New Test Seal for Fruits and Vegetables: REWE Group Sets a Standard

Cologne, 13.10.06

REWE Group: the first food retailer to apply the recognised QS seal nationwide to fruits and vegetables - Voluntarily observed standards already proven for meat and poultry - REWE Group makes quality the central focus

The Cologne-based REWE Group is to be the first food trading company to apply the QS testing seal to fruits and vegetables nationwide starting in mid October - an approach already tried and tested on meat and poultry products. At first, around a dozen fresh food products will bear this recognised testing seal for consumers to see. "Particularly after all the headlines about food industry scandals, we want to put our commitment to greater food security in the spotlight", says Frank Hensel, REWE Group Management Board Member in charge of goods purchasing, ahead of the launch on October 16. "There can be no doubt that consumers have a right to flawless products that meet all the regulatory standards. In turn, commerce is also interested in exclusively offering products that meet the quality standards and the legal requirements", says Hensel.

After the QS seal is introduced across the entire REWE supermarket system to be followed directly by a rollout throughout the Penny discount chain, the number of products marked with the seal sold at around 4000 stores is slated for constant increase. Customers of REWE Group have already enjoyed the option of purchasing meat and poultry products tested to QS standards since 2002. 

The QS test seal stands for consistent quality assurance applied across all production stages – from production and fresh fruit wholesaling all the way to food retail outlets. The acronym QS stands for Quality assurance across all Stages of production and sales.

The result is a reliable inspection system for fruits and vegetables based on comprehensively monitoring residual matter across all stages according to precisely defined procedures and methods. The independent laboratories involved in the testing have to undergo individual certification. REWE Group has already been conducting inspections on residual materials in fruits and vegetables for ten years. Now, the QS system makes these quality tests more transparent and uniform. The seal is thus an indicator consumers can easily see.

The QS quality control system consists of three stages. First is the in-house self-inspection process that documents production and makes it transparent. This stage is augmented by a neutral certification office with regular auditing. For the third stage, experts take random samples to inspect the entire QS system along with the prior work of the certification office. The QS system now has nearly 11,000 system partners for fruits and vegetables. Of these, nearly 6,000 pertain to the production stage, around 200 to the wholesale stage, and over 4,600 to food retailing. For more information on the companies, the standards, and the system, visit the system internet site: www.q-s.info.

Contact

REWE GROUP-Corporate Communications
Tel.: 0221 - 149-1050
E-Mail: presse(at)rewe-group.com

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