20 years of QS - quality assurance
More than 160.000 companies in the QS scheme for meat and meat products. QS Qualitäts und Sicherheit GmbH (QS) is starting the year 160.134 with 37.095 QS-approved companies in the meat and meat products sector and 2021 system partners in fruit, vegetables and potatoes. The industry initiative was founded 20 years ago as a quality assurance system for fresh food and developed into the leading standard for food safety in Germany. The first cases of BSE in Germany in 2001 gave the impetus to set up a control system for fresh food, agricultural products and animal feed, which to this day sets quality assurance standards across national and industry borders. 95% of fresh pork and poultry, 85% of beef and 90% of fruit, vegetables and potatoes from Germany are now certified.
“The acceptance of our standard has grown steadily over the years. Our reliability and dynamism, with which we tackle current challenges in the industry together, make the QS scheme a central industry platform today after 20 years," explains QS Managing Director Dr. Hermann-Josef Nienhoff the success of the system. “Our greatest strength is that representatives of the entire production chain come together at one table at QS. This is the only way we have been able to jointly guarantee the quality and safety of fresh food in the German food retail sector over the years, to strengthen the industry and to deal with special events quickly.” With its 25.556 sales outlets, which are also QS-certified, food retailers rely on Reliability of the QS-approved companies. The cross-stage quality assurance from the farmer to the shop counter is a decisive safeguard for customer trust.
Image: QS Quality and Safety GmbH
Current system partner numbers document structural change
Despite all the positive developments, the structural change in agriculture in Germany is also visible in QS. With stable overall numbers, the number of approved farms with cattle farming in Germany fell by 2,7 percent from 72.163 to 70.250 within a year. In the case of farms keeping pigs, the number of farms approved in the QS scheme fell by 2020 percent in 2,3 to 28.097. The QS scheme recorded growth of 3 percent in the animal feed industry: 12.362 companies from Germany and abroad are currently authorized to deliver in the QS scheme.
QS Quality and Safety GmbH quality assurance. From the farmer to the shop counter.
The QS standards define the requirements for secure processes and quality assurance in the production and marketing of fresh food - seamlessly along the entire value chain. Where it is important for the reliability of products or the health of the animals, they exceed the legal requirements. All partners in the QS network are regularly checked by independent auditors. Comprehensive monitoring programs and targeted laboratory analyzes are evidence of reliable quality assurance. The products from the QS association can be recognized by the QS certification mark. The aim is to confirm consumers' trust in fresh food on a daily basis: Consumers in Germany can rely on safe fresh food.
