PoliciesQUALITY POLICYInternational Produce Ltd Quality System is based on the International Standard BS EN ISO 9001:2000. The Quality System has been implemented throughout the company and all colleagues have been briefed and are expected to adhere to the requirements of the system. All colleagues are encouraged to suggest ways in which the Quality System can be improved Customer satisfaction and meeting their needs are paramount to InternationalProduce and through our company values and Quality System we will deliver products to meet their expectations and we aim to exceed them. The Senior Management Team have set the Quality Objectives for 2005. These objectives are defined in order to improve the performance of the Company, and are measured in order to facilitate an effective review of progress by the Management Team and others throughout the organisation. The Quality Objectives have been developed from the 2005 Business Plan as agreed between International Produce and Asda and will be reviewed regularly. The Management has committed itself to implementing and maintaining all aspects of the Quality System, in order to comply with relevant legal and statutory requirements for the production and supply of a safe product. ETHICAL TRADING POLICYIt is the policy of International Produce Ltd to ensure that when customers buy our products from ASDA they know they are buying goods produced without exploitation and in acceptable working conditions. In order to achieve this International Produce Ltd will ensure that all of its sites and suppliers operate in a manner that is compliant with the Ethical Trading Initiative’s (ETI) Base Code. The standards underpinning this policy are designed to be ethical, achievable and auditable. Suppliers to International Produce Ltd must demonstrate compliance with this policy as well as operating in accordance with local national regulations and International Labour Standards. It is the policy of International Produce Ltd. to promote continuous improvement with respect to Ethical Trading within it’s own operations and it’s supply base. Where non-compliance with this policy is identified corrective actions and their concomitant timescales will be agreed. PESTICIDE POLICYIt is the policy of International Produce Ltd to ensure that all products, produced, and distributed within the UK comply with all relevant UK and EU Legislation relating to pesticides. Both IPL and growers must act responsibly in respect of pesticides; in particular the following:
It is the policy that the Pesticide Management System will ensure compliance to this legislation and the provision of a robust ‘due diligence’ defence. It will follow the guidelines outlined in:
In line with ASDA requirements, all suppliers and their growers will be actively encouraged to certify their operations against the EurepGAP standard. EUREPGAP PolicyThe EUREPGAP and Assured Produce protocols outline the development of best practice when using pesticides for the fresh produce industry. It is expected that all suppliers to IPL will either be certified or as a minimum registered pending first audit. All current and potential suppliers must be working towards this aim to continue supply to IPL. To demonstrate compliance a copy of all certificates should be kept on file at IPL and a Eurepgap tracker should be in place to capture information. PEST017 EUREPGAP Tracker In addition, several useful Codes of Practice already exist which explain the practical measures and systems growers and suppliers should follow when using pesticides on fresh produce. These include the Fresh Produce Consortium – (FPC) Pesticide Code of Practice and the DEFRA Code of Practice for Safe Use of Pesticides on Farms (the ‘Green Code’). www.pesticides.gov.uk/farmers/greencode/green_code.htm We endorse all programmes that have Integrated Crop Management (ICM) Systems as their core objective. |
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