means doing the right thing, going beyond customer and consumer expectations, though excellence in processes and compliance with standards. Quality and R&D are interconnected from the start, establishing the best options, from product development, deciding on the unit and packaging to process and product standards to guarantee our customer and consumer total satisfaction."
GRI 103-1, GRI 103-2, GRI 416-1, GRI 417-1
Providing safe, nutritious, flavorful and high-quality foods to consumers around the world is at the heart of JBS’s purpose and is a fundamental element in its strategy. This means providing na operating model aimed at continual enhancement of operating, manufacturing and product supply activities.
To achieve this goal in the 15 countries where the Company operates, meeting local regulatory requirements and international quality standards, JBS has a Global Food Safety and Quality Assurance Department, headquartered in the United States.
Specialized Food Quality and Safety teams who are active in each business unit are responsible for implementing the policies, strategies and procedures developed by the Global Department.
Notable among the tools that monitor quality and safety assurance for JBS products are value chain oversight processes, such as ensuring raw material origin and quality, production control and monitoring of distribution. Training and refresher courses are provided to teams, customers and other agents in the process, qualifying them to perform their roles throughout the process.
The Company invests in laboratories at its units around the world that specialize in microbiological analyses and biotechnology, providing indicators of food safety for its various brands, assuring product quality. By modernizing infrastructure and equipment used, JBS is able to achieve more and more precise results, with increasingly faster analysis times.
For instance, excellence in JBS operations is certified by the British Retail Consortium (BRC), a global reference in quality in protein production, and plants are ISO 9001 certified.
In 2019, R$ 930.8 million was invested in quality, with over 2,460 people trained.
All units are inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).
All JBS units hold seals from the Federal Inspection Service (Serviço de Inspeção Federal – SIF) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA), certifying the Company to export and sell its products on the domestic market.
Pilgrim’s factories follow the guidelines defined by the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA) and the National Service for Agro-Alimentary Public Health, Safety and Quality (SENASICA). In addition, each factory in Mexico is TIF (Federal Inspection Type) certified, as issued by the government for food that meets the standards established by the World Animal Health Organization and by the Codex Alimentarius, a publication of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) inspects all facilities to guarantee compliance with federal food safety standards.
Production facilities are inspected and audited by third parties according to European Food Hygiene regulations and any additional customer quality requirements to verify compliance. Pilgrim’s Moy Park supports the Food Standards Agency campaign to reduce the spread of Campylobacter and has invested over £ 1 million in cutting edge research and practices to help the poultry industry fight the bacteria.
Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (DAWR) representatives perform inspections at export facilities daily to guarantee that the unit is in compliance with all federal food safety and foreign market requirements.
