Following inspections earlier this year, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has upgraded KQF’s accredited status from ‘A’ to ‘AA’ – the highest possible rating for a UK retailer.
KQF first approached BRC in 2013 with a view to gaining accreditation, and it was successful in that first year. In every year since then, the company had consistently maintained a grade A rating, but now it has gone a step better.
The AA rating was first introduced in 2015 under the BRC’s Global Standard for Food Safety, issue 7. The BRC notes that: “Issue 7 requirements were updated with a focus on improved transparency in the supply chain, food fraud and substitution risk assessment, reduction in product recalls attributed to incorrect labelling, brand protection, and legal compliance. As a result, two new fundamental sections and five new sections were added to BRC’s Food Safety Standard.”
In short, KQF has met the highest possible standards under an accreditation system that has itself been made more stringent. This represents a significant achievement, as KQF managing director, Faruk Vali explains:
“We can be very proud of the new double-A rating,” he said. “It has taken hard work and investment to get us here but it has been well worth the effort. It means we can demonstrate to all customers and potential customers that we adhere to the very highest standards – and that we are maintaining those standards day after day, year after year.
“I’d like to thank and congratulate the KQF team on securing this new, higher rating. It will give added confidence to our clients and distributors, and – together with our proven halal credentials – it will help underpin our plans for expansion in the days ahead.”
The BRC AA rating comes at a helpful time for KQF. This spring sees the launch of several exciting products including a range of new marinades and KQF Shish Chicken Kebab Bites, which will be followed by a lamb version later in the year.
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