The brand of food product certified by ACERTA is a guarantee of quality for any food producer, marketer or logistic operator who wants to export their products or introduce them in high added value markets.
In response to the increasing demands of consumers in relation to food quality, safety and animal welfare, and as an entity with high specialization in the food sector, we make available to our customers one of the widest global offers of auditing and certification services.
In addition to international food safety schemes such as IFS or BRCGS, we also offer our seals:
Traz@ Certified, which guarantees the origin of the raw materials and ingredients declared on the label, and
Certified HACCP, which demonstrates compliance with the Food Codex.
Food Industry Sector
BRCGS (BRC Global Standards) is a standard developed by the British Retail Consortium, created in 1998 and which brings together the majority of English distribution companies.
BRC is widely recognised by large distribution chains and especially by those in the UK.
IFS (International Featured Standarts) was founded in 2003 under the name of International Food Standard. IFS standards are uniform standards focused on food, products and services. They ensure that companies certified to IFS standards either manufacture a product or provide a service, safely and that it meets customer specifications and legal requirements based on the philosophy of continuous process improvement.
IFS Global Markets – Food is a standardised food safety programme for both distributors and the food industry, based on the competitive framework of GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative).
With the IFS Global Markets program, a tool has been created for small or less developed companies in food safety procedures, to establish a management system and implement IFS standards step by step in a defined period of time.
IFS Logistics is a standard for auditing companies whose activities are one or more of the following: transport, storage, distribution, loading/unloading, etc. of food and non-food products.
This standard does not apply to the following activities:
– Processing of food or non-food products;
– Import, marketing of products (brokers’ activities).
The scope of the IFS Logistics standard is set out in Annex 1 to Part 1 of the IFS Logistics standard.
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The HACCP system, which is science based and systematic, identifies specific hazards and measures for their control to ensure the safety of food. HACCP is a tool to assess hazards and establish control systems that focus on prevention rather than relying mainly on end-product testing. Any HACCP system is capable of accommodating change, such as advances in equipment design, processing procedures or technological developments.
HACCP can be applied throughout the food chain from primary production to final consumption and its implementation should be guided by scientific evidence of risks to human health. As well as enhancing food safety, implementation of HACCP can provide other significant benefits. In addition, the application of HACCP systems can aid inspection by regulatory authorities and promote international trade by increasing confidence in food safety.
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The barrada ear is the international gluten-free symbol and is currently regulated by the AOECS (Society of Celiac Associations of Europe), which delegates to its member associations the concession of its use and control.
In Spain, FACE is one of those in charge of granting this certification. Therefore, those industries interested in using this symbol on their products must apply for certification under the “European Licensing System” (ELS).
It is an internationally recognized symbol for all those who must follow a gluten-free diet, providing great confidence to the celiac community and being a quick reference when buying gluten-free products. It also provides a commercial advantage to manufacturers that move in this growing and increasingly competitive market.
Friend of the Sea is currently a project of the World Sustainability Organization, an international trademark registered with humanitarian and environmental conservation mission. Friend of the Sea has become the leading certification standard for products and services which respects and protects the marine environment. The certification awards sustainable practices in Fisheries, Aquaculture, Fishmeal and Omega 3 Fish Oil. Friend of the Sea also promotes pilot projects related to restaurants, sustainable shipping, whale and dolphin-watching, aquaria, ornamental fish, UV creams and others.
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UTZ certification shows consumers that products have been sourced, from farm to shop shelf, in a sustainable manner. To become certified, all UTZ suppliers have to follow our Code of Conduct, which offers expert guidance on better farming methods, working conditions and care for nature. This in turn leads to better production, a better environment and a better life for everyone.
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AUDIT PURPOSE
The purpose of an audit is to gather current and accurate information concerning the overall food safety status of existing and potential vendors. This information is to be shared with appropriate members of Costco Wholesale ONLY, namely the Food Safety & Technology Group and the Buying Staff.
The Costco Auditing Group will use this audit to determine what areas, if any, are in need of improvement to meet the Costco Food Safety and/or Animal Welfare criteria. The buying staff will use the information as an aid in making sound, intelligent purchases for our members. The results of this audit will not be used in any way as a punitive measure; rather, this audit provides both the vendor and Costco Wholesale
the opportunity for continued improvement and enrichment.
SAE certification is a national scope certification standard only applicable to Spanish companies who want to export their products containing animal ingredients to third countries with a non-equivalent legislation to the EU on these kind of products.
The Traz@ Certificada seal is awarded to products in which the origin of the raw materials and ingredients declared on the label are verified. It is a reinforcement in the confidence of products intended to address consumers who value the origin of the food they purchase.
What is the COVID-19 Prevention / FOOD certificate
The COVID-19 Prevention / FOOD Certificate is awarded to companies that have implemented a COVID-19 prevention protocol, in accordance with the guidelines and recommendations released by the main international organizations and authorities on health and food safety:
- World Health Organization (WHO/FAO)
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- European Comission (EC)
- Food safety standards’ promoters (IFS, BRCGS, GLOBALG.A.P.)
How to get the COVID-19 Prevention / FOOD certificate
- The interested company provides ACERTA with the COVID-19 protocol implemented
- An approved ACERTA auditor:
- Will check if the protocol complies with the guidelines and recommendations released by the different international health and food safety organizations and authorities.
- In a short videoconference session, he will verify the aspects that cannot be assessed on the documents.
- Will issue the audit report.
If the auditor concludes that your company’s COVID-19 Prevention protocol complies with the guidelines and recommendations of one or more of the indicated institutions, we will issue you a certificate that certifies it.
Animal production and compound feed sector
The GLOBALG.A.P. IFA Fruit and Vegetables Standard is a compendium of good agricultural practices, environmental management, HACCP and traceability.
Its requirements are aimed at ensuring product safety, hygiene and the reduction of possible sources of contamination throughout the processes of cultivation, harvesting and handling.
The Standard for Combinable Crops covers: Plant Propagating Material, Machinery and Equipment, Phytosanitary Products, Harvest, and also Post-Harvest Handling.
The GLOBALG.A.P. Chain of Custody Standard is a fundamental complement to all producers and retailers who handle GLOBALG.A.P. certified products, as it ensures that any product that is marked as a GLOBALG.A.P. product or sold as a GLOBALG.A.P. certified product is obtained from GLOBALG.A.P. certified farms.
The GLOBALG.A.P. CoC (Chain of Custody) Standard identifies the condition of your product throughout the entire process, from the farm to the retailer. It establishes strict requirements for the handling of certified products and the appropriate segregation of certified and non-certified products in the processing units.
The GLOBALG.A.P. Standard for Chain of Custody (CoC) provides a high degree of transparency and integrity, which adds value to your product and brand in the market and an additional guarantee for your customers.
GRASP stands for “GLOBALGAP Risk Assessment on Social Practices”.
The GRASP Module is a tool that helps producers demonstrate compliance with both international and national labour legislation. GRASP Assessments are not comprehensive social audits, but focus on examining the social management system implemented by the producer.
The Tesco NURTURE program has become the NURTURE add-on module of GLOBALG.A.P. IFA Version 5.
Since January 2017, the Tesco NURTURE program has become an additional NURTURE Module to the current GLOBALG.A.P. IFA Version 5 audit processes. This reduced duplication of audits and increased flexibility for suppliers in choosing how they want their production sites to be evaluated.
The NURTURE module focuses on managing the Plant Protection Products List (PPPL) and the transition to GLOBALG.A.P. does not affect the way suppliers manage their PPPL.
The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) promulgated by the FDA requires that specific practices be implemented and followed for the production, handling, and importation of food products.
To assist fruit and vegetable producers in implementing these practices, GLOBALG.A.P. creates the FSMA PSR add-on that collects the FSMA Product Safety Rule checkpoints applicable to these types of products.
Integrated farming is based on agricultural systems for obtaining vegetables that use and ensure sustainable agriculture in the long term, introducing biological and chemical control methods, as well as other techniques that reconcile the demands of society, the protection of the environment and agricultural productivity, and the operations carried out for the handling, packaging, transformation and labelling of plant products covered by the system.
ACERTA offers integrated production certification under flexible ENAC accreditation, for all types of unprocessed plant products and in several autonomous communities.
See our List of Products and Normative Documents (LPDN) in the section of accreditations.
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ACERTA offers the widest possible range of animal welfare standards to help producers demonstrate compliance, achieving certification against international requirements. The evaluated standards cover all animal handling activities on farms, transport and slaughterhouses. You can find them on the Animal Welfare page:
Agricultural Production Sector
Quality Management Systems
ISO 9001 is an international ISO standard developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) that applies to the Quality Management Systems of public and private organizations, regardless of their size or business activity. It is an excellent working method for improving the quality of products and services, as well as customer satisfaction.
The quality management system is based on the ISO 9001 standard. Companies are interested in obtaining this certification to guarantee their clients the improvement of their products or services and these in turn prefer companies committed to quality. Therefore, standards such as ISO 9001 become a competitive advantage for organizations.
Environmental Management Systems
ISO 14001 is an international standard that contains the necessary requirements to implement an Environmental Management System. It provides organizations with the possibility of implementing an EMS that demonstrates valid environmental performance.
The ISO 14001:2015 standard provides a green aspect to organizations, being considered one of the main competitive mechanisms in the business world today.
The ISO-14001 standard for Environmental Management is certifiable and can be applied to any organization, regardless of size or sector, that seeks to minimize the impact on the environment and comply with current environmental legislation in its daily work.
Food Safety Management Systems
ISO 22000 is a standard that defines and specifies the requirements for developing and implementing a Food Safety Management System. The final intention of this standard is to achieve international harmonization of the wide variety of standards that exist in this area and to be a means to achieve continuous improvement in Food Safety.
ISO 22000:2005 is applicable to any organization involved in Food Safety, regardless of its role or size.
ISO-22000 was designed to strengthen Food Safety, promote cooperation between the bodies involved, ensure consumer protection and strengthen consumer confidence, set benchmark requirements for Food Safety Management Systems and improve cost performance in the food supply chain.
The FSSC 22000 “food safety system certification” standard has been developed by the Foundation for Food Safety Certification and is the result of the union of the ISO 22000 Food Safety Management Standard and the PAS 220 Specification (or ISO/TS 22002-1), in addition to other requirements in order to comply with the certification requirements of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI).
Development and certification of guarantee marks under the Q Plus sign:
The Guarantee Marks must be developed in accordance with the provisions on marks in the European Council Directive 89/104/EEC. In short, a guarantee mark is:
Any sign that can be graphically represented, be used by a plurality of companies and, under the control and authorization of its owner, that CERTIFIES that the products or services to which it is applied, meet common requirements, especially with regard to their quality, their components, geographical origin, technical conditions or the way the product is made or the service is provided.
ACERTA’s technical team has extensive experience in the development and implementation of guarantee brands in different sectors: Food and Agriculture, Public Parks and Gardens, and Golf Courses.
ACERTA offers its specialized development, implementation and certification services under the Q Plus brand.