'TASTE YOU TRUST'
Quality first, quality throughout
At McCormick®, we understand that working with flavor components means dealing with variable environmental si- tuations—which demands a careful, deli- berate and consistent approach. And, be- cause we’ve been sourcing products from tropical and subtropical developing areas of the world since the late 1800s, we are uniquely qualified to recognize potential challenges and how to best ensure that McCormick products come with the seal of quality. We see quality as a core com- petency at McCormick and our systems, processes and focus are among the most rigorous in the industry. What does that mean? We test our finished products—and just as importantly, we test the ingredients that go into them.
Quality is embedded in McCormick’s DNA. Our goal is to be proactive and to anticipate and mitigate any possible quality risk. We do this by starting as far upstream as pos- sible, often at the source, with preventative measures including education. Secondly, our intervention measures include chec- king, testing, evaluating and assessing our products. Lastly is our response system. Spending time and effort in the prevention step makes good business sense.
A few highlights of our commitment to the highest standards of quality include:
• We have the largest quality investment in the spice and seasoning industry, and we are in an elite group of companies around the world to achieve a Safe Quality Food Level 3 Certified Supplier rating,
• We developed a clean, safe, efficient and natural steam pasteurization process for herbs and spices, designed to preserve the ingredients’ quality and characteris- tics
• We conduct several million ingredient and product analyses each year.
Setting new standards
Not only do we meet quality metrics in each area that we operate, but McCormick continues to raise the bar in quality stan- dards. For instance, we developed and use a proprietary microscopic detection method to ensure the purity of our pro- ducts. We incorporate the latest analytical measuring equipment in our laboratories to insure chemical compliance and whole- some products. At the field level we have deployed a backward integration program for growing Indian chilies in order to ba- lance quality requirements and farmers’ concerns, developing meticulous agricul- tural practices to consistently meet end- product specifications. Our vendor tracea- bility process and Laboratory Information System ensure full traceability and de- tailed analytic quality control from vendor lot to finished product.
A responsibility shared by all
At McCormick, quality isn’t the job of just one department or set of individuals: but rather quality is ingrained in the work culture of all of our employees. Here, qua- lity is not just about testing at the end of the process—our proactive continuous improvement approach means that qua- lity is built into each product right from the start and across the entire supply chain. Our executive-level Enterprise Risk Mana- gement committee has the following four focus areas, further underscoring quality’s importance to McCormick: brand protec- tion, purity, quality and safety of our pro- ducts. The team works to understand and mitigate any emerging risks that could po- tentially impact our product integrity.
A strategic, quality-oriented global sourcing approach
The McCormick Global Ingredients Limited procurement team sources spices and herbs from over 40 countries around the world. The sourcing organization has a combined total of more than 100 years of procurement experience in the spice trade; and we put that expertise to work every day to find the highest quality spices and herbs around the world. Through this team, we have established long-held stra- tegic alliances with many of our suppliers and with selected farm communities.
We have intimate knowledge of local farm and market conditions everywhere we operate. As a part of our preventative strategy, we continue expanding our pre- sence in source countries in order to bring our high quality standards as close to the product as possible. For instance, we have joint ventures in India concentrating on red pepper, and in Indonesia focusing on cinnamon, both with the goal of managing the raw material supply chain back to the source. We have developed key strategic alliances in other major spice-growing countries, contributing to a network of suppliers who help us build strong ties with farming communities and help them to continuously improve the quality and productivity of their crops.
Cultivating exceptional suppliers
McCormick has been committed to deve- loping and maintaining a strong and heal- thy supplier base. This has allowed us to get closer to the raw material source. Through the close and local relationships, we are in a better position to improve the product quality at the farm level through education like helping the farmers unders- tand that quick drying processes help avoid mold and teaching them how storing the product in a safe, dry place helps prevent potential issues later. With this type of edu- cation and McCormick’s ability to manage product integrity from source country to end product, farmers deliver a better and more consistent product which leads to steadier demand and better income.
A commitment you can see and taste
From England to South Africa and the United States to China, McCormick safety investments have resulted in Global Food Safety Standards site certifications. While the standards are known by various names—ISO 2200, BRC, SQF—all are aimed at providing an independent framework so that the company’s food safety and qua- lity management systems comply with domestic and international regu- lations and requirements. McCormick has 20 facilities around the world hol- ding 25 of these certifications. Part of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), these audits are strictly go- verned to control the experience and quality of the auditor and the audit system, unlike other third-party au- dits; they are designed to better as- sure that the products, processes and systems provide safe, quality food to consumers.
If you have further questions regarding the quality of our products, please contact Rachel Forshaw.
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