GMP: Food Safety Management
What is GMP?
GMP, an acronym that stands for Good Manufacturing Practices, establishes the operational conditions and requirements necessary to ensure hygiene throughout the food chain and for the production thereof.
GMP consists of guidelines that define management and handling actions, with the purpose of ensuring favourable conditions for the production of safe food. They are also useful for the design and operation of establishments and for the development of processes and products related to food.
GMP have been developed by the Codex Alimentarius with the main objective of customer protection. It includes many basic operational conditions and procedures that are required to be met by the food company.
Examples of GMP Guidelines:
- The construction and layout of the food premises
- The training provided to the employees
- The adequate maintenance of equipment and utensils used within the company
- The use of suitable chemicals within and around the food premises including cleaning chemicals, pest control chemicals and machine lubricants, including and effective pest control program
- The identification and storage of waste within and by the company
- The implementation and effectiveness of the traceability system
- The cleanliness of premises, equipment, utensils, floors, walls and ceilings.
Helps you with
- Costs reduced and resources saved
- Evidence of safe and efficient food handling
- Compliance with legal requirements and builds customer trust
- Ability to trade internationally
- Food culture within your company
- Reduction of claims, returns, reprocesses and rejections
Note: NQA offers unaccredited GMP registration as a start point for the implementation of basic hygiene requirements.
Benefits of Food Safety Certification
Cuts investigation time to a minimum
The management system helps you to reduce investigation time if a breach is found.
Customer satisfaction
Deliver products that consistently meet customer requirements and a service that is dependable and can be relied on.
Global recognition as a reputable supplier
Certification is recognised internationally and accepted throughout industry supply chains, setting industry benchmarks for sourcing suppliers.
Proven business credentials
Independent verification against a globally recognised industry standard speaks volumes.
Legal compliance
Understand how statutory and regulatory requirements impact your organisation and its customers.
Win more business
Procurement specifications often require certification as a condition to supply, so certification and verification opens doors.
Respond to situations
Ideal for responding to situations that can compromise the food safety of both products and production processes.
Steps to Certification
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Step 1
Complete a Quote Request Form so we can understand you and your business. We will then use this to personally prepare a proposal for your certification and define what is known as your 'scope of assessment'.
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Step 2
We will then contact you to book your assessment with an NQA assessor. It consists of two mandatory visits that form the Initial Certification Audit. Please note that you must be able to demonstrate that your management system has been operational for a minimum of three months and has been subject to a management review and a full cycle of internal audits.
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Step 3
Following a successful stage two audit, a decision is made. If positive, your certification will be issued by NQA, with both a hard and soft copy of the certificate awarded. Certification is valid for three years and maintained through surveillance audits (years one and two) and a recertification audit in year three.
