety of goods, the International Food Standard and the British Retail Consortium Global Standard - Food (BRC), include specific technical requirements for a manufacturing plant and confirm company’s readiness to operate on the European single market and on world markets. Certificates required mainly by the largest European chains of super- and hypermarkets make a company a reliable and trustworthy commercial partner.
Client always comes first
“Consumers value the quality of food products most; therefore ensuring it remains high is a priority for all activities performed by Jutrzenka Colian,” says Małgorzata Filipiak, a representative of the management board responsible for quality assurance at Jutrzenka Colian Sp. z o.o. “In this respect, monitoring and quality assurance take place at every stage of production and distribution. The company’s internal controls include raw material and packaging suppliers, technological processes and production lines, as well as finished products. At the same time, Jutrzenka Colian employees take part in trainings to improve their qualifications. These activities ensure that our clients receive highest-quality products that are completely safe and comply with the legal requirements in force.”
Safety at Jutrzenka Colian is ensured in a number of ways.
Firstly, the company pays attention to good manufacturing practice and proper hygiene of production. Every plant has its own microbiological laboratory. Microbiological purity of raw materials, semi-finished goods and finished products is tested there. Moreover, Jutrzenka Colian ensures proper cleanliness of the production by monitoring whether the lines, air and water are clean. Smear tests of employees’ hands and work clothes are carried out regularly.
Secondly, the company counteracts foreign bodies in the product. To this end, all production lines have been equipped with metal detectors.
Thirdly, every batch of goods, before its release for sale, undergoes an organoleptic control by a team of specially trained employees.
“Additionally, we have implemented a “non-GMO” policy. It means that we do not use any genetically modified materials at our plants. To this end, we demand from our suppliers proper tests of raw materials for detection of GMO. Periodically, we perform such tests ourselves in accredited laboratories,” says Małgorzata Filipiak. Jutrzenka Colian has a policy of informing its clients even when trace quantities of an allergen may be present in a given product.
By organising visits and audits at its suppliers’ facilities, the company seeks to contribute to the improvement of conditions of production and ensure that the raw materials and packaging produced for it are safe.
“We give our employees an opportunity to obtain all the information concerning safety of food production. Our managing staff participates in regular external trainings on hazards in food production and legal regulations in this field. Production employees regularly take part in trainings on hygiene principles, good production practice and supervision over critical control points,” assures Małgorzata Filipiak.
A system of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) has been implemented at all Jutrzenka Colian manufacturing plants. Its main goal is to identify and assess the scale of food safety threats in terms of health hazards and the risk of such hazards in all stages of production and distribution. The HACCP gives assurance that the plant has done everything to ensure product and consumer safety in compliance with law, principles of good production practice and customer needs. The company also has a quality management system ISO 9001:2000.
“Because we export some of our products to other European Union countries, we have implemented the International Food Standard required by German commercial chains and the British Retail Consortium standard required by our British chains”, Małgorzata Filipiak continues.
“Product safety is our absolute priority,” says Marta Pokutycka, Communications Director at Cadbury-Wedel Sp. z o.o. “Within the company we apply best production practices, a set of rules and activities that all employees present within the production zone should comply with. We have also implemented the HACCP system, which ensures a more precise and detailed analysis of threats in every production stage, and allows to indicate critical control points.”
“As we pay attention to the consumer safety, our company has implemented a policy of allergen management, based on which we have created several zones where allergens, such as sesame, are present. A “positive release” system has been functioning at the company for a few years now. The system allows to perform constant microbiological control of all finished goods before they leave the plant” explains Marta Pokutycka.
Cadbury Wedel has a quality management system certified by LRQA and implemented according to the ISO 9001:2000 standard. Moreover, independent BVQI auditors have given the company IFS and BRC certificates, which confirm that the company meets the requirements of commercial networks with respect to production of safe food. Additionally, the company cooperates with its suppliers by performing supplier audits of material safety and best production practices. Cadbury Wedel has its own microbiological and physicochemical laboratories, which meet the PN-ISO 17025 standards, Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) and Good Microbiological Practice (GMP) standards.
A modern plant is key
“Health safety of products manufactured by Wawel S.A. is ensured by a series of activities within the ISO 9001:2000, HACCP and IFS systems that have been implemented at the company,” says Dorota Piwowarska, Marketing Director at Wawel S.A. “These include, among other things, purchasing and the use of highest quality raw materials in production, supplier audits, physicochemical and microbiological examination of supplies, semi-finished goods, finished products and production environment, production according to proven formulas and elimination of plastic, glass and wooden goods from production areas. The company also monitors critical points of the HACCP system, hygienic processes and employs only those people who have a medical certificate allowing them to work in the food industry. Our manufacturing plant is perfectly protected against pests and all products are stored in modern, air-conditioned warehouses. Goods are transported in vehicles that are properly equipped to carry confectionary products”.
“Wawel has implemented and used a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system as well as the IFS standard required by various European commercial networks,” she adds.
Priority - hygiene and safety
Piotr Stawny, Director’s Assistant and Sales Representative at Łużyckie Praliny Sp. z o.o., assures that taking care of product safety begins from the stage of selecting and checking particular suppliers and packaging. “Moreover, a very good hygienic and production practice has been introduced in the company, which entails employee training on hygiene and safety. Production lines are equipped with critical control points (CCP), monitored by metal detectors and controlled using a microbiological (luminescence) method,” he adds. For several years now, Łużyckie Praliny has used the implemented IFS and BRC quality attestations, certified by German TÜV. In addition, the company, which has been a supplier for many commercial chains and cooperated with well-known producers, is audited by TESCO, JMD, Carrefour, as well as Cadbury Wedel and Cadbury Schweppes.
“Terravita guarantees safety of its goods through implementation of a system according to ISO 2200:2006, which includes both quality management and the HACCP system,” says Dorota Weres, PR Manager at Eurovita.
The company has also implemented the ISO 22000:2006 quality systems. In 2006, it obtained a certificate issued by the Polish Centre for Testing and Certification valid until 2010. Moreover, Eurovita is systematically audited by external companies, which at the same time are its buyers. They include, among others, MGB, Nestlé and Unilever.
ZPC Mieszko S.A. - manufacturer of pralines, wafers and caramel candies, has an integrated quality management system certified by Bureau Veritas Certification Poland (BVC Poland) for compliance with the international ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 22000:2005 standards.
The company, whose head office is located in Raciborz, has also received the OK Kosher certificate, which confirms that the company meets strictly specified requirements for kosher production.
In 2006, the company obtained the International Food Standard (IFS) and the British Retail Consortium Global Standard - Food (BRC) certificates.
Additionally, administrative and operational changes at ZPC Mieszko S.A. ensure constant improvement of the integrated quality management system. Detailed specification of processes, goals and indicators is one of the strengths of the system implemented at the company.
The “Solidarność” Confectionery Company’s mission and objective is to gain trust of clients by producing goods of very high quality. Perfect quality of products is ensured by using state-of-the-art technologies and running operations according to international standards in quality management.
It is confirmed by an integrated quality management and food safety system, which meets the requirements of DIN EN ISO 9001:2000 - Quality Management System, and DIN EN ISO 22000:2005 - Food Safety Management System. The company also has such certificates as IFS - version 4 (higher level) or BRC Global Standard Food - version 4.
International brands
Marek Ojrzyński, Branch Director of Nestlé Poland in Kargowa, emphasises that product safety is the most important issue and a priority for Nestlé Poland. The sweets manufactured by Nestlé’s Division in Kargowa meet the highest safety standards consistent with the European Union standards, often more rigorous internal standards, and also with the Polish regulations.
“The internal food safety assurance system covers numerous levels of protection, e.g. observing principles of the Good Hygiene Practice (GHP) and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP). We apply the HACCP analysis, i.e. Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points. We monitor Critical Control Points in the critical points in the production process (CCP), which means we mainly use metal detectors and check allergen declarations on the packaging,” says Marek Ojrzyński. He also adds that his company runs internal audits of particular processes as well as hygiene audits, which allow for continued improvement of product safety.
In December 2008, Nestlé’s manufacturing plant in Kargowa successfully underwent certification audits for compliance with the ISO 9001, 22 000, 18.000 and OHSAS standards performed by BVC.
Nestlé Poland has also implemented an Integrated Management System and meets the criteria of ISO 22000, ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 standards. The system includes a certified HACCP system as well.
A German company, Haribo, which has been operating on the Polish market for a few years now, attaches a great importance to the quality of its products. “It is one of the company’s key principles; therefore, all stages in the production process are subject to the supervision of restrictive quality and safety management systems,” says Jerzy Buchner, Vice-President of Management Board of Haribo Sp. z o.o.
Additionally, Haribo has been using the HACCAP food control system and fulfils all requirements specified by ISO 9001, International Food Standard and British Retail Consortium. Our products do not contain gluten and allergic factors, which have been listed in Directive 2003/89/EC of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union of 10 November 2003. High quality of Haribo jelly and Maoam dissolvable chewing gum is confirmed by numerous awards and distinctions, such as for example “Superproduct 2005”, “Product of the Year. Innovation 2006”, “Golden Badge of Quality 2006”, “Top Innovation”, “Lider Forum 2006 and 2007”, “The Best in Poland 2006”, golden and silver medal at DLG 2007 and “FMCG Oscar 2007”.
Polish and European safety standards
“The Polish food and nutrition safety regulations, both acts and regulations, refer to directives and regulations of the European Union; therefore, the current standards do not differ much from the EU ones. Sometimes they are even stricter,” says Dorota Weres from Eurovita.
Małgorzata Filipiak from Jutrzenka Colian shares the same opinion. In her view, the Polish safety standards do not differ from European Union standards and even from those which are globally accepted. “We have been a member of the European Community for a few years now, which obliges us to observe its rules and regulations. If the products offered by Polish manufactures did not meet the commonly approved standards, they would never be admitted for sale,” adds Małgorzata Filipiak.
“It happens that in some cases Polish safety standards are even more rigorous,” says Marek Ojrzyński. “Nestlé applies the EU standards and Nestlé’s internal standards where they are more rigorous that the European ones”.
“The standards that we apply are European Union standards. However, some Western companies prefer their own auditors to the Polish ones, so we have decided to obtain additional certificates from the German TÜV,” says Piotr Stawny from Łużyckie Praliny Sp. z o.o.
Tomasz Masal