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Info leTTeR
Fruit, vegetables and potatoes
|
Issue: 03/2013
Quality assurance.
from farm to shop.
aUditOr traiNiNg iN 2013
enSURInG The ConSISTenCY of aUdITInG
oPST obst Part-
ner
Steiermark
Gmbh is a produc-
er organisation in
the Styrian region
of
south-east-
ern austria with
around 700 agri-
cultural produc-
tion businesses
and 9 distribution
partners. oPST’s
principal
prod-
ucts are apples, with a crop area of around
3,800 hectares, pears, with a crop area of
about 150 hectares, and plums, with about
100 hectares. around 15% of this area is now
dedicated to organic production. The eVa
apple export association exports the prod-
ucts to over 20 countries.
Willi Nuster (see photo) is responsible for qual-
ity management. He says, “Quality assurance is
of enormous importance for OPST Obst Partner
Steiermark GmbH.” This is also evident in the
company’s history, as it started developing its
first quality assurance systems back in 1997. The
company took a great step forwards in terms
of quality management when it joined the QS
scheme. In 2005, just a year after QS Fachge-
sellschaft Obst-Gemüse-Kartoffeln GmbH was
founded, the OPST producers started imple-
menting QS requirements. “All conventional
producers meanwhile meet the requirements,”
is Willi Nuster‘s resume.
But they’re not resting on their laurels with qual-
ity assurance at OPST Obst Partner Steiermark
GmbH. “We’re committed in our producer organ-
isation to continuing to advance our quality as-
surance systems. So we’re continually improving
food safety for the
benefit of the con-
sumer and bringing
it up to the latest
standards. Farmers
are kept up to date
with training cours-
es and information
packs. That way
they know all about
the importance of
healthy,
sustain-
able,
high-quality
fruit,” explains the
quality manager. “So OPST manages the certi-
fication of the farmers on the one hand and of
our distribution partners on the other, so we can
guarantee a safe system across the board.”
It’s a commitment that pays off. “Because of
the steps we’ve taken, the „frisch-saftig-stei-
risch“ (fresh-juicy-Styrian) apple has gained
consumers’ trust. The unique countryside of
the Styrian apple-growing region is crucial for
the outstanding taste of our product,” says Willi
Nuster in praise of their product’s quality, before
summing up the guarantees of success for their
position in the domestic market. “Safe products
due to certification, down-to-earth production
in family-run businesses, and the unique condi-
tions of an outstanding climate.”
QS has organised almost 40 training cours-
es, workshops and information meetings
for auditors, coordinators and certification
bodies this year. These events are an impor-
tant forum for exchanging experiences and
for further developing the common under-
standing of quality. The training courses for
auditors were of particular importance. They
help to ensure that inspections at produc-
tion businesses and companies are conduct-
ed in a proper and professional manner and
with consistently uniform standards.
“QS auditors are experts in cross-stage quality
assurance from farm to shop. They have to as-
sess compliance with the relevant requirements
on site. So the auditors bear a large responsibil-
ity. To fulfil this duty, a thorough knowledge of
the processes involved in food production and
marketing is required,” explains Dr Alois Fennek-
er, who at QS is responsible for certification bod-
ies. On the training courses, the specifics of the
individual stages are ex-
plained to the auditors.
Practical case studies
and discussions, he
points out, contribute
towards making the au-
dits more consistently
uniform.
To ensure that the in-
formation has been
understood and is im-
plemented effectively,
there is a test at the
end of each course. In
order to retain their QS
approval, auditors must
attend a training course
and pass a test for each stage of approval.
This year auditors sat a combined total of almost
1,240 tests. A high standard was set, with a fail-
ure rate of only 10%. The auditors in question
had to resit the tests. As a result of failure to at-
tend courses and of failing the tests, 55 approv-
als had to be revoked.
ScHEME participaNt OpSt, OBSt partNEr StEiErMarK
PoMe fRUIT SPeCIalISTS
Willi Nuster
oPST
obst Partner Steiermark Gmbh
Wollsdorf 154,
8181 St. Ruprecht/Raab
