Annabelle leads the quality department of an Alsatian producer of unleavened bread.
In this article, she describes, a little, the world of Quality Control.

The production of unleavened bread includes several raw materials: flour, water, packaging.

At Paul Heumann, we choose to work with local suppliers. They are located in the Alsace Region of Eastern France or within a radius of 150 km around the company. They are mills, printers and packaging manufacturers. Suppliers are local for raw materials and European for industrial equipment.

The advantages of working with local suppliers are:

• the quality of their products
• their proximity
• speed of delivery,
• lower carbon footprint,
• better responsiveness,
• lower transport costs,
• local involvement of the company.
• better relationship.

There are a few drawbacks to buying local products. The price may possibly be higher for industrial equipment. However, the quality is generally superior.

To choose our different suppliers, we follow a quality procedure. Our suppliers are regularly audited by the quality and purchasing department.

First of all, we select our suppliers by verifying some information: the certifications (food safety, organic), the technical data sheets of the desired materials, the monitoring of the analysis plan.

Then we schedule an audit at the potential supplier. This audit lasts one day. It usually starts with a site visit. An audit consists in verifying that the suppliers apply all of our specifications as well as the regulatory requirements in force.

Following the audit, an evaluation of the supplier is carried out and a corrective action plan is sent to the supplier if necessary.

At the end of this audit, we can validate whether this supplier meets all of our requirements. And then we proceed to its referencing.

At the first delivery, we are particularly vigilant. An in-depth check is carried out by the logistics service. Several points are to be checked: the correspondence between the goods delivered and the delivery note (designation, batch number, best before date, quantity, origin), the good condition of the goods (undamaged, cleanliness, absence of insects, absence of traces of rodents) and compliance with the Paul Heumann specifications.

In the event of non-conforming delivery, the goods must be identified and blocked. A complaint is sent to the supplier. Photos are taken to prove the non-compliance. The exchange of goods is then organized.

Certain information must appear on the packaging in order to inform the consumer. For example, the following is indicated: the name of the foodstuff, the list of ingredients, the allergens, the nutritional analysis, the weight, the Triman logo, the address of the consumer department, the storage conditions, the number of batches, the best before date.

Other commercial information may be present on the packaging. For example, nutrition claims, recipe ideas, product line, website, barcode, instructions for sorting or recycling waste.

The objective of quality standards is to ensure food security. Each company must be in a process of continuous improvement: regularly questioning itself and identifying areas for improvement. Quality requirements are subject to change from year to year.