Supply Chain

Ensuring Food Safety, Traceability Through Quality Certifications

Third-party certifications help food companies such as ours meet and exceed our clients' expectations and allow us to continually expand our knowledge, positioning our teams as experts and leaders in the agri-food sector.

Sponsored Content | / This article is sponsored by Certified Origins | By Lucia Mazzi | Published 4 weeks ago | About a 4 minute read

Image: Juan Gomez

The food industry is experiencing an increasing demand for transparency, as buyers have access to new data and are interested in learning about the origin and quality of the products they purchase.

At the same time, companies operating in this space find it increasingly difficult to manage their supply chains efficiently due to growing logistics and sourcing challenges and global political instability.

This is especially true in industries such as olive oil — where a lack of clear information and shared standards, unpredictable weather patterns, and growing market demand are accelerating the need for a new approach in everything from technologies and packaging formats to quality control.

International standards and quality-management systems

In today's retail, the term "quality" is perceived as a holistic concept covering all aspects of a product — from sourcing to the end-customer perception.

Quality parameters can be used to define the organoleptic and chemical-physical characteristics of ingredients, the nutritional benefits of the finished product, the packaging features, the operational expertise, and the safety and training of the personnel working across the supply chain. In this context, food companies must adopt robust quality-management systems to maintain customer trust, ensure product safety, and stay competitive in a fast-moving market.

Though many people associate certifications including Organic, Non-GMO and Gluten-Free with food safety and quality, several lesser-known certifications are just as essential to reach these goals. Many businesses — especially those operating internationally — invest in voluntary quality certifications enforced by independent, third-party agencies to give their customers further confidence in the quality and reliability of their products.

These initiatives — which attest that a specific process, product, service or management system satisfies a particular standard or set of rules — are divided into two primary categories: system certifications and product certifications.

Certifications essential for a robust quality-management strategy

System certifications are designed to drive continuous improvement in production processes, and represent a form of indirect insurance for producers and suppliers. They are often displayed on company websites and used in B2B communications, but they are rarely seen on the final product.

System certifications cover a wide range of areas — including process management (ISO 9001 refers to quality-management systems), the environment (ISO 14001 contains the operational guidelines necessary for companies to guarantee their environmental performance), occupational safety and health (OHSAS 18001 establishes workplace health and safety criteria), and data and information (ISO 27001 concerns information technology and contains the techniques and systems for managing information security; its purpose is to protect data and information from threats of all kinds).

Another key system certification is the GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative) — an internationally recognized, voluntary standard used by agri-food companies that contains the core directions needed for optimal control in production. Founded in Belgium in 2000 with the goal of establishing a global food-safety baseline, the GFSI allows companies to monitor every step of production and incorporates risk-assessment methodologies such as the US FDA's HARPC (Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls) and HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points).

The second group is product certifications — which communicate clear messages to customers about the quality and authenticity of the products they are purchasing, and come with recognizable seals and logos often displayed on packaging.

For example, customers looking for trustworthy food products are now familiar with certifications such as PDO (Protected Designation of Origin), PGI (Protected Geographical Indication), Organic and Non-GMO on retail shelves. Another important product certification, ISO 22005, concerns supply chain traceability.

These seals allow brands and retailers to demonstrate their commitment to responsible and ethical sourcing and specific production processes. They often require annual audits, and give businesses a framework to consistently meet regulatory and customer expectations while promoting continuous improvement.

Responsible practices in the Extra Virgin Olive Oil industry

When it comes to producing and marketing Extra Virgin Olive Oil, the commitment to transparency and quality must go beyond mere legal requirements.

As a QA Manager with ten years of direct experience sourcing from various countries and operating internationally, I strongly believe that investing in system and product certifications is crucial to ensuring safe, transparent and responsible sourcing and production practices.

By maintaining transparency throughout our processes, Certified Origins can monitor and ensure the quality of our private-label products while continuing to build on our cooperative legacy.

We actively collaborate with our supply chain to enhance quality-assurance practices; ensuring that everyone handling our products follow the same, high standards — promoting a culture of quality and mutual accountability.