Quality and Systems Certification in Barba Stathis S.A.

Barba Stathis SA, following Interactive  analytical  Integrated Procedures in the Primary as well as Secondary Sector, fulfills all specific requirements of Total Quality Management and has certified the horizontal Quality System applied, under EN ISO 9001/2008// EN ISO 22000/2005 and IFS& BRC, targeting to : (a) product optimum quality, (b) safety &hygiene , (c) environmental friendly policies, (d) safety & prosperity of all employers and (e) the society.

The Quality System comprises a dynamic model, based on documented quality criteria, annually revised, contributing to the consumers balanced as well as oriented diet, according to their general and specific needs as regards to healthy and nutritious products, providing also the best nutrient intake through our products, such as proteins, vitamins, and dietary fibers. Moreover apart from the nutritious benefit, our products embrace diversity in taste and a valuable confrontation against illnesses such as high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, emerged from the modern way of living.

As a conclusion, following the principles and standards of total quality management, our company has succeeded, through its product range, regarding:

►Consumer health and safety

►Optimum quality and highest nutritional value of the products.

The principle directions of the total quality model, covering fully, the primary and the secondary sector are stated here below: 

(a)Sustainable growth through documented agricultural practices, carefully studied for their effectiveness and annually revised.

(b)Optimum utilization of irrigation, protecting the plants from all possible contaminations, through a systematic analysis of water as well as preserving the water sediment.

(c)Minimization in the utilization of fertilizers and almost elimination in the use of pesticides.

(d)Preservation of the soil fertility, through physical procedures, re-cycling and bio-diversity.

(e)Quality control checks with measurable and documented quality indices and guides, application of critical points and control of those critical points, application of preventive actions, certified corrective actions.

(f)Implementation of full traceability from the farm to the super market shelf, including all intermediate steps concerning the production and industrialization of the finished product from semi-finished, the  storage and transportation records, etc.

 As regards to the secondary sector:

  • Identification, control and minimization of all possible physical, chemical and microbial risks, with direct application of critical limits for all critical control points and establishment of specific measures taken  and their frequency of application.  
  • Quality assurance of raw materials, semi-finished and finished products, with respect to all essential physical, chemical and organoleptic parameters
  • Quality assurance of all production, industrialization, packaging, storing, distribution steps, ensuring full implementation of the product agreed technical specification.
  • Quality assurance in establishing all relevant preventive and corrective actions.
  • Fulfillment of all documented training courses regarding health, maximum safety and optimum product quality
  • Sequential quality control checks, applied on line upon:
  • Raw material arrival from the farm to the factory
  • Mechanical treatment of the raw material ( cleaning with air and water, cutting, slicing, dicing , etc)
  • Thermal treatment( blanching, cooling, freezing, deep freezing)
  • Packaging, storage and palletization of the semi-finished product
  • Packaging, storage, transportation to the end user of the finished product.
  • Direct collaboration of the most famous accredited laboratories in Europe, for chemical analysis.

Therefore, as already stated above, through well established and fully applied quality targets, as well as through constantly and continuously revised objectives , covering the primary and the secondary sector, the following results have been achieved, regarding the frozen vegetables :

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(a)Preservation of all vitamins ( even of  the unstable ones, such as vitamin C) in time length,  to a highly accepted level, that does not differ compared to the vitamins of the just harvested vegetables of our cultures.

(b)The physical pigmentation remains unaltered due to the fast thermal processes applied and moreover the possibility of any enzymatic activity has been fully eliminated for the same reason.

(c)Product dehydration or even oxidation are also eliminated attributed to the I.Q.F procedures applied at industrialization in the secondary sector.

(d)Tissue re-arrangements or pin holing at the exterior layers also never occur as there are no changes or modifications in the overall volume of the vegetable itself.

(e)There are no losses in carotene due to the special metallized packaging material which eliminates photo-oxidation.

(f)Preservation for long times at the appropriate freezing temperature, due to the IQF applied industrial procedures, resulting to enzyme de-activation.

 The most important advantages of the frozen vegetables are therefore the following:

►Availability through out the whole of the year

►Convenience for the consumer because the frozen vegetables require only cooking

►Preservation of all essential nutrients for a very long time, provided they are stored at the appropriate temperature .

A very important parameter which is included in this horizontal model of total quality is the environment. Our company functions towards the following vital issues:

(a)Full control of ammonia to eliminate possible contamination

(b)Preservation of energy (through savings in electricity, etc)

(c)Water re-cycling ( through filtration, etc)

(d)Solid waste management ( raw material waste,lubricants,  packaging materials, etc)

As a conclusion:

As it is clearly stated in the Total Quality Management Manual of the company:

We have decided to create all those flexible and effective procedures for sustainability in the primary sector with simultaneous optimum utilization of water, of fertilizers, pesticides, etc

We have also decided to progress further our product mix by introducing also organic products apart from the conventional ones, developing in the same time, all farmers in Greece that we collaborate with, introducing not only the Good Agricultural Practices, but also the Agriculture Precision Techniques.

Our company has proceeded by  including all Primary Sector and its Good Agricultural Practices to EN ISO 22000/2005.

Our company has proceeded by including The Environmental Management System (dictated from ISO 14000) in a separate thematic unit, under EN ISO 9001/2008

Our company has proceeded by including the Health & Safety at work (dictated from ISO 18000), in a separate thematic unit, under EN ISO 9001/2008.

Our company has modernized fully its production, by installing new lines, by introducing new products , by developing the building facilities , creating  optimum and up-to-date working conditions.

Our company, through its site educates the consumers as far as products, information on GDAs, nutrients, diets, etc are concerned

Our company develops constantly new healthy and added value  convenient products,

The Management commitment for full implementation of the Total Quality System, of full compliance with National and International Legislation is obvious.

Last, the Company Policy regarding Total Quality, Safety, Environment and Society is well known to all employees.