QS certification mark

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The QS certification mark

The QS certification mark identifies fresh foods such as meat , sausage , fruit , vegetables and potatoes . The prerequisite is the cross-level compliance with the legal requirements and additional criteria. It is awarded by QS Qualität und Sicherheit GmbH . The company is supported by associations from the agriculture and food industry .

Test criteria and testing

In the area of meat and meat products the QS scheme requirements including agriculture , the feed sector , the slaughter and butchering, processing, logistics and the food trade . Two technical advisory boards (beef, pork and poultry), consisting of experts and members of the production areas involved, determine the criteria for the certification mark, formulate guidelines for testing and monitoring and create the test specifications for the certification bodies .

The requirements in the field of fruit, vegetables and potatoes include production, processing, wholesale, logistics and food retailing. Here too, as in the meat and meat products sector, all test criteria, guidelines and test specifications are determined by an advisory board.

The test is carried out seamlessly along all stages of production from the producer to the retailer. The test results are collected in a database by QS Qualität und Sicherheit GmbH. The aim is continuous traceability of the goods from the food retailer to the feed supplier or producer.

The control system consists of three levels: the company's own control, the control by independent experts and the control of the control. The operational self-control is essentially based on the ongoing documentation of the operational processes. In the second stage, neutral, accredited control bodies, e.g. B. DQS , SGS or IFTA AG Berlin, compliance with the test criteria is checked. The reviews are risk-based and sometimes take place unannounced. With the "control of controls" QS Qualität und Sicherheit GmbH or an institution commissioned by it checks the work of the control bodies ( certification bodies and laboratories).

Participation in the QS test system is voluntary for companies. Foreign companies can participate according to the criteria set in Germany and valid for Germany. An internal sanctions advisory board punishes violations within the system.

organization

After the BSE crisis , QS Qualität und Sicherheit GmbH was founded in 2001 by associations of the conventional food industry for the meat and meat products sector. The company's shareholders are the German Raiffeisen Association (DRV) for the feed industry, the German Farmers' Association (DBV) , the Association of the Meat Industry (VDF) , the Federal Association of the German Meat Industry (BVDF) and the Trade Association for Market Economy (HfM) for the food trade. The meat and meat products system chain includes 108,321 companies, 10,475 of which are abroad (as of October 2016).

In 2004 the specialist company Geflügel GmbH was founded. In addition to QS Qualität und Sicherheit GmbH, the partner is the Central Association of the German Poultry Industry (ZDG). 5,295 poultry holdings participate in the QS scheme, including 2,213 in neighboring European countries (as of October 2016).

Also in 2004 the specialist association QS Obst-Gemüse-Kartoffeln GmbH was founded. The shareholders of this company are the Federal Fruit and Vegetable Committee (BOG) , the Federal Association of Fruit and Vegetable Producers' Organizations (BVEO) , the Central Horticultural Association (ZVG), the Union of the German Potato Industry (UNIKA) , the German Fruit Trade Association (DFHV) , the Verbond van Belgische Tuinbouwveilingen (VBT) and the Dutch Produce Association (DPA) . In October 2016, 30,086 companies were system partners in the fruit, vegetables and potatoes sector, including 4,933 abroad.

criticism

Test height

The QS certification mark and QS Qualität und Sicherheit GmbH have been publicly criticized from many sides. The core of the criticism is that the requirements for issuing the QS certification mark differ only slightly from the legal requirements for food production. Therefore, at the end of an elaborately described and publicly advertised examination process, compliance with the applicable laws is essentially confirmed. In this respect, the test height is low.

The organization Foodwatch criticizes the fact that the QS certification mark suggests better keeping conditions and more quality for consumers, but this cannot be guaranteed by inspections carried out and announced once a year.

In 2010, the magazine Öko-Test evaluated the QS certification mark in the special issue "Kompass Gütesiegel". According to this, QS mainly only checks the legal requirements, but these are checked more often than by the state. According to Öko-Test, the QS mark has therefore changed from a trustmark for consumers to an "overriding private quality assurance for the industry", which some companies even use without using the mark.

Auditor independence

The certification is carried out by a neutral party: Independent certification bodies audit the companies. QS approval is only granted after the audit has been passed.

The Consumer Initiative eV rates the QS certification mark as fundamentally credible despite this close connection between the issuer of the mark and the mark taker and the great influence that mark takers have on the development of criteria and the award of the mark due to the comprehensive control system. The value of the system is seen primarily in the improved self-monitoring and internal transparency in the food industry. The level of the QS certification mark is also viewed critically by consumer representatives, since it only guarantees “compliance with statutory standards in the future”.

literature

  • Justus Böhm, Friederike Albersmeier, Achim Spiller (eds.): The food industry in the spotlight. Josef Eul Verlag, Lohmar 2009, ISBN 978-3-89936-819-2 , cf. in particular p. 185ff.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ QS website: Company / Organization ( Memento of the original from April 26, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. & FAQs ( Memento of the original from June 28, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.qs.de @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.qs.de
  2. ↑ QS homepage: Information on meat and meat products
  3. ↑ QS homepage: Information on fruit, vegetables, potatoes
  4. ^ How the meat industry is cheating on its goods , Spiegel Online , December 22, 2007.
  5. ↑ Matthias Wolfschmidt from Foodwatch in the television report Thomas Berndt, Dietmar Schiffermüller, Christina Gerlach: Label fraud? - the meat industry and the QS seal , PANORAMA No. 685, July 26, 2007, NDR, contribution in the archive on ndr.de , transcript of the broadcast on ndr.de (PDF; 89 kB).
  6. ^ Öko-Test special issue "Kompass Gütesiegel 2010", p. 47.
  7. ↑ Rating "recommended to a limited extent" for the QS mark ( memento of the original from October 7, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , www.label-online.de of the Federal Association of Consumer Initiative eV @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.label-online.de