29 November 2002

Uno Fresco Tradex (UFT), a Polish firm operating for over a decade, was created January 1999 by the merger of PHZ Fresco, dealing with the distribution of bulk nuts and dried fruit since 1990, and Uno Tradex, dealing with bulk-breaking and sale of packed nuts and raisins since 1991.

The first task for management was to create a company strategy. Management agreed that their goal should be to "found an organization based on 'quality culture' and aimed at maximizing customer satisfaction."

This "quality culture" manifests itself first of all in introducing changes in order to not only satisfy customers but "delight" them and it requires employees to continuously update their knowledge. In adopting such a strategy, we needed to fulfill the requirements of ISO standards. We decided to implement a system according to the new ISO 9001:2000 standard. Achieving constant improvement motivated us to seek ever new solutions, since food quality and safety play a growing role in today's consumer market. Therefore, in addition to the quality assurance system, we decided to implement the Hazard Analysis and Criticial Control Point (HACCP) system to guarantee safety.

Four steps

Companies in the food industry which aspire to take control over the quality of their own products should establish a canon of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), including Good Hygiene Practice (GHP), as well as implement the HACCP system, taking into account the specific character of manufacturing processes, and finally adopt the Total Quality Management (TQM) system.
UFT obtained a certificate of conformity with the ISO 9001:2000 in Aug. 2001, but a demanding customer forced us to take one step back and implement the HACCP system. Thanks to the previously obtained ISO certificate, the new system was implemented in only six months. Hygienic standards in our manufacturing plant in Janów Podlaski are good, production takes place in safe and supervised conditions, and the plant applies systems of food protection against all kinds of contamination. Staples and finished products are under strict control, including metal detection.
For astronauts
The HACCP, designed in the early period of the American Space Program, was created to ensure microbiological safety for astronauts. The Pillsbury firm then applied HACCP to its foodstuffs, and introduced the system into the food industry. At present, Poland's aspiration to integrate into the European Union requires many adjustments, including popularization of GMP rules and the implementation of the HACCP system in food processing.
The HACCP is a system aimed at identifying threats to food salubrity throughout all stages of food manufacture and distribution processes. In the HACCP system, the main emphasis in food inspection is put on spotting threats when they occur, including the storage and transport stages.
Dangers
The team responsible for implementing the HACCP in our firm took note of the palettes on which we store staples and finished products. A forwarding firm also delivers our goods on palettes. We identified two dangers:
1. The palette can be wet. If so, a cardboard container placed on it can get damp, affecting the product and causing a microbiological threat;
2. A damaged palette has splinters, which could get into the product. A very small splinter is difficult to notice and causes a physical threat. We also sell our products in bulk directly for consumption. So, the consumer may not notice the splinter in the product.
I believe therefore that introduction of the HACCP system is necessary to protect consumer interests by ensuring their safety and high salubrity standards of the food they purchase. The system also protects the interests of the producer, who, by conducting the manufacturing process in a proper and documented manner, can prove they are doing their best to produce a quality product.
Costs
Many educational institutions as well as independent experts offer training in the design and implementation of the HACCP system in Poland. In light of possible subsidies within the framework of the PHARE program that amount to 60 percent of incurred costs, but no more than zl.20,000 in the case of small and zl.25,000 in the case of medium-sized firms, I recommend choosing a firm that has accreditation from the Polish Agency for Development of Entrepreneurship (PARP). While implementing the HACCP system, UFT used the program Introduction to Quality, financed with PHARE 2000 money.
The table below gives estimates concerning outlays for design, implementation and certification of HACCP.

Activity Duration Fees depending on implementation area
Min. in PLN Max. in PLN
Training
• HACCP team 4 days in 2 months 3,000 10,000
• staff 1-2 days 4,000 8,000
• auditors 3 days 2,000 4,000
Advice, consulting 6-7 days in 6-12 months 20,000 40,000
System certification 2-4 days' audit 8,000 20,000
Implementation cost, total 37,000 82,000

A draft amendment aimed at the obligatory introduction of the HACCP system also in small and medium-sized companies in Poland was rejected by the Sejm, which instead passed an amendment to the law on healthy food and nutrition that keeps the existing regulations in force. Small and medium-sized firms in Poland are only required to introduce GMP.
However, regardless of the enterprise's size, the introduction of HACCP is a necessity in order to eliminate hazards to human health, consumer standards, and losses connected with the recall of an unsafe product from the market. Food consumers constitute one of the most important pressures on food producers, as consumer needs and preferences determine sales. Consumers today are aware of their rights, especially concerning safe food. Supermarket chains also demand that their food suppliers implement quality assurance systems, according to HACCP safety or British Retailer Consortium "best practice" standards.
One more factor which requires the introduction of the HACCP system is foreign trade. All European Union member countries are open only to safe food. In order to enter and compete on the EU market, the HACCP system is indispensable. Considering the time needed for implementation, it is high time that Polish firms prepare to compete on the EU market.

Elżbieta Marciniak
UFT vice-chairman of the board

send to a friend	print article