Archive
Quality Control
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Why do IQF berries arrive clumped together?
Clumping in IQF fruit has two distinct causes with two distinct owners. Dry, loose clumps with no frost inside the liner usually…
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Food Safety Standards for Food Suppliers: How the Schemes Fit Together
How HACCP, ISO 22000 and the GFSI-benchmarked schemes relate to each other, which one a buyer is likely to require, and how…
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BRCGS Audit: What the Auditor Actually Checks
A walkthrough of a BRCGS Food Safety audit: preparation, the areas auditors concentrate on, how non-conformities are graded, and what to fix…
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The Supplier Approval Pack: What to Ask For and How to Read It
A supplier approval pack is not a formality. Each document in it answers a specific question about whether the supplier can deliver…
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BRCGS vs IFS Food: Which Certification Does Your Buyer Actually Require?
BRCGS Food Safety and IFS Food are both GFSI-recognised, both audited annually and both cover substantially the same ground. The choice is…
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FSSC 22000 vs ISO 22000: Why One Is Accepted by Retailers and the Other Is Not
ISO 22000 is a management system standard; FSSC 22000 is a certification scheme built on ISO 22000 plus a sector prerequisite specification…
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How do I verify a supplier’s food safety certificate?
Check it in the scheme owner’s public directory instead of trusting the PDF you were sent. Every major programme runs a searchable…
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What is the difference between documentary, identity and physical checks?
These are the three levels of official control applied to consignments entering the Union under Regulation (EU) 2017/625. They are cumulative in…
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What is a mass balance check in an organic audit?
A mass balance check asks a simple question with uncomfortable implications: can you have sold as much certified organic product as you…
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How to Write a Frozen Vegetable Specification That Holds Up at Intake
A working structure for a frozen vegetable specification: identity, sensory, physical, chemical, microbiological, packaging and the sampling plan. What each block must…