ISO 9001 is a globally recognized quality management system standard developed using a core set of eight quality management principles which are the foundation for all standards relating to quality management:

• customer focus
• leadership
• the involvement of people
• a process approach
• a system approach to management
• continual improvement
• a factual approach to decision making
• mutually beneficial supplier relationship

ISO 22000 is a certifiable standard providing an internationally harmonized framework for the safety and quality requirements throughout the food supply chain and is designed to cover all the processes that deal directly or indirectly with the end product being consumed.

ISO 22000 applies to all kinds of businesses that relate directly or indirectly to the food chain: from animal feed production, primary production and food production, processing, storage and transportation, distribution until retailing, up to the massive focus and the supply of foodstuffs to the consumer as well as to businesses that provide services or supplying equipment, packaging material, cleaning and disinfection materials, additives, etc

BRC Global Standard – Food

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) created the global standard for food, establishing a single common standard for the evaluation of companies supplying retailer branded foods. It has been developed to assist retailers in fulfilling legal obligations and to ensure the highest level of client protection. Although developed in the UK, the standard is acknowledged internationally.

What is the BRC Global Standard - Food?

The Standard contains requirements for a HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) system in accordance with the requirements of Codex Alimentarius, a documented quality management system and control of the factory environment standards, products, process and personnel.

The development of the IFS (International Food Standard) is based on the ever-rising demands of consumers, the increasing liabilities of retailers and wholesalers, the increasing legal requirements and the globalization of product supplies. All of these points made it essential to develop a uniform quality assurance and food safety standard.

The members of the German retail federation of its French counterpart  and of its Italian counterparts have drawn up a quality and food safety standard for retailer (and wholesaler) branded food products, which is intended to enable the assessment of suppliers’ food safety and quality systems, in accordance with a uniform approach. This IFS Food applies to all the post-farm gate stages of food processing. Retailers from Austria, Poland, Spain and Switzerland also support IFS as their food safety standard.

Economic performance is no longer the sole gauge of a business’ achievements. Environmental responsibility is increasingly considered a factor of overall business performance and sustainability.

One of the strongest appeals of ISO 14001 is that it can be applied to any enterprise, whether large or small, manufacturing or service, public or private sector.

ISO 14001 certification can help you:

·         Identify, manage, mitigate and improve your environmental impacts

·         Reduce and even eliminate reactive environmental strategies, including cleanups and litigation

·         Manage and improve performance in key metric areas such as lower energy costs, waste reduction, increased recycling, and lower raw material usage

·         Gain recognition and credibility of independent verification of your environmental claims

·         Protect your brand image and prove your business is taking steps to help the environment

·         Gain accreditation and competitive edge over uncertified businesses as you demonstrate globally recognized good environmental practices

·         Tender for business with organizations who place an emphasis on working with environmentally sustainable businesses

Realize continual improvement in areas that can be costly to your business.

ISO 18001 (OHSAS) certification is applicable to any organization wishing to:

• establish an OHS management system to eliminative or minimize risk to employees and other interested parties who may be exposed to OHS risks
• implement, maintain and continually improve an OHS management system
• assure conformance of its OHS management system and demonstrate this conformance to others

ISO/IEC 17025 is the main standard used by testing and calibration laboratories. It specifies the general requirements for the competence to carry out tests and/or calibrations, including sampling. It covers testing and calibration performed using standard methods, non-standard methods, and laboratory-developed methods.

It is applicable to all organizations performing tests and/or calibrations. These include, for example, first-, second- and third-party laboratories, and laboratories where testing and/or calibration forms part of inspection and product certification.

The ISO 17025 standard helps maintain the quality of calibration by governing calibration laboratory operations and procedures, as well as the technical quality of data provided by calibration service suppliers. Quality consultants, auditors and internal quality departments are increasingly requesting calibration services from laboratories that adhere to the ISO 17025 standard.

The CE marking is a mandatory European marking for certain product groups to indicate conformity with the essential health and safety requirements set out in European Directives. To permit the use of a CE mark on a product, proof that the item meets the relevant requirements must be documented. Sometimes this is achieved using an external test house which evaluates the product and its documentation. Often it is achieved by a company-internal self-certification process. In any case the responsible organization (manufacturer, representative, importer) has to issue a EC-Declaration of Conformity (EC-DoC) indicating his identity (location, etc.), the list of European Directives he declares compliance with, a list of standards the product complies with, and a legally binding signature on behalf of the organization. The EC-DoC underlines the sole responsibility of the manufacturer. Parts of the certification process for the CE marking could be performed by 3rd party test houses or certification bodies; in case that this is mandatory the CE symbol also includes a number that identifies the so called Notified Body.