One of the first in their sector to achieve and then retain accreditation for over a decade, Oakland International has once again retained British Retail Consortium’s (BRC) quality standard for storage and distribution.
Oakland’s quality assurance manager, Louise Smith, stated: “The storage and distribution standard covers all activities that are undertaken by Oakland International that may affect safety, quality and legality of the products that are handled and stored at Oakland, with BRC’s standard undertaken and viewed by Oakland as a cross-functional responsibility, wholly supported by Oakland’s senior management team and team members.
“Retaining our BRC accreditation for more than a decade provides positive recognition for our customers that we are a highly rated supply chain partner, ranked amongst the very best. The auditor was extremely positive about not only the comprehensive systems maintained by Oakland at all levels, but also about the attitude of our team.”
As a family business and specialist in the multi temperature food distribution arena, Oakland’s BRC accreditation is a gateway opening new UK opportunities for their Distressed Load Management service, which reduces food loss from the effects of consignment damage or loss, a service shortlisted in the Innovation Award category of this year’s prestigious Global Freight Awards (GFA).
Audited against Oakland’s Quality Management System, which demonstrates compliance with the BRC standard, the audit includes areas such as the firm’s quality statement and company objectives, HACCP, internal system audits, fabric and hygiene audits, staff training and competency, customer complaint handling, incident management and contingency.
Oakland’s MD, Barry Davies, commented: “With growth comes challenge, so I am particularly pleased by the auditor’s complementary audit summary. Oakland’s proactive approach and continuous system and process improvement, coupled with our ability to offer a specialised distressed load service provides our customers confidence, knowing that any products stored and distributed through Oakland will retain their quality.
“My personal thanks and congratulations to the QA team, and to everyone, who have contributed to this excellent BRC audit result.”
With an extensive range of food co-packing support services, Oakland’s frozen, chilled and ambient supply chain solution works with UK, Irish and European producers and suppliers. Internationally recognised, BRC is viewed as the ‘global standard’ for storage and distribution.