Food safety, quality and innovation

Ensuring food safety and quality across our operations

Quality is one of our main priorities, influencing every aspect of our operations. From the field to our factories and external suppliers, we prioritise high quality products, services and processes. This dedication is reflected in our GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative) certification, representing the result of our daily commitment to quality.

All our sites undergo annual IFS or BRC audits (or both) and, as part of our ongoing commitment to quality, we are transitioning from announced to unannounced audits.
The GFSI certification demonstrates the day-to-day dedication to quality by our team and the robust support provided by our Quality Department, which consists of over 100 experts. They ensure strict adherence to the numerous procedures outlined in the quality manual and provide comprehensive reporting on the Group’s quality performance, covering aspects such as complaints handling and incidents. Our commitment to food safety and quality extends across every layer of our ecosystem,
ranging from the field and factory to external suppliers.

The PURE project

Our PURE project (Prevent, Uncover, Reduce, and Eliminate foreign bodies), preventing foreign bodies in our final products, starts by eliminating them in the field. Before harvest, an agronomist conducts a thorough inspection to ensure optimal field maturity and appropriate product quality before authorising the release of the field. This is further implemented in our factories, aiming at preventing foreign objects from entering our end products. Our aim is nothing short of achieving 100% contamination-free products.

The SHINE project

The SHINE project (Food Safety and Hygiene IN Evolution) raises the bar for Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and daily operational hygiene at our production sites. As global leader in the production of fresh frozen vegetables, fruit and herbs, we want to ensure hygienic production conditions to limit the risk of Listeria or other contaminations.

In addition to our quality assurance efforts in our own factories and in the field, we have established our Supplier Assurance Programme to oversee the quality and food safety of externally procured products. The close proximity of Ardo people to our suppliers across diverse geographical regions allows us to comprehend the entire supply chain and effectively manage risks, including ethical and sustainability compliance for our sourced product portfolio, such as fruit and ingredients. At Ardo, we want our purchased products to adhere to the same elevated standards of food safety, quality,sustainability and ethical compliance as those that we produce ourself.

Constantly innovating our food offering

In our pursuit of innovation, we are actively shaping a sustainable, plant-based future for our product offerings. This commitment involves optimising raw material usage to minimise food waste and promoting vegetarian and plant-based alternatives across our portfolio.