Emsland Group firms up food defense measures

28 Jul 2017 --- The relevance of high quality and, above all, safe foodstuffs among today's consumers is higher than ever. That is why the FSSC–Standard (Food Safety System Certification 22000) plays such a role in the safe manufacture of foodstuffs and food ingredients. In Version 3.2, even the so-called "food defense measures" are now mandatory. Measures that, among other things, provide the food manufacturing industry with protection against targeted attacks from the outside.

Stefan Hannemann, Operation Starch at Emsland Group told FoodIngredientsFirst: “The Emsland Group has clearly defined goals, when it comes to quality, safety, ethics and sustainability. That is why constant improvements to the framework conditions are also being made along the entire supply chain.”

“Food protection is an important area of responsibility for companies like Emsland Group, who produces many ingredients for the whole food industry. From our point of view, the food defense part protects our products, but also our employees and clients,” Hannemann explains. “So food defense also includes additional concerns for personnel and operational security.”

“Our headquarters in Emlichheim is now the fourth plant within the Emsland group of companies, besides the factories in Wittingen, Cloppenburg and Hagenow. But not only Emsland Group, also other companies follow the safe manufacture of foodstuffs and food ingredients. It’s quite important for the food industry, that the whole chain of production is working on a high food security,” he adds. 
 
Safety starts at the entrance
Emsland Group has taken the next step towards increased certification for the FSSC Standard. Following the installation of the new factory entrance for suppliers and farmers at the headquarter in 2014, the entire area has now been protected with a metal fence and secure entry points to the production facility, as well as to the research & development area (Emsland Innovation Germany) and company laboratories. Visitors must sign in as usual with the porter, where they will receive a visitor pass. This gives the plant an effective access management system and information about where and when visitors stop inside the premises. The aim is to further optimize areas such as product protection and process security. Along with this, there are regular hazard analyses and risk assessments.
 
The new investments represent a crucial step for the Emsland Group's Food Defense activities. However, employee activities on all levels must be taken into account, since security affects everyone, including the company as a whole. Equipped with this level of consciousness within the company culture, with processes that ensure the safety of food ingredients and with the "Made in Germany" quality that is reaffirmed on a daily basis, the company will continue to gain the trust of its clients into the future.

by Elizabeth Green