EQAS CERTIFICATION
Food & Beverage Industry
The road that food has to travel from producers to consumers can be long and tedious. It may go through processors, transporters, distributors, and many other intermediaries before it arrives on the dinner table.
The food supply chain is a particularly delicate system. Issues can arise from any point and these can have devastating effects on both consumers and industry players. On one hand, people who consume unsafe foods can fall ill. On the other hand, businesses can suffer from reputational, legal, and financial damages.
Because of its crucial function in both keeping the population healthy and productive, there are numerous regulations put in place to ensure that food is safe from farm to fork. In instances when these regulations are not met, companies face consequences including costly product recalls, legal implications and damaged reputations.
Safety standards are extremely stringent as it aims to protect consumers from life-threatening food-borne illnesses. All businesses working within the bounds of the supply chain are obligated to ensure food safety from the point of production up to the point of consumption.
ISO and HACCP certifications are the best places to start for businesses looking to establish or enhance the food safety standards in the food and beverage industry.
Relevant Certifications for the Food and Beverage Industry
Standards are specifically crafted to ensure that food products are produced, handled, and distributed safely. This involves food producers, manufacturers, distributors, and other businesses that handle food. It mandates businesses in the industry to maintain sanitation in the work environments, a food safety analysis and control system in place, and an established documentation process. Businesses with ISO 22000 certification assures customers that their products have been tested and monitored for potential health risks, and are suitable for human consumption.
Is an essential credential for food and beverage businesses. It stipulates that companies must establish, monitor, and conduct risk assessments for critical control point limits for food products going through the supply chain. Control point limits can include but are not exclusive to expiry dates and best before seals. An organisation that has a HACCP certification has proven that they have taken the necessary steps to ensure that the products they produce or deliver are safe for their consumers.
EQAS Certification provides certification for Good Hygienic Practices (GHP) to assist businesses in the food and beverage industry ensure the safety and quality of their products and services. The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), an international food standards-setting body, established GHP as the basic measures and conditions applied at any point in the food chain to provide safe and appropriate food. Chapter One of Codex CXC 1-1969 (2020) – General principles of food hygiene contains the GHP requirements.