At Martino, we’re extremely passionate about the quality of our products and the way they make their way to your table. And one step we take towards ensuring that quality is by obtaining the highest food safety certifications available. The quality management of our food label represents a concrete and primary objective as it is directly linked to the protection of health and the safeguarding of life.
Guaranteeing safety and quality of what is produced and distributed, recognizing and managing risk factors and transferring this commitment to the public, are the characterizing elements of our corporate mission.
Having a rigorous and effective management system governing processes and related risks is the tool to gain trust and consensus. Furthermore, they respond to customers and consumers’ concerns, and show that they guarantee quality, safety, competence and efficiency during production, packaging and distribution, and throughout the entire food supply chain.
Which food safety certifications does Martino have?
To this end, Martino has equipped itself with specialized technicians who, sharing the values of the company’s mission, take part to the maintenance of the most restrictive and rigorous voluntary food safety standards, such as BRC and IFS, certifications adhering to the GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative) .
Martino cares about all consumers, even the most demanding ones, and it is for them that it has decided to certify its products with BRC, IFS, BIO, NATURLAND, EUK and VEGANOK. Let’s get to know these certifications.
BRC
The BRC Global Standard for Food Safety was born in 1998 to ensure that branded products are obtained according to well-defined quality standards and in compliance with minimum requirements. It can be compared to a certification that binds qualified suppliers to the distribution company.
It is one of the standards relating to food safety recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI). The latter is an international initiative, whose main purpose is to strengthen and promote food safety throughout the supply chain.
Recently, the GFSI has managed to get some international retailers to accept the concept of equal validity and interchangeability between the standards recognized by the GFSI itself, thus allowing to reduce the duplication of compliance with very similar standards.
An application of the BRC is therefore a necessary prerequisite for being able to export its products, and is a recognized guarantee tool for corporate reliability.
IFS
The IFS (International Food Standard) is designed to encourage the effective selection of large-scale food suppliers, based on their ability to provide safe products, compliant with contractual specifications and legal requirements. It constitutes a recognized model both in Europe and in the rest of the world.
IFS is one of the standards relating to food safety recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), an international initiative, whose main purpose is to strengthen and promote food safety throughout the supply chain.
BIO
Bio is a global system of agricultural management and agri-food production based on the interaction between best environmental practices, a high level of biodiversity, the protection of natural resources, the application of rigorous criteria regarding the well-being of animals and production suited to the preferences of certain consumers for products obtained with natural substances and processes.
The bio logo and the labeling system have the task of assuring the consumer that the product they are buying has been obtained by following very thoroughly the European regulation on organic farming and national legislation or in the case of imported products, according to equivalent rules or similarly rigid ones. Starting from 1 July 2010, the use of the new logo has become mandatory for all organic products made in compliance with EU legislation.
Naturland
Naturland is an association of organic agriculture. It is active all over the world and it promotes organic agriculture. Its partners are farmers who produce a wide range of precious products. Organic agriculture safeguards the existence of small farmers and helps with sustainable management of ecosystems which are often already very fragile. Worldwide, over 65,000 farmers work according to Naturland standards and cultivate an area of over 440.000 hectares.
Organic farming in accordance with Naturland standards today has a recognized value that can be counted on. A comparison between the first draft of the “Standards on organic farming” approved in 1982 at the establishment of the association with the version currently in force reveals some characteristic aspects of Naturland: the dynamics of innovation and the desire to evolve as much as loyalty to its basic values and the continuity of commitment for this modern form of cultivation.
Kosher–certified
Kosher products are those that can be consumed by members of Jewish communities, according to the dietary rules of the Jewish religion. In order for a product to be Kosher certified, it must meet stringent quality standards and all production and packaging procedures as well as every single ingredient used in its preparation must comply with the restrictive laws of Kasheruth. Compliance with these strict rules is checked periodically by experts on the production site.
The extreme rigidity of these rules constitute protection for the consumer regardless of his religion and, over time, these have made Kosher certification a quality mark recognized all over the world. In some countries such as the USA, in fact, the main consumers of Kosher products are not Jews, but people of any religion who seek a guarantee of quality, authenticity and purity in a brand.
VeganOk
VeganOK is a brand, or a label, that defines vegan products. What are vegan products? By vegan we mean a product that does not use any animal components. VenganOk is certainly comparable to the Peta certification, but unlike the latter, VeganOK is much more used in the food sector than in the textile sector.
To obtain the VeganOK label, it is possible to self-certify your products, or have them certified by competent control bodies. The difference between these two methodologies is clearly evident, and it is preferable to choose products certified by the competent bodies.
A Final Word
Each and every one of these food safety certifications is a badge the food label of Martino wears proudly. Because each one represents the strenuous efforts of our founders and team towards constantly bettering ourselves, our manufacturing process and our products for you – the consumer, for our partners and our planet. We strongly believe that we’re in this together and as a global community we need to take concrete steps towards safeguarding our natural resources and with them – our health.
Do you want to join us in this endeavour?
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