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Quality management in food & agriculture

Quality management measures ensure that agricultural processes and food products meet certain safety and quality standards. Today, for agri-food producers, quality assurance is an essential process right through the entire food chain from the supplier of raw materials to consumer. Standards can help organizations embed quality best practices into the heart of their operations.

Championing quality throughout the food supply chain

Explore how standards support the provision of high quality food products

A national first: Standardizing the spirit of whisky
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A national first: Standardizing the spirit of whisky

It’s time to raise a glass to BS 8636 - the first voluntary British Standard that provides a specification on the production process of whisky. There are few beverages which have stood the test of time quite like whisky. Dating back hundreds of years, this distilled alcoholic beverage is inextricably woven into the history, culture and traditions of the UK. Even today, whisky is big business. The UK is, by far, the leading exporter of whisky worldwide. This trend has continued with global exports of Scotch Whisky alone growing to more than £6 billion for the first time in 2022, according to figures released by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA). And it is the global consumption of the UK’s traditional whiskies which have formed consumer expectations of the spirit across the world. Today, consumers in different markets expect whisky to be made from cereals, distilled in a certain way, aged for a minimum period in wooden casks and sold at a strength not less than 40% alcohol volume. This ensures whisky retains the colour, aroma, and taste that consumers are used to, derived from its raw materials and production process. To provide a consistent method of production for all UK distillers and new entrants to the industry, experts from the Scottish, Welsh, English and Irish industries have developed a voluntary British Standard. This document provides a specification for the production process of whisky and the main categories of whisky traded globally. And at a time when whisky production is growing worldwide, with new distillers looking to the UK for guidance, producers overseas following this British Standard will produce a high-quality spirit which meets the expectations of consumers when buying whisky. BS 8636:2023 Whisky - Use of analytical parameters and methods of analysis – Specification details the methods of analysis which can be used by whisky distillers to establish authenticity and consistency within their whisky production process. What’s covered by the UK’s first whisky standard? BS 8636 details the methods of analysis which can be used to establish authenticity and consistency within the whisky production process, from distillation and maturation to bottling. It also covers the expected organoleptic characteristics, the typical ranges for analytes of interest and other technical whisky matters. This voluntary standard has been developed by the consensus of whisky experts for use by new and established UK distillers and regulators. It is consistent with existing legal requirements in the UK. Though not a mandatory requirement, the specification in BS 8636 establishes a means to ensure consistency in whisky production processes, preserve the authenticity of distilling traditions and support national and global trade. Want to learn more about how standards are supporting the food and beverage industry? Discover more by visiting our Food & Agriculture Topic Page. What are the benefits of using BS 8636? The importance of BS 8636 cannot be understated.It represents the nations of the UK working together to protect the historic tradition of whisky distilling, as well as facilitating the trade of whisky internationally. The standard: Defines consistent best production practices for whisky Consistency is key because it ensures that the flavour and quality of a whisky brand remains the same every time it is produced. This ensures that distillers can meet the expectations of their customers, creating an enjoyable experience. As overseas whisky producers increasingly look to the UK for guidance on best practice, BS 8636 defines what the whisky production process should look like, complementing the existing legal framework in promoting fairness, transparency, and quality in the industry, to protect both producers and consumers. Empowers whisky distillers to trade internationally BS 8636 Adhering to this document means that producers can demonstrate that their whisky meets regulatory requirements and the expectations of the global market and consumers, facilitating trade opportunities. Demonstrates whisky quality and authenticity Whisky is a product with a rich history and tradition. Distillers take pride in the craft of whisky-making and the unique characteristics of their product. BS 8636 details best practices to maintain whisky quality and authenticity. It supports producers to honour tradition to ensure the continued success of the industry. Help your whisky meet industry and consumer standards by downloading your copy of BS 8636 today.Read more
Preventing food fraud: What you need to know about food safety standards
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Preventing food fraud: What you need to know about food safety standards

Olives coloured with copper sulphate. Counterfeit sugar contaminated with fertilizer. Horse meat in beef lasagne. Melamine in milk powder. Together with the usual cases of substitution in seafood, spices and herbs, through to diluted olive oil and honey, food fraud to optimize profit is here to stay. Increasing food prices and an ever more complex global food supply chain present an irresistible opportunity for fraudulent activity. Food fraud is the intentional adulteration, dilution, substitution, mislabelling, parallel trade, theft or counterfeiting of food ingredients or products for financial gain. The impact of food fraud ranges from harmful adulteration potentially resulting in illness or death, to unethical substitution of inferior products which can destroy brand reputation or even the reputation of an entire exporting country. In all cases, the consumer does not get exactly what they expected or what they have paid for. How to identify food fraud threats Food fraud has always been present, however, in the past, it was largely a sporadic threat to a small number of high-value food items. And, with food fraud investigations and prosecutions by inter-agency, cross-border authorities getting increased attention in the media, consumers are growing wary. Anticipating food fraud threats requires you to think like an opportunist. If there is money to be made by fraudulent activities, then the who, when and how need to be identified. There is industry consensus that a combination of Threat Assessment Critical Control Point (TACCP) and Vulnerability Assessment Critical Control Point (VACCP) assessments, together with food safety (HACCP) assessments are necessary to manage this risk. However, there are gaps in the current industry knowledge and skills to consistently apply the methodology and tools and, as such, the resulting assessments may not identify or correctly prioritize the threats. As we have seen with HACCP, it will take time for the methodologies and tools to filter through all levels of the food supply chain. To read more on the topic of supply chain resilience in the food agriculture sector, click here. Researching threats and vulnerabilities unique to your product, ingredients, process and supply chain are time-consuming. The amount of information on previous incidents may be overwhelming. Alternatively, there may be no precedent to substantiate a possible threat. But the lack of a precedent doesn’t suggest that an ingredient is not vulnerable. Your ingredient may be the one to set a precedent. The threat will be dependent on the type of ingredient and its form, with powdered ingredients being at the highest risk. Other threats are more economic in nature. They can be the result of: Unexpected changes to crop yields due to unpredictable weather trends and patterns Supply/demand imbalances The escalating commodity of raw material prices Currency fluctuations impacting long-range futures buying/selling of commodities All of these situations can foster the economic environment for fraudulent behaviour to sprout. The importance of standards in food fraud prevention PAS 96 improves the resilience of all parts of production and supply chain against attack. PAS 96 covers multiple types of attackers and addresses a number of specific threats. The TACCP (Threat Assessment Critical Control Points) process assumes and builds on a business’ existing effective operation of HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points), as many precautions taken to assure the safety of food, are likely to also deter or detect deliberate acts. Another standard that can help organizations prevent food fraud is BS EN ISO 9001 is the internationally recognized Quality Management System (QMS) standard that can benefit any size organization. Designed to be a powerful business improvement tool, implementing BS EN ISO 9001 can help you to: Continually improve, streamline operations and reduce costs Win more business and compete in tenders Satisfy more customers Be more resilient and build a sustainable business Show you have strong corporate governance Work effectively with stakeholders and your supply chain Download our infographic to discover all the key standards for food processing and supply chain management. The future of food fraud prevention Systems to manage food fraud will lead to an increased awareness of specific high-risk ingredients. The success of these systems will depend on the proactive management of potential threats, while still allowing access to high-quality, globally sourced ingredients at competitive prices. It will be essential that all sectors of the food supply chain have a sustainable yet effective system to identify and manage food fraud threats in a constantly changing market. It’s also anticipated that there will be dedicated people in companies to specifically monitor food fraud, together with the development of new technologies for tracking specific food ingredients and products in the global supply chain. Capacity building of staff to equip them with the knowledge and skills to actively consider food fraud in a measured way will be the key to future success. Could your business and brand names cope in the face of a food fraud crisis? What measures have you taken to prevent this from happening now and into the future? Ensure your organization is protected against food fraud challenges by adding BS EN ISO 9001 and PAS 96 to your collection today. Discover BSI Knowledge There is no doubt that using standards can ensure the safety of your food products, building crucial trust between you and your consumers. With a BSI Knowledge subscription, food safety is at your fingertips with instant access to over 2,000 best practice documents related to the food and beverage industry. Request to learn more.

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