Rooting for business!

Andy Murray won his first round of Wimbledon in straight sets, and Cert ID Europe get more new BRC business! Safe to say a great start to the week!

The new business we're celebrating this week is the 2012 BRC audit of Hammond Produce Ltd! The Nottingham based company process and manufacturer root vegetables and the likes of rhubarb, asparagus and alliums! Hammond Produce are a great example of a company who thrive through BRC, much like Andy Murray will hopefully thrive through Wimbledon...3 cheers for British greats!

Party Time!

It’s time for more birthday shouts today! Iain Mansell who works in FoodChain Europe is celebrating his birthday today.. Shh it’s not until tomorrow but he’s lucky enough to be celebrating his birthday outside of work tomorrow, plus this means more cake for us! Give us food here at Cert ID and we’ll all be happy.. after all we do work in the food industry.

3 cheers for Iain and not forgetting the Birthday speech then it’s back to work for the afternoon!

Wimbledon 2012!

Not sure about the whole of Cert ID Europe and FoodChain Europe but some of us definitely are excited that it's the time of year where the sun hopefully shines, Andy Murray gets a legion of followers and the strawberries and cream are ready to be served. Yes you heard it, Wimbledon!

Even though we support the whole of the world, and have clients in countries here there and everywhere, it would not be quite right if we weren't supporting the British great Andy Murray! Disappointed by the football result over the weekend, it seems only apt that the UK turn their support to Andy and the next two weeks of great British Sport.

Also this is a fantastic excuse to have some of those Halal certified strawberries with ISO 22000 compliant cream and BRC approved Pimms. The flags are cracking and the sun is almost (fingers crossed) out, so here is hopefully a few weeks to be celebrated!

Not so sunny summer

Well the weather may be drab and dreary but the Cert ID office certainly isn't! New business we're shouting about, and this time it is for Wight Salad Group! And it seems it's not only Cert ID who are shouting about Wight Salads, they have also appeared in the news this week due to having Britain's best tomatoes!

That's what we like to hear. Our lovely clients doing extremely well and getting the best exposure for their products. Happy BRCs all around.

Shark attack take 2!

Well the details are set in stone now for Cert ID and FoodChain Europe's charity event! The sharks have been informed, the scuba tanks are been filled, and the sponsor money is starting to come in!

Cert ID and FoodChain Europe are diving with sharks on the 6th of October 2012 to raise money for Birmginham Children's hospital on behalf of Poppy Guilder. The Poppy Guilder charity has been raising money for Birmingham Children's hospital to help support children such as Poppy. Therefore Cert ID and FoodChain also decided to help!

We'll be slimming down to fit into the wet-suits (also less for the sharks to bite) and we'll be trying to raise the sponsor money so that Birmingham Children's hospital can be helped out. So go on, sponsor us a few pence or two :)

http://www.justgiving.com/certideurope2012  

Sustainability and Responsibility Course

Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

18th October 2012

What’s it all about?

CSR has been around for a while but ‘sustainability’ is now the buzz word of the decade.  Retailers and brands know going green makes good sense because it influences consumer buying choices and behaviour. Retailers are making strong pledges of green compliance, often time driven promises and to meet them expect the food industry and supply chain to comply.  But what should food manufacturers and ingredient suppliers be doing?  Does it add cost or value?  What are the approaches?  Where are the pitfalls?

Who should attend?

• Quality Managers

• Technical Managers

• Food professionals implementing or managing sustainability or CSR

The programme:

• Key definitions

• CSR as a risk management tool

• A review of certification programmes available making sense of it all and how to make the right choice

• Auditing for CSR

• Labelling and marketing claims

Genetically Modified Calf - what will they think of next?

The recent article which has appeared during Cert ID Europe's research today discusses a new creation which is the genetically modified cow! A university in North China has been experimenting with how far genetic modification can go and they have produced a calf which produces low lactose milk.

According to the University:

"The enzyme can dissolve lactose -- the main sugar found in dairy products -- into galactose or glucose to ease digestive disorders among the lactose-intolerant people."

This is quite a large step in the genetic modification world which could spark off many different debates. Any ideas? Talk a look at the article below.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2012-06/11/c_131645355.htm

(this isn't the cow by the way, but a blog isn't a blog without a picture)

Halal, more to it than 'meats' the eye

Many food manufacturers in both the UK and worldwide, are choosing to gain Halal food certification.  Halal meat is usually consumed by Muslims, as it is in keeping with their religious values.  This article will discuss the key advantages of gaining this certification.

Acquiring Halal certification UK can help a business to enhance the marketability of its products to the 1.5 million Halal customers who live in the UK.  The registered trademark Halal logo provides consumers with reassurance that their meat and its by-products has been slaughtered in line with the requirements set out by Islam law.  

For those businesses who export their products, the Halal certificate can aid them in meeting the set requirements from the importing countries.  This can help a business to expand its marketplace, which in turn can help to increase its sales and revenue. The European domestic Halal food market is huge and was worth approximately $64 billion in 2009.  There are approximately 52 million Muslims currently in Europe and it has been predicted that this number will double over the next 20 years.

The halal certification UK process starts off by businesses downloading the application form from the internet.  The completed form along with application fees needs to be sent off, after which an audit and inspection can then be arranged.  The audit consists of an inspection of the production process, raw materials and ingredients, as well as the Quality Management Systems, storage systems and sanitation materials.  If the products and processes are deemed to be seen as acceptable to pass the Halal requirements, then a Halal certificate can be issued.

Once Halal food certification status has been gained, regular audits and inspections will need to be carried out to ensure products and procedures continue to meet the set requirements.  The products produced by the company are legally entitled to bear the registered trademark Halal logo on their packaging, which is easily identifiable by Halal consumers.  It is also worth noting that non-Muslims are also able to purchase Halal products, making them universally popular.

However remember that Halal isn't just associated with meat!  There are many products out there that we are using which could or could not be Halal. 

Interested? Give Cert ID a call today on (0)+44 675 475607 or email
info@cert-id.eu

Call it a Century!

Well this is Cert ID Europe's 100th post, how the time certainly flies when you're having fun. Not sure what to celebrate in our 100th post so just like every other post we shall talk about food. But this time biscuits!

The Cert ID Europe office are partial to a biscuit or two, whether this be custard creams, bourbons or digestives. The office has split over the favouriting of biscuits and the hording of biscuits from one individual to another. At the current time the FoodChain team are treasuring the last crumbs of their chocolate digestives, the certification team are scraping the barrel on their jubilee biscuits, and the sales team are stepping away from the custard creams to achieve the ideal bikini bodies, (even the men!). 

So there you have it, biscuits, Cert ID Europe, and a 100 blogs later.

Let’s Celebrate for 2012!

The sun might not be shining but we all are here at Cert ID Europe, after a lovely long bank holiday to celebrate the jubilee in style its back to work to catch up on courses, certification and sales.  However there’s a lovely surprise waiting for us at the end of the month when the Olympic torch visits Tamworth for the upcoming 2012 Olympic games!

Who said 2012 was a bad year?!... Business is booming, the Queen is celebrating and the Olympic games are just around the corner.

Exclusive BRC conference!

For Cert ID Europe clients only

Watch this space, if you're a client that is

If not, then become one

They get the strawberries, we'll get the cream

The sun may not be shining, but the Cert ID Europe office certainly is! And that's because we have some new business with the fruity company West Newton Fruit!

West Newton Fruit grow and pack strawberries and raspberries to supply the major supermarket chains and the wholesale markets. Their fruit looks delicious, and even more so now it has Cert ID's BRC stamp of approval. 

It must be Authentic!

New, authentic business. Not that any of Cert ID Europe's business is fake, but this new business really is authentic, The Authentic Food Company that is! The Authentic Food Company have taken the leap of faith and decided to go with Cert ID Europe for their 2012 BRC audit, and not for one, but two sites! They need two sites with the huge success and great product range they have after all!

The Authentic Food Company have been running for over 25 years, ranging in the ready foods of Mexican, European, Oriental and Indian ready meals and snack foods. They specalise in so much food it's difficult to think which of their products are our favourites! Maybe we should just try them all to decide...

Expand into the EU market!

Cert ID Europe are proud to discuss new business with the Keshav group based in Indore, India! The Keshav group are leading manufacturers and exports of Non-GMO soya lecithin, which will soon be certified to Cert ID Non-GMO Certification. Cert ID Non-GMO Certification is very popular in India in the likes of soy manufacturing, as soy is one of the main risk GM ingredients.

Cert ID Non-GMO Certification can allow a company to prove that they operate to a maximum GM threshold of 01.%, therefore proving that no contamination of GM is existent in their products. Cert ID Europe Non-GMO Certification can expand companies such as Keshav, and allow them to assess and grow into the European Market much easier!

Billy, the musical genius

Well it's getting to the end of the week, and even though Cert ID Europe have only been in the office 3 days this week we're still glad it's Friday.

To end the working week with a smile (mainly because the weather is dull) we are seeing what Billy has been up to, and what he's got to say. Last weekend saw Billy take a trip to the Whit Friday Marches! James Randle of FoodChain Europe took him for a day out, where they both witnessed the likes of Fish and Chips a plethora of hot dog and burger vans, with one serving venison, ostridge or beef burgers (well we had to make it food related somehow...)

Not sure how this can be linked to the likes of the BRC, Non-GMO or Halal, but it's Friday so we'll be let off.

Fishgate

More new business you say? Cert ID Europe are happy to celebrate another fish manufacturer on our BRC books, we just can't seem to get enough of the likes of fresh salmon, cod, plaice and haddock! The particular fish manufacturer of topic today is Fishgate!

Fishgate are based in the centre of Hull's seafood industry and they collect fish from the likes of Iceland, Faroe and Norway. The company runs an auction facility which is a bit different compared to some of our other fish manufacturers. Guess you could say they're quite unique that way, much like Cert ID Europe are a unique certification body.

I feel like chicken tonight!

Banham Poultry chicken that is! Banham Poultry are now a fantastic member of the Cert ID Europe team, a team member of our BRCs! The Norfolk poultry company are going with Cert ID Europe for their 2012 food safety audit, which will no doubt go well due to their success over the BRC history. Banham Poultry have been around since 1959, therefore they know the poultry business inside and out! Much like some of Cert ID auditors! New business keeps rolling in, which is certainly putting a brightner on all the rain we're having!

Singing till the cows come home

New month, more new business! Cert ID Europe are proud to discuss new business with the Preston company Little Town Dairy.

Little Town Dairy have decided to go with Cert ID for their 2012 BRC food safety audit, which means milk and yoghurt for everyone! Little Town Dairy started out in the 1960's with just seven cows, and when we look at them today we can see they have grown and grown to be very successful! Much like Cert ID Europe to be honest.

The company now specialise in milk products including creme fraiche, soured cream, fromage frais and a range of different yogurt lines including Greek Yogurt and Premium ranges. Not only that, but they also now run a tea room and a shop connected to the farm! Only polite for us to drop by for some tea and scones...

According to Cert ID...

Cert ID Europe are back after a relaxing weekend celebrating the Queen and all things British! We are back to discover our name in the press once again, this time in 'Down To Earth'.

The recent article describes the rate and level of which GM contaminated rice is rising. Yes, the article may suggest that some food manufacturers in India are denying GMO contaminated rice, but the figures and reports suggest otherwise.

The above graph displays the rise of GM rice reports over the past few months, therefore making the issue of GMO contaminated rice a rising issue. Cert ID Europe are mentioned in the article relating to a recent interview the Managing Director of the Company gave in April this year. We're quoted to say that

“the unauthorised GMOs have been turning up in consignment of basmati rice from India and Pakistan.”

We're not just all talk though. The figures and the article display the rising concern of GM contaminated rice, and how it may certainly become more of an issue in months to come.

http://www.downtoearth.org.in/content/india-denies-gmo-contamination-basmati