Bord Bia introduces new Food Processor Standard
New standard requires processors to submit a three to five year sustainability plan
Print29 March 2022
Bord Bia has developed a new Food Processor Standard (FPS), which combines and replaces the Meat Processor Quality Assurance Standard* (MPQAS) and the Prepared Fruit and Vegetable Standard (PFVS).
According to Bord Bia, the standard is designed to ensure adherence to best practice in food processing from intake through to dispatch.
The FPS will become mandatory from 15 November 2022 but processors can opt to be audited against the new standard from 15 May.
“The new standard’s requirements are not vastly different from the previous schemes’ but there is greater emphasis on sustainability, food safety and, for meat processors, animal welfare,” said Alice McGlynn, Origin Green head of operations.
“To achieve certification to the standard, businesses will be required to have an independently verified sustainability plan in place, such as with Origin Green membership,” she added. “The sustainability plan submitted must set targets and track progress over time. Members must also provide evidence of an appropriate food safety culture, which is a requirement of a new EU food safety regulation**.”
The standard is structured into five core modules to allow members to tailor the scope of their certification to match their operations.
Module A is the minimum requirement for certification and covers food safety management and sustainability. Next, Module B covers product quality and Quality Mark logo use.
Module C covers all aspects of meat processing from the lairage to cutting and mincing, while Module D applies only to fruit and vegetable processing.
Finally, Module E lays out requirements for further processing such as pasteurisation, smoking, and fermentation.
Importantly, Modules A and B are mandatory for any processor who wishes to use the Bord Bia logo on packs.
Bord Bia believes the modular approach facilitates a more agile response to changing market and legislative demands. Important amendments or new modules may be implemented as necessary without the need to make major changes to the overall standard.
“From a marketing perspective, the new standard will demonstrate to national and global customers that Irish food processors are continuously evolving their practices to meet increasing market demands around sustainability, transparency, traceability, and authenticity, across all aspects of animal and food processing,” McGlynn added.
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