Recognising excellence in food safety
When businesses are awarded Q Mark certification, it means they have achieved the highest recognition in Ireland for hygiene and food safety standards. So, what does this mean for the consumer and how can consumers influence and improve standards and tran
“Back in the 70s and 80s, we were starting to see the introduction of novel foodstuff, novel packaging and the advent of freezers in supermarkets,” says Ronnie Russell, member of the EIQA Approvals Board and Adjunct Associate Professor (Microbiology) at Trinity College, Dublin. “It was a whole new area for retailers so they needed a lot of help.
“As a lecturer, I received many queries about testing food and shelf life, so I looked to see what advice was out there for businesses. I found that there was already a group of people advising on best practise, an advisory group, those of which are the guardians of The Q Mark today and those of which I became involved with.”
ABOVE AND BEYOND
Russell, who has been a part of the EIQA Approvals Board for an incredible 30 years reviewing the performances of various companies, remembers the concept of quality system management first arising in NASA.
“They had to start sending food up to astronauts where one was restricted with movement – that food had to be perfect because a spacesuit was not a place where you wanted to be ill. This invoked the introduction of a quality management system, and soon it was adopted throughout the food industry.
“We went through a period when the indus-
try was just trying to comply with new laws and regulations and they couldn’t keep up with it. But, there were others who knew what they were doing and putting a lot of effort into it.
“They started talking about going beyond compliance and that’s where The Q Mark framework comes into being. Whether it’s in retail, or homecare, catering in the workplace or hospitals, Q Mark certified businesses do everything to comply with regulatory requirements and then look to see how they can develop better practices.”
Russell says that in an age of confusion with regards to branding on various products and services and what symbols mean, The Q Mark is recognised nationally as the main symbol of quality.
“Surveys have showed that 80-90pc of people asked could tell what The Q Mark was. It means that businesses have met their legal and regulatory obligations, but it points out that they are better than that. The business has a third-party certification, an auditor has confirmed the quality of their work. This provides consumers with greater confidence in the quality and safety of products and services.”
MAKING A CHANGE
Ian Thomas, who has been a food lawyer with his own practice since 1993 and a member of the EIQA Approvals Board since 2007, adds that there are ways in which consumers can champion legislation and play a part in supporting and improving quality within a business.
“Consumers are very powerful and their feedback is important. This might be done locally at individual store level and this might lead to an improvement in supposedly ‘small’ things such as customer service, quality of signage, or better information about products or services; an enhanced shopping experience.
“Consumers have become more demanding and have access to a wide range of information. They have choice and spending power. They can push agendas such as allergen information, better information about healthy foods such as nutritional guidelines, animal welfare, sustainability and food waste. Consumers can positively seek change or react against things they see as contrary to their values.”
Ian continues: “Quality of service, of food, of safety and of experience are all important for consumers and their actions help to raise standards – businesses that see this and react positively will benefit, but those who fail to raise their game suffer.
“The integrity of The Q Mark is dependent, and interdependent on everyone; from EIQA and the quality, experience and professionalism of its auditors and its staff, to participant organisations and to consumers.”
Thomas highlights that quality and safety is not about money; it is a mindset.
“It’s about having dedicated and devoted staff who all have a vision to improve. It’s about having management and food safety champions who lead from the top. Q Mark businesses know this and strive to improve their all-round consumer ‘offer’ or experience.”
The real winner for any business using the Q Mark for Hygiene and Food Safety Technical Standard is the consumer!