Food Safety & Quality Policy
The ABP Food Group at all times aims for the highest standards of product safety and quality. It is our policy to ensure that meat supplied by the company is procured, processed and transported by means which fulfil all food safety requirements and customer specifications.
We are a customer focused organisation that aims to meet or exceed our customer expectations.
To ensure that these standards are met and to satisfy Statutory, Industry Best Practice and Customer requirements, we operate a Food Safety and Quality Management System which is based on Codex Alimentarius HACCP principles. Our procedures are designed to allow consistent application of requirements, facilitate training, and support due diligence in the production of a safe product.
Our aim is to assure the integrity of all livestock procurements and to ensure that all livestock are treated compassionately and in accordance with best animal welfare standards at all times.
We are committed to continuously improving our standards in response to new technology to remain at the forefront of our industry.
Accreditations
In order to strengthen our commitment to our Food Safety and Quality Management Systems we have achieved accreditations from a number of bodies:
BRC
The BRC Global Standard specifies requirements to be met by an organization to enable the production, packaging, storage and distribution of safe food and consumer products. Originally developed in response to the needs of UK members of the British Retail Consortium, the Standard has gained world-wide adoption and is specified by a growing numbers of retailers and branded manufacturers in the EU, North America and further afield.
Certification has been achieved for each ABP site through audit by third party Certification Bodies, which reassures retailers and branded owners of the capability and competence of the sites
Click to visit the BRC website & view our sites certification and the grade achieved.
http://www.brcdirectory.com/Siteresults.aspx?SiteName=AiBP&CountryId=0&
http://www.brcdirectory.com/Siteresults.aspx?SiteName=ABP&CountryId=0&
Bord Bia
The Bord Bia Beef Quality Assurance Scheme is an integrated scheme involving the producer and the processing plant working in partnership to provide the customer with quality assured product. The scheme describes the essential quality assurance requirements from primary production through factory processing to final dispatch which are necessary to meet customer requirements. In addition, the scheme lays down additional standards to be complied with at each step of the production chain. The Scheme was accredited under EN45011 in 2004.
http://www.bordbia.ie/industryinfo/pages/CompanySearchResults.aspx?_compName=ABP%20&_compSector=
Organic
Our sites that produce organic products are audited by the Soil Association. The Soil Association is a charity which promotes and develops sustainable approaches to food, farming and other products. They run a standards setting programme to write, update and modify the rules and regulations for organic production and processing as necessary. As a result of this rigorous standards setting process some of their standards (rules and regulations) are higher than those given by the law for organic food.
Soil Association Certification is a wholly owned subsidiary of the organisation. It carries out inspections and awards organic certification to farms and businesses that meet their standards. You will notice their symbol and certification number (UK 5) on many items of organic produce. Their certification business is the oldest and most experienced organic certifier in the UK and licenses about 80% of the organic food on sale in this country.
International Food Standard (IFS)
Our value added sites supplying the European continent are audited in against IFS. German and French food trade associations, with the assistance of other international retailers, have responded by developing IFS or the International Food Standard. The aim of the standard is to focus the various requirements of retailers on one standard. Benefits of the standard include enhanced transparency along the food chain and a reduced number of customer audits resulting in cost savings. Certification to IFS by an independent third-party helps suppliers demonstrate to retailers that their product safety, quality and legal obligations are fulfilled. IFS is particularly suitable if you are a supplier of German and French retailer branded food products regardless of your size, sector and location. As the food industry is truly international the standard is applicable to suppliers throughout the world
Useful Links
Food safety & consumer issues – Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland
