Product Quality and Food Safety

With the awareness of our responsibilities, we have been implementing numerous practices in the fields of quality and food safety for 43 years. Through periodic internal audits, second- and third-party audits, and customer requests, we identify areas for improvement and implement the necessary actions.

We see food safety culture as an integral part of our working life and the way we do business, and we implement all relevant practices, especially training, to spread this awareness.

OUR QUALITY AND FOOD SAFETY POLICY
The main purpose of Aromsa Quality and Food Safety Policy is to meet the expectations of our business partners in the production of food flavours in a timely manner, with quality that meets the desired specifications and in accordance with the food safety management system requirements.

To this end, we ensure that our product design, development, and production processes comply with the Turkish Food Codex, international legal regulations, and the food safety requirements of our business partners. Based on the motto ‘Quality and Food Safety are Everyone’s Business,’ we aim to continue improvement and development efforts and minimize risks arising from hazards that violate or disrupt quality and food safety.

To access the Quality and Food Safety Policy, click here.

You can access detailed information about our food safety-focused certificates, which include programs and good manufacturing practices that cover control measures established in terms of quality, hygiene and product safety from the procurement stage of raw materials to the distribution of finished products, by clicking here.

TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT

At Aromsa, we adopt a holistic quality management approach and structure our different management systems in a manner which ensures they complement each other, within the framework of the EFQM (European Foundation for Quality Management) Model that we use for guidance. We monitor all performance parameters based on target and comparison data in accordance with the EFQM Model. We carry out all our quality and food safety initiatives through the Quality Control, Quality Assurance, and Quality Systems departments under the Quality Directorate, with a team of approximately 40 people.

EFQM Model

In order to provide Aromsa with a sustainable corporate structure based on the philosophy of continuous improvement, we adopted the EFQM Model in 2012 and took our place among the stakeholders of the Turkish Quality Movement. Based on the successful outcomes of the MAP 19 (Perfect Flavour Project 2019) Project, which we initiated under the guidance of the EFQM Excellence Model, we were awarded the 4-star and 5-star certificates and the Türkiye Excellence Award in 2013, 2017 and 2019, respectively, at the Türkiye Excellence Awards. We continued our quality journey with the SAR’22 (Sustainable Flavour 2022) Project and successfully completed our adaptation and dissemination efforts for the new version of EFQM, which was revised in 2020, and were deemed worthy of the Türkiye Excellence Grand Prize, which is awarded to companies that demonstrate superior performance in the field of corporate excellence in 2023.

FOOD SAFETY

Our holistic understanding of quality is the fundamental success component of the food safety culture that we have developed. As Aromsa, we have been certified according to the BRC (British Retail Consortium) International Food Safety Standard since 2007 and have maintained the highest level, i.e. AA Grade, since 2015.

Raw Material Safety

We control all raw materials based on conformity documentation in line with legal regulatory parameters and limits. We conduct physical, chemical and microbiological analyses in our laboratories according to our raw material risk assessment methodology. All raw materials and semi-finished products are stored under defined temperature and humidity conditions and in a manner that prevents contamination according to process requirements, and temperature monitoring is done by using a digital system.

A barcode system and double-checking principle are used to ensure use of correct recipes. During the production process, we record process parameters such as critical temperature, pH and time with digital monitoring systems. We keep CCP points under control and validate the entire process.

We use packaging materials that are approved for food contact and undergo inspections prior to use against the risk of contamination. We perform microbiological analyses, physical controls (e.g. weight, colour, viscosity) and flavour profile verification on final products. Certificates of analysis (CoA) are issued and presented to customers for each production batch.

With our comprehensive control system, we not only ensure food safety but also guarantee a sustainable and ethical production approach that fully complies with the applicable legislation.

Traceability is another issue that we pay special attention to ensure food safety. We define critical control points based on hazard analysis (HACCP) at all production stages from raw materials to final products, and provide full lot-based traceability through the ERP system. We invest in systems that offer certain advantages, especially in terms of tracking and managing recalls that may be caused by allergens.

We take action quickly and effectively through barcode-based investigations and traceability system, which enables effective tracking of items, which also contributes to customer satisfaction.

As Aromsa, we share our strong food safety culture with our employees, suppliers and customers through many practices throughout the value chain, and we increase awareness about how to produce safe food.

Periodic food safety training and other awareness-raising activities carried out at Aromsa ensure that our employees display the same level of care on this issue and carry out their work in a meticulous manner.

Lastly, we took a strong step by initiating the establishment of the Aromsa GMO Laboratory in order to minimize food safety risks.

Supply Chain Security

Supply chain security is an integral part of our food safety management system. We have multi-stage evaluation and monitoring mechanisms in place within our approved supplier management system to ensure that all raw materials that we use are sourced from safe, legal and sustainable sources.

We conduct supplier audits and evaluations in accordance with the BRCGS Food Safety Standard and our internal quality criteria. We periodically request and meticulously review GFSI-approved food safety certificates, technical specifications and analysis certificates for raw materials, allergen declarations, GMO declarations, pesticide and solvent residue analysis reports, legal conformity certificates of products, and current versions of these documents from the suppliers which are selected through a pre-qualification and approval process.

The quality and commercial performance of the companies included in our list of approved suppliers are evaluated on an annual basis, after which they are assigned to a classification of A-B-C-D. We issue a superior performance certificate, which corresponds to the ‘A+’ level, for suppliers who receive an A rating for three consecutive years. Supplier product analysis results, CPA (corrective and preventive action) evaluation, accuracy and completeness of legal documents, integrity of documentation, and supplier audits are taken into account when calculating quality performance scores.

We expect our suppliers to be transparent about environmental and social sustainability issues, as well as food safety, and our evaluation criteria include indicators of ethical trade, environmental awareness, and social responsibility (e.g., prohibition of child labour, occupational health and safety practices).

QUALITY CONTROL

As Aromsa, we pay special attention to select raw materials of highest quality according to the principle that “the quality of a finished product cannot be better than the quality of its components.” This is why we consider raw material and supplier selection and approval processes as critical factors in quality assurance.

Aromsa has two separate departments with 12 experts carrying out raw material inspections. While one of these two departments only performs raw material analyses, the other examines documents such as raw material specifications, food safety declarations, certificates of analysis and legal requirements, and uploads these documents to the EBA program and reviews them periodically.

As part of our quality control efforts, we ensure the safety of each production batch by conducting tests on the samples taken according to our quality and food safety systems.

We check that the samples used in Quality Control tests meet the applicable criteria to ensure that they represent the entire production batch. We have improved our raw material sampling process and migrated it to the digital environment as part of an improvement project. We have created an infrastructure that allows personnel responsible for collecting samples to view and track, with the tablet PC made available to them, the lot size for each raw material, supplier qualification (classes A, B, C), the number of packages to be sampled according to food safety criteria, and the points to be considered during sampling.