QS – Traceability of Raw Materials

BERTRAND Food is an EU-certified organic company that is regularly inspected by at least three independent bodies, both with and without prior notice, across all areas of the business. This ensures high quality and enhances traceability, transparency, and trust in our products. In the “QS” blog series, we present various aspects of quality assurance at BERTRAND Food.

Today we're talking about the traceability of raw materials. Did the oats from the delivery two months ago actually come from the field of the Mecklenburg farmer Heinrich, or from the farmer Jørgen in Denmark? In an emergency, this can be determined quickly through an interconnected system.

Goods receiving

Every product that arrives at our production facility undergoes a defined goods-receipt inspection. An authorized employee checks that it is in proper condition. Does the delivered product match the product ordered? Is it labeled correctly? Is it undamaged? Is it delivered on the correct pallets? Is the hygiene condition of the delivery company's truck satisfactory?
Only once all points have been completed satisfactorily does the raw material pass through the warehouse door.

The goods-receipt code

Every product that makes it this far is assigned a permanent, scannable code showing what raw material it contains. Which supplier is responsible for the product? Who inspected and accepted it? When was it accepted? Which freight company delivered it? All information that may become relevant later is collected now and stored in the goods-receipt code.

Combining

When BERTRAND's recipe is mixed, the goods-receipt codes of the individual ingredients are scanned via a terminal and compiled in a production record. A batch number is then assigned to the completed recipe, through which all information about the respective total mixture can be accessed. This batch number, together with the best-before date, is then printed contactlessly on the individual packages. You can find it on the back of your package or on the lid of your bottles.

Traceability

All our suppliers operate a similar system. So if it becomes relevant to know whether the oats from the delivery two months ago came from the field of the Mecklenburg farmer Heinrich or from the farmer Jørgen in Denmark, we can access this information and pass it on. To you!

This is just one of the benefits of a modern quality management system. Interested in the topic? Then follow us on Facebook or Twitter too and never miss another blog post.