The main priority of Bella Bulgaria holding is the quality of our products. The certification of all products by the HACCP system has been a fact since November 2004. “DIL TUR – Plovdiv” – our meat processing enterprise is the first in the branch that certified this system. All enterprises have certificates by ISO 9001:2000, and that of the “BELLA” subdivision dates back to 2002.
The HASSP system allows us to control all critical points from the inlet of the raw materials to the outlet of the ready product.
We dispose of our own laboratories for analysis and control of the raw materials and the ready products. We have an express physico-chemical laboratory and one of the most up-to-date microbiological laboratories in the country. There the analyses are ready for seven hours, testing both the raw materials and the ready products.
ISO 9001:2000, НАССР, IFS
The companies of BELLA Bulgaria holding certified their quality systems ISO 9001:2000 in 2002. Two years later, the Ministry of Economy started a program for financial support of small and medium enterprises of the meat-processing branch for the other widely discussed HASSP standard. The enterprises of BELLA Bulgaria holding: BELLA BULGARIA SA, UNIBEL SA, DIL TUR – PLOVDIV SA and the other companies are already supplied with certificates № 78 100 35 43, 78 100 5683, 78 100 3542, 78 100 3541, 78 112 3543, 78 112 5683, 78 112 3542, 78 112 3541
According to the data, provided by Club 9000 of 17.01.2005, there are 21 Bulgarian companies in total, certified by НАССР. Four of these certificates, i.e. almost 20% of the certificates issued in Bulgaria, belong to BELLA.
At a moment , in which the companies in the meat-processing branch are applying and are still to begin building their systems for quality and safety of foods НАССР , the producer of the sausages Sachi, LEKI and Perelik is the first and only in the branch, that has already certified its production / Certificate № 78 112 5683 of 15.11.2004/.
In its essence НАССР (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) is a system, with the help of which the production stages, in which diversions are possible, are determined. In connection with the fact that the НАССР system is developed, accounting the specific demands of each enterprise, the means of control are strictly individual. This system surveys two mutually connected goals: determination of pathogens and increase of the level of safety of the produced food products, comprising the following stages:
Stage 1: Analysis of the potential hazards, connected with the process of production of food products.
Example*: Every sub product in the processing is analyzed both physico-chemically and microbiologically.
Stage 2: Specification of the stages of the production process, in which any potential hazard could be removed, or minimized.
Example*: Every process of the processing is objectively controlled with all important control parameters – temperature, humidity, time, pressure.
Stage 3: Taking preventive measures for the establishment of limit norms for every stage of the processing.
Example*: When being processed, meat is cooled to a temperature of – 40 С (40оF), in order to prevent the propagation of microorganisms in it.
Stage 4: Monitoring of already established critical points.
Example*: The controlled parameters, which are critical for the process are examined, registered and analyzed.
Stage 5: Development of procedures for corrective activities, when as a result of the checking, some diversions from the allowed norms have been registered.
Example*: On the basis of full traceability of the products for every critical control point, the approach is individual.
Stage 6: Creation of an effective archiving system for registration of the working methods of the НАССР system.
Example*: Software archiving of the stored control parameters for every production batch.
Stage 7: Provision of high reliability and effectiveness of the control equipment.
Example*: The control measuring units for the process critical parameters were produced in 2003-2004 and have been regularly controlled by the inspectors of the State Agency of Metrology and Technical Supervision
* The examples given have been taken from the practice of the implemented and certified НАССР system in our enterprises for production of sausages.
Presently, we are in the process of implementation of a system, corresponding to the requirements of the IFS standard of the Association of Wholesale Traders in Germany (HDE), with its main office based in Frankfurt. This standard is valid for the sub-suppliers of the big store chains (for example METRO), members of the Association. IFS requires a specific build-up over the НАССР system. This means control of the allergens in food products, a declaration of the availability of genetically manipulated organisms, existence of procedures for taking back batches from the trade network, in case of a problem with some food product.