QA Solutions is a company providing comprehensive services in the field of certification of quality and food safety management standards and systems.
Since 2011 we have been operating on the Polish and foreign markets, and since 2017 we have been a member of the J.S. Hamilton Poland Sp. z o.o. Capital Group.
Through responsible and continuous development we have our ever-growing contribution to maintaining the highest technical, scientific and operational level in sectors directly related to people and their environment. Our areas of activity include quality, food safety, product certification, packaging, logistics, responsibility and social communication.
We demonstrate an ongoing commitment to disseminating and improving quality in the food sector.
BRCGS FOOD
BRC Global Standard for Food Safety is an international food standard developed by the British Retail Consortium. The form and content of the standard are designed so that a supplier can be assessed on its premises (its management system, procedures) by an auditor, thus standardising food safety criteria and monitoring processes and procedures.
The BRC standard sums up the requirements contained in ISO 9001, Codex Alimentarius, GMP and GHP and defines the requirements that must guarantee safety and the required, repeatable quality level of the finished product. An additional element to which great attention is paid is the compliance of the product with food law.
Auditing of the facility according to the BRC standard is carried out according to a checklist (by certification bodies), which determines whether and how effectively the manufacturer complies in the following areas:
- management and continuous improvement,
- HACCP Food Safety Plan – implementation in accordance with Codex Alimentarius requirements,
- Quality and Food Safety Management System (Quality Book, supervision of documentation, records, conducting audits, specifications, conducting corrective actions, complaints, handling of non-compliant products, product withdrawal, incident management),
- facility standards – implementation of GMP and GHP principles (building construction, plant safety, product flow, machinery, equipment, water, ice, air, maintenance, cleaning, waste, pests, storage, logistics operations, metal detection),
- product control – product design and development, allergen management, product packaging, delivery inspection and testing plans, in-process and finished product inspection by in-house laboratory, definition of product release criteria, definition of non-conforming product handling,
- process Control – control of operations, control of quantities, calibration and control of monitoring and measuring instruments with equipment,
- staff – training staff, controlling staff hygiene, medical examinations, use of protective clothing, hygiene of social areas,
- high-risk, high-caution and uncooled production areas,
- requirements for traded products – optional.
IFS Food
IFS Food (International Featured Standards Food) is an international food standard developed by representatives of German and French retailers in cooperation with retailers from other countries. IFS has been developed for the purpose of evaluating suppliers to retail chains, so-called private label manufacturers, who are required by the retail chains to comply with the IFS standard. It only applies to areas of activity where there is a risk of product contamination, i.e., food manufacturers and companies processing and/or packaging food products. IFS Food does not apply to:
- importers and exporters,
- food transport,
- storage and distribution.
The IFS standard consists of 4 parts:
- IFS Food certification protocol – the result of the assessment, the execution of the assessment, the individual steps towards certification, etc.
- IFS Food Assessment – a list of requirements in 6 chapters:
- Management and commitment;
- Quality and Food Safety Management System;
- Resource management;
- Operational processes;
- Measurement, analysis, improvement;
- food defence plan.
- Requirements for Accreditation Bodies, Certification Bodies and Auditors
- Reporting.
FSSC 22000
FSSC 22000 is a standard developed by the Foundation for Food Safety Certification. The standard was approved in 2013 by GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative) and is based on the integration of ISO 22000, the requirements of ISO Technical Standards or Technical Specifications and additional specific requirements.
FSSC 22000 certification covers the following categories:
- Farming of animals (category A),
- Food manufacturing (category C),
- Animal feed production(category D),
- catering (category E),
- retail and wholesale trade (category F),
- transportation and storage (category G),
- Production of food packaging and packaging materials (category I),
- Production of (Bio) chemicals (category K).
ISO 22000
In Poland, the standard has been issued by the Polish Committee for Standardisation as PN-EN ISO 22000. The full name is “Food safety management system – Requirements for every food chain organisation”.
ISO 22000 is the international standard that specifies requirements for food safety management systems used by organisations with a place in the entire food marketing chain. The standard is aimed at the full chain of activities from producers through processing to wholesalers, retailers and the hotel and restaurant industry and transport system.
IFS Logistics
The IFS Logistics standard is dedicated to companies not involved in processing, but dealing with foodstuff storage, transport, and logistics.
The IFS Logistics requirements cover six chapters:
- Responsibility of senior management,
- Product quality and safety management system,
- Resource management,
- Implementation of services,
- Measurement, analysis, improvement,
- Product protection.
IFS Broker
The IFS Broker standard is dedicated to companies that do not have their own warehousing and transport facilities and only deal with brokers without direct contact with the product, such as brokers and importers. The requirements of the standard include: a quality and product safety management system, resource management, planning and service processes, defence of the product against intentional contamination or interference by third parties, as well as measurement, analysis and improvement and top management responsibility.
Product categories for IFS Broker certification include:
- food products,
- personal hygiene products,
- household chemicals,
- packaging.
BRC PM
The purpose of developing the BRC PM (Packaging and Packaging Materials) standard is to protect the consumer by providing a common basis for certification of companies that supply packaging to food manufacturers.
Since its first publication in 2001, the standard has been regularly updated to reflect the latest product safety requirements. It is now used worldwide, not only by food packaging manufacturers, but also by packaging manufacturers at every stage of the supply chain.
The standard provides a framework for all packaging manufacturers to help them produce safe packaging materials and manage product quality to meet customer requirements while remaining legally compliant.
Certification to the standard is recognised by many brand owners, retailers, foodservice companies and manufacturers around the world when evaluating suppliers.
GlobalG.A.P. IFA
GlobalG.A.P. is a food safety assurance standard for primary production on farms (Integrated Farm Assurance). It applies only to fresh, unprocessed products and is aimed at producers of fresh fruit and vegetables.
This standard covers the entire production chain, from sowing or planting the crop in the ground, through care and harvesting of the crop, including post-harvest handling, such as storage, packaging and conditioning. One of the main objectives of the standard is to reduce the use of fertilisers and crop protection products to the minimum necessary in order to reduce the adverse impact of agriculture on the environment, as well as to ensure the longest possible use of agricultural land.
The GlobalG.A.P. certificate is international, recognised in Poland, Europe and the world. The GlobalG.A.P. standard is required by retail chains and other customers as a confirmation of quality and safety of produced food.
The GlobalG.A.P. standard includes the following sub-bands:
- FV – Fruit and Vegetables,
- CC – Combinable Crops
- FO – Flovers and Ornamentals,
- PPM – Plant Propagation Materials.
GlobalG.A.P. Chain of Custody (CoC)
The GLOBALG.A.P. Chain of Custody standard provides supply chain validation that goods have been produced in accordance with GlobalG.A.P. requirements and come from certified entities. All companies handling and/or trading GlobalG.A.P. certified product can apply for certification.
The standard specifies requirements for the handling of certified products and the proper segregation of certified and non-certified products. The standard does not directly cover food safety requirements.
The certificate is issued for processes carried out by the certified entity, and the status covers the entire food chain certified according to GlobalG.A.P., i.e. crop production, animal production, aquaculture, as well as animal feed production.
Additional modules developed by GlobalG.A.P.
GRASP – GlobalG.A.P. Risk Assessment on Social Practice
GRASP is a voluntary module developed to assess social practices on the farm, such as specific aspects of health, safety and welfare of workers. This module helps to establish a good management system on the farm.
The implementation of the GRASP module provides opportunities to support the establishment of communication channels between management and employees, guarantees compliance with international and national labour law, and raises the manufacturer’s position among suppliers and buyers.
Any manufacturer with a GlobalG.A.P. certificate can apply for a GRASP assessment certificate. The GRASP module covers social risk assessment and is not related to GlobalG.A.P. certified products.
SPRING – Sustainable programme for irrigation and groundwater use
SPRING is an add-on that helps producers, retailers and traders demonstrate their commitment to sustainable water management and can be implemented in conjunction with the GlobalG.A.P. IFA for crops.
SPRING is a wide range of criteria for assessing sustainable water management on farm. These include:
- the legality of water sources and extraction rates,
- good practice in water management (e.g. use of tensiometers),
- protection of water sources,
- monitoring of water consumption,
- the impact of producers on sustainable river basin management.
AH-DLL GROW
The AH-DLL GROW add-on was developed in collaboration with retailers Albert Heijn (AH) and Delhaize (DLL) and launched in August 2020.
AH-DLL GROW assesses risk management in relation to hygiene, pesticide residues and foreign bodies. The module has been developed to better meet increasing consumer demands for food quality and safety and to raise awareness among producers.
The AH-DLL GROW assessment is conducted for both individual growers and producer groups who deliver fruit and vegetables directly or through their suppliers to Albert Heijn in the Netherlands or Delhaize in Belgium.
TESCO NURTURE
TESCO NURTURE module is a programme launched by the international retail chain TESCO in 1992. The main objective of this programme is to provide customers with a guarantee that fruit and vegetables from TESCO suppliers are grown in an environmentally friendly way. To this end, the programme is based on the implementation of stricter requirements than those laid down by law regarding the use of plant protection products and upper limits for residues of plant protection products in fresh produce.
GlobalG.A.P PLUS module for McDonald’s
A scheme providing requirements for any agricultural producer involved in supplying fresh fruit and vegetables to the McDonald’s chain.
FSA (Farm Sustainability Assessment)
The principles of the FSA (Farm Sustainability Assessment) have been developed by the global Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform (SAI Platform). Confirmation of the implementation of the farm sustainability requirements can be demonstrated through self-assessment or verification by independent certification bodies. Independent verification gives the opportunity to obtain an internationally recognised Letter of Attestation document.
Sustainable agriculture is based on three pillars – Planet, People, Profit. It comprises actions that reduce the negative impact of agriculture on the environment, while enabling a more efficient and profitable use of resources such as water, soil, fertilisers, energy, seeds or plant protection products, and maintaining the profitability of agricultural production and respect for people.
The FSA verification process is driven by three available options:
- Benchmarking principle – confirmation of compliance with requirements based on other certified standards recognised by SAI Platform with an indicated grade level.
- Carry out a self-assessment and have it verified by the audit of the certification body.
- Hybrid option as a combination of 1 and 2 – acceptance of meeting part of the FSA requirements on the basis of other certified standards recognised by the SAI Platform and assessment in addition to the remaining requirements. This option is e.g. certification of the GlobalG.A.P. standard with the GGFSA addendum.
INTEGRATED CROP PRODUCTION
Integrated Plant Production is a voluntary food quality system which uses technical and biological progress in cultivation, plant protection and fertilization in a sustainable way and pays special attention to environmental protection and human health.
The farm is assessed by an authorised inspector from the Certification Body, who verifies the farm’s management as regards its compliance with the obligatory and additional requirements for the species and with the basic requirements and recommendations for the farm laid down in the methodologies developed by PIORiN.
The obtained certificate of Integrated Plant Production allows the producer to mark his products with the IP logo, which confirms that the permissible levels of residues of plant protection products, heavy metals, nitrates and other elements and harmful substances were not exceeded in the produced crops.
REGIONAL AND TRADITIONAL PRODUCTS
In Poland, we have 44 products registered as Protected Designations of Origin (PDO), Protected Geographical Indications (PGI) and Traditional Specialities Guaranteed (TSG). Of these, at QA Solutions sp. z o.o. we certify the apples of Grójec and the Galician Garlic, which are Protected Geographical Indication products.
These products have unique quality parameters which are characteristic only for the region in which they were produced, which distinguishes the certified articles from other, generally available ones. A producer who successfully completes the process of verifying the requirements of the specification approved by the European Commission is awarded a PGI certificate and may mark his products with the Protected Geographical Indication logo.
ESTA
European Seed Treatment Assurance was developed by the European Seed Association (ESA). It ensures the quality of seed treatment and treated seeds, as well as their compliance with current legislation and industry requirements. Seeds are treated with the lowest possible amount of plant protection products, which minimises the environmental impact of agricultural activities while maintaining maximum efficacy of the product.
Control audits at the plants are carried out by Certification Bodies authorised by the Polish Seed Chamber. Each stage is subject to a management system to guarantee the quality and safety of the treated seeds. ESTA certification is granted for each species and for each location of treated seed. It covers facilities that clean, treat, deliver, pack or repack seed. ESTA certification covers all stages of treatment, from the reception of raw material to the delivery of treated material.