Regulation of quality-related processes in the food sector have grown considerably more demanding the last few years, having started in the production process and now increasingly in the whole supply chain.

Available information about products, their composition and how they are manufactured have also made consumers more demanding and selective in their purchasing choices.

As a result, companies in this large sector have strengthened their control over hygiene and food safety issues in their supply chain. It has become critically important to carry out a risk analysis and define control measures when acquiring food products and ingredients. Salmon responded to this demand by implementing HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point), as determined by the Codex Alimentarius. To further ensure against risks to the products we hold, we have also adopted the Food Defenseconcept, which aims at eliminating acts of intentional and malicious contamination, sabotage or bioterrorism. Implementing these two measures has already resulted in specific measures at our warehouse:

• A new lighting system that not only eliminates the risk of broken glass falling on top of people and goods, but also promotes workers’ health in the workplace, as the new lighting’s flickering is undetectable;
• A hygiene plan that ensures the use of only cleaning products that are suited for places that store food products;
• Strengthened pest control, both inside and outside the warehouse;
• Registration of all visitors to the warehouse, ensuring the control and accompaniment of all non-staff who enter the premises;
• Signs clearly limiting the access of unauthorized people to zones where products are more vulnerable to contamination;
• Increased protection of goods when being transported, both for the arrival and dispatch of products.

Though Salmon as a distributor was not legally obliged to implement HACCP or Food Defense, we did it anyway because we felt it was the right thing to do. We have taken a significant step in ensuring the quality of the products we sell and of the services we provide, as we invest more in a sector where Salmon is increasingly relevant.