Certifications

GGN 4063061701589

ISO 22000 Certification

Certification under ISO 22000 ensures the entire production chain of the food industry, from the producer to the retailer

The standards ISO 22000, BRC, IFS, the FSSC 22000 one could easily be identified as the pre-eminent internationally accepted standards with mutual recognition with other standards. Is clearly oriented to requirements and to the consumer. The culmination of all efforts was the common position of scientists, consumers, wholesalers, certification bodies and other stakeholders in the need to accredit these standards.

Institutions from all over Europe and Greece got the right to control and product certification according to ISO 22000 standards, FSSC 22000, BRC, IFS. ESYD (National Accreditation Board), as the National Accreditation Body of the Greek Ministry of Development accredits certification bodies. Similarly, accreditation bodies worldwide accredit certification bodies.

The feedback from all interested parties are admirable and have a common purpose:                        Safe food to the consumer’s table.

The BRC, IFS, ISO 22000 and FSSC 22000 standards are Management Systems Health and Food Safety. Applied in Standardization, Processing, Storage and Distribution of products and ensure the further promotion of an agricultural or livestock or processed product to the consumer.

The certifications BRC, IFS, ISO 22000, FSSC 22000, etc. have been declared as a prerequisite for the purchase and disposal of food and processed food. The requirement has been stated by many consumer and supermarket groups in Europe and around the world. Certification is becoming more and more useful to the consumer and the added value of contributing to the “quality circle for safer food to the consumer.”

The Q-CERT operates in Europe, Asia and Africa through a network of partners and collaborating institutions providing accredited certification services through its accreditation by ESYD for the ISO 22000 standards & FSSC 22000 and exclusive partnership with NSF Certification to BRC standards, BRC / IOP & IFS

Quality, Safety and Hygiene of Trading Products

Our company has been chosen as a means to develop a clearly defined policy for quality and safety-hygiene products of the migrant. Through it expresses the company’s commitment to provide healthy products whose proper use, according to their use or consumption instructions does not present any risk to humans.

The operation and effect of the company are determined by what is defined in the relevant directives of the FSA for the storage and distribution of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Strict security policy applied by the company provides a variety of activities that ensure the excellent quality of our products. These include suppliers’ assessment, traceability of all products handled, ongoing staff training, day-to-day cleaning of facilities and equipment, rigorous quality controls and other quality assurance activities.

Summarized by applying the company’s security policy expresses the commitment of this for the following:

• Provide products that meet all health and safety requirements and comply with the standards laid down by both the national and the EU legislation.
• Provision of products supplied from selected producers who agree to comply with the relevant legislation and observance of Agronomy instructions for use of drugs.
• Continuous efforts to improve the quality and safety of products by defining business actions aimed at increasing competitiveness and ensuring consumer health.

The validity and recognition of the company’s system are in accordance with the international standard ISO 22000: 2005 which specifies requirements for a food safety management system to ensure that the consumption of food sold by the company does not present any risk to consumer health.

All employees in the company contribute to the effective implementation of the quality system and improve it. For this reason it detected all needs in education and care is taken to provide training to all employees, who are involved in activities affecting quality.

The company’s goal is the continuous modernization of the plant according to technological developments and requirements in technology marketing of fresh fruit and vegetables.

GLOBAL G.A.P. Certification

GLOBALG.A.P certification. is the internationally recognized standard for the production of the farm. Our main product is the result of intensive research and many years of cooperation with industry experts, manufacturers and retailers across the globe. Our goal is safe and sustainable agricultural production to the benefit of farmers, retailers and consumers around the world. GLOBALG.A.P certification. covers:

• Food safety and traceability environment (including biodiversity)
• Safety and hygiene of workers
• Animal Safety and Welfare Integrated Crop Management (ICM)
• Integrated Pest Control (IPC)
• Quality Management System (QMS) Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP)

The requirements of this certification are, among other things, the highest production efficiency. Improves business performance and reduces waste to vital resources. It also requires a general approach to agriculture based on best practices for future generations.

IMPORTANCE OF FOOD PACKAGING

FOOD PACKAGING

SPYRIDON E. PAPADAKIS Professor of Food Packaging Department of Food Technology TEI Of Athens

Definitions
From the British Institute of Packaging as a package (process) is defined: A coordinated system of preparing goods for transportation, distribution, storage, sale and use.
Under Law 2939/01 as packaging (medium) means “any product made of any kind of material and intended to be used for containing goods. Its aim is the protection, handling, distribution and presentation of goods from the producer to the user or the consumer.”

Food packaging: An integral part of everyday life of people. Its evolution follows the evolution of science and technology and shaped by the rise of living standards and changes in eating habits of people.

Importance of packaging
In underdeveloped countries, 30-50% of food production is destroyed at production sites and never reaches the consumer. This is due to the lack of appropriate media and packaging materials, the inability to import appropriate technology, the inadequacy of the road network and services.

Thanks and packaging, the corresponding figure in Europe is only 2-3%.
For the food industry in the USA packaging costs  15% (average) cost foodstuff being output from the plant (ex factory cost)

The Packaging-Packing of fruits and vegetables

The packaging of fresh fruits and vegetables is one of the most important steps in the long and complicated their journey from producer to consumer. Bags, net bags, plastic and cardboard boxes, cups, trays and trays are appropriate “containers” for the management, transport and marketing of fresh produce. Many hundreds of different types of packaging used for fresh products in Greece and abroad, and the number continues to grow as the industry presents new materials and packaging systems. Although the industry generally agrees that standardization of containers is a way to reduce costs, the trend in recent years for a wide range of packaged products sizes to meet the diverse needs of wholesalers, small shopkeepers, of Super grocery managers Markets and consumers.

Packaging and packaging materials contribute largely to the cost of the fresh produce industry. This is why it is important that packers, carriers, consignees and consumers to understand the range of available packaging options. This article describes some of the types of packaging, including their functionality, uses, and their limitations.

The functionality of the packaging or Why packed fresh products?

A significant proportion of fresh products Recipients’ complaints lies in astocheia packaging containing them, because of their poor quality or their improper selection and use. A properly designed package shall contain, protect and identify fresh fruit or vegetable and satisfy everyone, from producer as the consumer.

POINTS OF INTEREST IN PACKAGING

Variety
The trend is to use large packagings for packers and wholeseller and smaller packages for consumers. There are hundreds of different sizes and types of fresh proioton packaging.

Call to purchase
High quality prints and graphics are increasingly being used to enhance the appearance of the product and to make desired by the consumer. Multicolor printing, bold and logos are now widely used.

Shelf life
Modern packaging for fresh proioton can be specified for each product in order to extend the lifetime and reduce losses.

Recyclability / Biodegradability
A growing number of mainly foreign markets has put restrictions on the disposal of packaging waste. In the near future, almost all packaging of fresh fruit and vegetables will be recyclable or biodegradable, or both. Most of the largest recipients of fresh produce are more sensitive to environmental issues.

Content                                                                                                                                           The “container” should contain the product in a number suitable for administration and delivery. The product should fit well inside the container so that leaves little wasted space. Small products are spherical or oblong (such as apples, pears, citrus fruit, peaches and kiwi) may be suitably packaged using a variety of different shapes and sizes of packages. Despite all this, many products such as asparagus, strawberries, or soft fruit may require containers specially designed for them.

Protection                                                                                                                                        The packaging must protect the product from knocks and poor environmental conditions during processing and distribution. Upon receipt, torn, wrinkled or devastated packages usually indicate lack of care in the management of products. The “containers” should be sufficiently strong to withstand the stresses during packaging, storage and transport to point of sale.

Because almost all fresh products are palettarismena, their containers should have sufficient stacking strength to withstand stresses at low temperatures and high humidity environment. Although the cost of packaging materials has increased in recent years, low quality, Light weight and weak cartridges are easily damaged by handling or moisture are no longer tolerated by packers or buyers / recipients.

The export products require highly resistant packaging. Air Products may require special packaging, pack size and insulation. Exporters should consult the airlines for possible special packaging requirements. Depending must doer and those exported by ship.

Disasters due to inadequate environmental conditions during processing and transportation is one of the main reasons for the rejection of products and dissatisfaction of recipients and consumers. Each fresh fruit and vegetable has its own requirements for temperature, humidity and gas composition of the environment. Containers of fresh produce should be “friendly” to the product, helping to maintain an optimum environment for maximum life. This may require special materials that retard the loss of water from the product, insulating materials to keep away the heat or specially designed plastic bags which maintain a desired mixture of oxygen and carbon dioxide.

Identification
The package must identify and give useful information on the fresh fruit and vegetable. It is usual (and sometimes necessary) to provide information such as product name, trademark, size, grade, variety, net weight, number of pieces, the producer, packer and country of origin. It is also increasingly common to find one in the pack nutritional information, recipes and other useful information directed specifically to the consumer. In consumer marketing, the appearance of the packaged product has also become an important part of the general appearance of outlets.

Barcodes (bar codes) may also be part of the tag. The numbers of the bar codes indicate the packer and give information about the product, such as product type and package size. Though not include any information about the price of the product, the barcodes used more and more by packers, wholesalers, wholesale buyers and retailers as a fast and convenient inventory and audit process. Efficient use of bar codes require the cooperation of all those who handle packaging.

THE MAIN CATEGORIES OF MATERIALS

Glass:

Advantages – transparent, rigid, inert, impermeable to moisture and gases.

Disadvantages – Fragile, heavy, limited container shape

Metal:

Advantages – durable, rigid, impervious to moisture, gas and light, steam sterilization under pressure.

Disadvantages – restricted container shape, inability to use in a microwave oven, corrosion

Plastic:

Advantages – lightweight, easy molding, wide range of properties.

Disadvantages – permeable to gases, moisture and light, small resistance heating

Paper & Cardboard:

Advantages – shaped, diplonetai, welding and easily printed.

Disadvantages – very permeable to moisture and gases

Laminates (flexible materials combinations):

Advantages – only useful when the desirable properties and low cost can not be achieved with a single material.

Disadvantages – it’s not easy to recycle