Certification in the sustainable food production chain

On 22 April 2024, the next expert meeting of the Association for Sustainable Food and Agriculture in Poland was dedicated to the issue of sustainable supply chain certification.

The meeting was hosted by SuperDrob, part of the multifood group LipCo Foods, and opened by Piotr Her, CEO of SuperDrob, who pointed out,

Poland is the European leader in poultry production and one of the largest exporters in the world – in the first half of 2023 alone, more than 1 million tonnes left our country, of which nearly 70 per cent went to the demanding markets of the European Union, and the share of our exports is steadily increasing. In addition, within CPF Poland – also part of LipCo Foods – we are involved in fish and seafood processing, the production of plant-based ranges – including tofu – pet food, beverages, ready meals and convenience foods, as well as international trade. All our specialist segments within LipCo Foods are united by a vision: to create a Polish multifood group that feeds the world in a sustainable way.

One of SuperDrob’s tools for sustainable production is the farm-to-fork vertical integration the company has been building for 30 years. This integration includes the company’s own feed mills, poultry hatcheries, veterinary services, farms – which also carry out research and development (R&D) – slaughterhouses and processing plants. This means stable conditions for working with breeders, providing consumers with a safe and high-quality product, and meeting the strict requirements of international certification.

From a food manufacturer’s perspective, certification provides an opportunity to mitigate business risk by confirming a company’s compliance with a range of standards, including ISO and industry standards or regulatory requirements. The certification process itself can cover many areas of a company’s operations, including product quality and consumer safety, sustainability, health and safety or regulatory compliance. Through the certification process, companies maximise efficiency and gain assurance of compliance with regulations and industry standards, resulting in a reduction in complaints or product recalls, which in turn leads to increased customer and stakeholder confidence in the company.

– said Piotr Nowacki, Head of Food Services at SGS Poland.

The most commonly used standards to support sustainability are mainly EUTR, FSC, PEFC, KZR INiG, ISCC, ISCC Plus, EMAS, RSPO, FSA, MSC / ASC, UTZ / Raiforrest Alliance, ISO 14001, 45001, 50001, 22301, 37001, 9001, 14064, ISO/IEC 27001, AWS / ISO 46001, SGS Zero Waste Protocol and EPD.

One of the most popular farm sustainability certification schemes is the FSA programme, developed by the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI), which uses self-assessment and third-party verification to demonstrate a farm’s sustainability based on a checklist. The programme assists companies involved in production and also supports farmers throughout the food and feed production chain, with the aim of a gradual transition from conventional agriculture to sustainable production.

The second programme focused on agriculture is GLOBALG.A.P. IFA (International Farm Assurance), which has been running for 30 years. It focuses on building traceability and creating a quality system that promotes production reproducibility and safety. The programme supports agricultural producers and traders (CoC standard), enabling them to demonstrate the highest level of diligence in the area of food safety.

The Expert Meetings of the Association for Sustainable Food and Agriculture in Poland are an initiative to share knowledge and experience on the sustainable development of the agri-food sector. We would like to thank SuperDrob (LipCo Foods) for their support in organising the event and for their hospitality.