World first for Fonterra

Where previously food safety and food quality have been audited and assessed separately, the new certification gives companies the option of combining their food safety and quality management systems into one certification. This provides customers with the assurances of international best-practice in both food safety and quality.

Fonterra director New Zealand manufacturing Mark Leslie says this highlights the co-op's commitment to producing the highest quality dairy nutrition and world-leading service.

"At Fonterra safe food, safe people and world class quality underpins everything we do. We do not compromise on any of these and one does not take precedence over the other. This certification is in keeping with the importance we place on each of these critical aspects of our business and a vital step in continuing our journey in becoming the world's most trusted source of dairy nutrition.

"This certification is testament to the hard work of our teams and reassures our customers of our strong commitment, team at Fonterra Te Awamutu have done a great job in achieving this world first," says Leslie.

All Fonterra New Zealand-based ingredient sites already hold the baseline certification – and several sites, including Eltham, Kapuni and Pahiatua are on track to join Te Awamutu soon in achieving the gold standard FSSC2200-Q certification.

This is a double-win for New Zealand, with Kiwi food safety assurance company, AsureQuality, being the first in the world to be an accredited provider of the FSSC2200-Q scheme.

AsureQuality chief executive officer John McKay says, "We are delighted to be able to offer this integrated service to our customers, and it is especially great that the world first has happened in New Zealand."