The results of an assessment carried out at HB Grandi’s processing facilities at Nordurgardur in Reykjavík and at Akranes, as well as at the company’s marketing division indicates that the company’s quality standards are among the highest.The International Food Standard (IFS) certification has given both processing plants a 96% rating. IFS is the standard that the majority of European retailers agree is the one that has the most to say regarding hygiene and security of foodstuffs, as well as traceability, reliability of delivery and information about the product.
According to the IFS standards, a rating over 95% results in a higher level certification, while a rating between 75 and 95% is seen as foundation level certification. A company with a rating of below 75% does not receive quality certification.
The processing plant at Nordurgardur was first assessed in 2006 and this has been repeated regularly since. This is the first time that the factory at Akranes has been assessed and the results have been excellent.
According to HB Grandi’s marketing manager Svavar Svavarsson, the results of the assessment are a confirmation that the company is manufacturing the highest quality products, and that the whole chain of traceability and reliability of delivery stands up to scrutiny.
‘All of the major retailers in Europe demand that those who sell them goods work according to the IFS criteria. As an example, we sell a large amount of redfish in 1kg consumer packaging to German retail chains, which is something we would not be able to do if we did not have this IFS certification,’ he said.
He pointed out that the trend in recent years is strongly towards the tighter requirements that IFS criteria are based on, and these standards are revised regularly. For this reason, it is important to put effort into adapting production standards to meet these requirements so that the company can take part in regular assessment procedures and be confident of attaining certification.
