New cooperation with ENFIT for highest standards

Previously, the Association started to build competencies for qualityaustria food auditors and by the end of September 2022 the first audits and certification of cleaning stations should start.

President Mr. Hans-Dieter Philipowski promoted the vision of ENFIT to develop concepts with members to securely close the gaps in the supply chain. This is important to ensure safety, resilience and sustainability of the supply chains. Philipowski points out that this would not be possible without strong and competent members such as Quality Austria.

Building the bridge of cooperation between ENFIT and Quality Austria was the work of Mr. Hans-Dieter Philipowski and qualityaustria product manager Mr. Vladimir Surčinski. This provides the opportunity for the certification of one of the most important standards for cleaning stations involved in the supply chain of food, feed and chemicals in the future.

But what exactly is a HQF Certification?

In the whole food, feed and chemical supply chain it is imperative to give attention to certain aspects like cleaning of transporting tanks, containers and trailers, provision of adequate transporting equipment, prevention of fraudulent activities and the topic of food defense in order to have safe food, feed, or chemicals during transport.

Logistic- and transport companies are taking the role of FBOs ("Food/Feed Business Operators") when transporting food or animal feed. In this role, they are responsible for ensuring that the transport units are only cleaned in suitable and certified cleaning stations. In order to meet the responsibility of logistic and transport companies, ENFIT has developed the "ENFIT HQF certification". The certification is carried out by authorized and specially trained auditors according to the ENFIT standard.

Cleaning stations that have successfully completed the ENFIT HQF Certification for “food-feed-chemicals” document that they have well-trained staff (also for the requirements of kosher and halal), perfect organization, suitable cleaning technology, and the ENFIT bulkvision blockchain in use. These cleaning stations are entitled to issue the international ECC-ENFIT Cleaning Certificate as proof of high cleaning quality. Depending on the results achieved from the audit and the technical inspection, the performance is documented with the ENFIT quality seal “basic”, “basic plus” and “high” or “excellent”.

About ENFIT

ENFIT Is the International Association for Supply Chain Safety, and it develops international standards for the cleaning of transport containers and for compliance with transport hygiene, digitization, traceability, transparency, and safety in the supply chain - upstream and downstream.

ENFIT represents the interests of its international members and cooperation partners and is in contact with national and international organizations and committees. These include the European Commission, BfR Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Food Control, WHO, FDA Food and Drug Administration of the USA, food safety and consumer protection, cooperation with Jewish rabbinates to implement the specific KOSHER requirements, and the HALAL organizations to implement the specific HALAL requirements for the transport and cleaning of transport containers, chemical and logistics associations, ADR committees for the safe transport of dangerous goods and many others.

In the future it will not be possible for FBOs transporters to load or unload if the proper cleaning was not performed and proved with the proper digital evidence protected with blockchain. Proper cleaning with the following evidence would be possible only in HQF certified cleaning stations, and more FBOs – producers, and retailers will ask for standardized ways to follow this.

In order not just to certify ENFIT HQF, Quality Austria, as member will give additional knowledge with its own representative in ENFIT Advisory Board. This role is given to qualityaustria Executive Vice President Sector Management Food Safety, Mr. Wolfgang Leger-Hillebrand. Quality Austria expects a successful cooperation with ENFIT and we are happy to be the one offering HQF Certification according to ENFIT Standard.