Packaging

Polyprint Achieves Global Food Packaging Certification

Friday 15. April 2011 - Norfolk-based flexible films printer Polyprint has signalled its intention to expand into the food packaging sector by achieving British Retail Consortium (BRC) certification (Packaging and packaging materials) - widely held to be the Global standard within the food industry - at the first time of applying.

The accreditation means that Polyprint can expand its operations into primary-contact food packaging printing – and the company is already winning orders destined for major supermarkets and their suppliers. Polyprint started life printing flexible mailing films, but has increasingly been called upon to print packaging materials over recent years, so the move towards BRC certification was a logical one – but far from straightforward.
“The BRC Standard is widely regarded as the global benchmark for best practice in the food industry, and achieving it requires a very high level of commitment to hygiene and food safety,” said Polyprint managing director Jonathan Neville.
“As a company which has not been a food specialist, we had to work hard to ensure that our premises, our equipment, and the level of training of our people were up to the mark. To achieve accreditation at the first go is a tribute to how hard everybody at Polyprint has worked.”
The BRC Standard requires companies to adopt and implement hazard and risk analysis, have a documented Quality Management System, and to control environment standards, products, processes and personnel.
“Achieving BRC certification opens up a whole new market for us,” said Jonathan Neville. “We have a national and international reputation for the quality of our printing and the excellence of our service; now we are going to take that reputation and expertise into the food sector, where we are already finding that it is much in demand.”
Flexible packaging printed by Polyprint is already on the shelves of some major supermarkets.