First wholesaler worldwide with global IFS-certificate - METRO Cash & Carry Germany receives top grades from “TÜV Süd” (Technical Control Board - South)
Duesseldorf/Munich, April 22, 2008 – As the first trading firm worldwide METRO Cash & Carry Germany received the TÜV-certificate for International Food Standard (IFS) for all stores. The IFS is considered as the most important and global quality and safety standard for food products. With this pilot project the trading company underlines its requirement to be a reliable partner for professionals.
METRO Cash & Carry is the first wholesaler which gets certified in a broad scale. In central departments as well as in 60 wholesale markets in Germany standard specifications for quality and safety are implemented. But how dependable does the quality management system work in practice? That was the question for METRO Cash & Carry and the TÜV Süd.
In a pilot project all 60 self-service wholesale stores and the headquarter of METRO Cash & Carry Germany executed an audit of the latest IFS standards (version 5) – and received top grades. “The global certificate is an enormous acknowledgement of our work and a clear signal for our customers, that you can rely on the quality of METRO Cash & Carry”, said Harald Fraszczak, CEO of METRO Cash & Carry Germany.
Extensive research
The pilot project began in November 2007 in the METRO Cash & Carry-store in Aachen. In this market the team of TÜV Süd audited all workflows, from the incoming goods to dry and non food assortments and as well as fresh departments.
They focussed on adherence of the cold chain, the identification and traceability of goods and the hygiene of all departments. Afterwards the store received the IFS-certificate.
Exemplary quality was also attested to 59 further locations by TÜV Süd in the following months: “The consistency of METRO Cash & Carry’s effort in food safety is astonishing, nothing is left to chance! “ remarked Dr. Andreas Daxenberger, Head of Certification Body Food and Feed of TÜV SÜD Management Services.
|
The International Food Standard (IFS) was developed in 2003 by representatives of the European food retailing. It provides a global revision of food safety and quality during all stages of production. The standard contains principles of production and the HACCP-system – from cleaning to maintenance and employee training. The currently valid fifth version takes the current EU-law concerning hygiene, dealing with allergens and genetically modified organisms in consideration. The results of this global METRO Cash & Carry – project will be introduced and adjusted by the IFS working group during this year. The IFS working group is responsible for the functional development of the IFS and consists of 12 members of the German and French food retailing as well as one member from Poland and one from Italy. |
METRO Cash & Carry Germany has a headcount of more than 18.100 employees and operates in more than 120 stores. Over 3.35 million customers trust in assortment and performance of the company, that operates in more than 600 locations in 29 countries worldwide. The METRO Group is one of the most important international retailing and trading companies. In 2007, the group reached sales of € 64 billion. The company has a headcount of more than 280,000 employees and operates about 2,200 outlets in 31 countries. The operating business is performed by the sales brands which operate independently in the market: METRO/MAKRO Cash & Carry, Real hypermarkets, Media Markt and Saturn – market leader in consumer electronics centers in Europe, and Galeria Kaufhof department stores. More information at: www.metrogroup.de.
TÜV SÜD Management Service GmbH certifies quality, environmental and safety management systems in all sectors of industry worldwide. To date, its approx. 800 employees have conducted over 35,000 certification processes throughout the world.
TÜV SÜD AG is a leading international service organization catering to the business segments INDUSTRY, MOBILITY and PEOPLE. With over 13,000 employees, it is represented worldwide at more than 600 locations. As partners in our customers' processes, our specialist teams ensure that technology, systems and know-how are optimized, thus strengthening our customers' global competitiveness.
Contact:
METRO Cash & Carry Germany
Corporate Communications
Lars Bank
Schlueterstraße 1
40235 Duesseldorf
Tel: +49 (0)2 11 68 86-13 41
Fax +49 (0)2 11 68 86-13 95
E-Mail: lars.bank@metro-cc.de
Internet: www.metro-cc.de
TÜV SÜD AG
Corporate Communications – PEOPLE
Heidi Hagenreiner
Westendstraße 199
80686 Munich
Tel: +49 (0) 89 / 57 91 – 29 35
Fax +49 (0) 89 / 57 91 – 22 69
E-Mail heidi.hagenreiner@tuev-sued.de
Internet: www.tuev-sued.de
© METRO
AG .
legal notes
.
Last update: 2008-04-24
