Anticipating, monitoring, and understanding potential issues before they become a concern for our customers is at the heart of our commitment to food safety and long term success. Our investment in a dedicated quality assurance team guides our excellence in the critical task of executing a well documented and effective quality management program.
In pursuit of the commitment to superior quality systems throughout our organization, we have adopted the BRC (British Retail Consortium) certification, a UK trade organization that represents the interests of retailers and establishes a global standard for due diligence with suppliers. Barrie House is one of just a few accredited companies who have earned and maintain the BRC standard, acknowledged to be one of the most comprehensive food safety standards worldwide.
Every component or ingredient we currently use or plan on sourcing must be either inspected by Barrie House’s own quality assurance auditors or certified against one of seven GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative) endorsed manufacturing standards.
All finished products either private brand or branded are scrutinized by our quality assurance staff to ensure they meet product specifications and food safety requirements. Tests are conducted in our laboratories, or if necessary, by independent laboratories. Additional sampling and testing is done periodically by third party certified establishments.
At the heart of our mission is the belief that preventing problems from occurring in the first place can be achieved by partnering with suppliers who understand our expectations. Our supply chain partners’ are held to similar GFSI standards and we make it our business to know our suppliers intimately through periodic facility site visits and ongoing communications.
Our employees are trained to understand quality assurance and food safety best practices under the BRC guidelines suitable to each employee’s job responsibilities.
Some of our core training points are:
- HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point)
- Understanding food labeling & allergen awareness
- Preventing cross-contamination & equipment sanitation
- Shelf life and stock rotation guidelines
- Product temperature control within the supply chain
Our quality assurance program goal is to share science-based facts with customers and employees so they can make informed decisions which reinforces our corporate governance of operating with integrity and social sensitivity while providing accountability and transparency to our clients and partners along the supply chain.
