QS. Quality scheme for food

Where it is important for the reliability of food and feed or the health of the animals, the QS requirements exceed the legal requirements. This is particularly the case in the area of food safety. Thus, QS in feed monitoring, antibiotic monitoring, salmonella monitoring and residue monitoring requires the systematic control of individual products. In addition, the QS scheme requirements on animal welfare and animal health are more stringent than those required by law.

A composition of QS requirements beyond legal requirements can be found here.

Due to the work in the QS network, there is a systematic control of fresh food in Germany. This creates a high level of safety for meat and sausage products, fruit, vegetables and potatoes. The QS standards for the production and marketing of meat and sausage as well as fruit, vegetables and potatoes define the requirements for assured processes and product quality. All partners in the QS network are regularly checked by independent auditors. Comprehensive monitoring programmes and targeted laboratory analyses prove the reliable quality assurance. Wherever it is important for the reliability of food and feed or the health of the livestock, they exceed the legal requirements. Only foods that are produced and marketed according to the QS requirements at all stages, bear the QS certification mark.

Quality assurance in the QS scheme is based on three interacting inspection levels:

1. The companies in the QS network themselves ensure that they reliably check and conscientiously document all the QS requirements placed on them by means of their own self-assessment. Independently of this, the companies must carry out their self-control at least once a year as part of a company self-assessment. QS supports the people involved in reliably implementing all legal regulations and specific requirements for food safety.
2. All partners in the QS network are regularly checked by independent auditors. They check the production and marketing processes as well as their documentation on site. Additional product controls are carried out in form of monitoring programmes.
3. Within the framework of the scheme integrity system (SIKS), QS ensures that quality assurance works perfectly from farm to shop. The work of the auditors and laboratories is also regularly checked by QS.

Inspections in the QS scheme are carried out on a risk-oriented basis. This means that the period between two inspections depends on how a business performs in the audit. Businesses where nonconformities and defects are found are inspected more frequently - businesses that perform very well are inspected less frequently.

If serious violations of QS requirements are identified during the audits, sanction proceedings are initiated and an independent sanction board is involved. Sanctions such as fines can be imposed or companies can be excluded from the QS network.

Further information about the QS scheme can be found here.

QS. Quality scheme for food. is the leading standard for food safety in Germany. 95% of all fresh pork and poultry meat, 85% of beef and 90% of fruit, vegetables and potatoes from Germany are QS certified.

Because of QS, consumers in Germany can rely on safe fresh food. The quality assurance scheme covers all stages of production and marketing of food. The companies in the QS network produce, process, inspect and sell fresh food - from farm to shop. Together they ensure that food safety standards are reliably implemented.

The products can be recognized by the QS certification mark. Food that is labelled with the QS certification mark is safe and its history is transparent: From farm to shop QS knows every company that is involved in the products’ production and marketing. The compliance with the QS requirements is regularly checked in all companies. Checklists and shipping documents, which allow a conclusion on the production process and the origin, accompany the product to the shop. Thus, the entire production process is made transparent and ensures a high degree of reliability.

Further information about the QS scheme can be found here.

The cross-stage QS scheme offers comprehensive control of the entire food chain. Exactly at that point, QS differs from other quality assurance systems. Whether feed sector, agriculture, slaughtering, deboning or meat-processing companies, wholesale or food retail: QS includes all responsible stages of the production and marketing process. Together with them, QS organizes reliable quality assurance along the entire value chain - from farm to shop.

Only products that have been produced and marketed according to the requirements of the QS scheme at all stages of production and marketing may bear the QS certification mark. The blue QS certification mark symbolizes the joint efforts of over 150,000 QS scheme participants. For consumers, it is a clear signal that they are buying safe food from good hands.

The QS standards for the production and marketing of meat and sausage as well as fruit, vegetables and potatoes define the requirements for assured processes and product quality. These can be viewed and downloaded in detail for all production stages in the Document Center. The requirements relate, among other things, to livestock farming and feeding, the professional use of plant protection products, and compliance with hygiene requirements and the cold chain.

Inspections of the production and marketing process for meat and meat products begin with the production of feed. The animals within the QS network may only be fed with feed from QS certified farms. In agriculture, special attention is paid to animal welfare with requirements for animal protection, feeding, livestock housing conditions and the use of medicines. QS requirements for slaughtering and deboning concern, among other things, animal welfare and animal transport or slaughter hygiene, while in meat processing it is a question of maintaining the cold chain or avoiding cross-contamination. For the food retail target temperatures, staff hygiene, staff training, goods inspection and traceability is relevant.

The inspection of production and marketing processes of fruit, vegetables and potatoes begins with the analysis of the production. For example, producers must comply with requirements for soil cultivation, plant protection, fertilisation and water quality. For the wholesale and fruit sale requirements for storage and transport conditions, hygiene, ensured origin and traceability are relevant. For the food retail, the proper storage and handling of goods as well as the correct labelling are checked.

The QS quality scheme is an initiative of the economy, which sees itself as an alliance for active consumer protection. In 2001, the agricultural and food industry launched the QS scheme, a quality assurance scheme for meat and meat products covering all stages of production and trade.

The QS scheme is supported by the QS Qualität und Sicherheit GmbH. Its shareholders are associations and organizations of the agricultural and food sector, representing the individual production and marketing stages:

Feed Sector: Deutscher Raiffeisenverband e. V.
Agriculture: Deutscher Bauernverband e. V.
Slaughtering and Debonding: Verband der Fleischwirtschaft e. V.
Meat Sector: Bundesverband der deutschen Fleischwarenindustrie e.V.
Food Retail: Handelsvereinigung für Marktwirtschaft e. V.

Three years after the QS Qualität und Sicherheit GmbH was founded, the QS Fachgesellschaft Geflügel GmbH was founded. Since 2004 she has been responsible for quality assurance in poultry meat.

Alongside QS Qualität und Sicherheit GmbH the Zentralverband der Deutschen Geflügelwirtschaft e.V is the other shareholder of QS Fachgesellschaft Geflügel GmbH.

In order to meet the special requirements of quality assurance in the production and marketing of fruit, vegetables and potatoes, the QS Fachgesellschaft Obst-Gemüse-Kartoffeln GmbH was founded in 2004.
Alongside QS Qualität und Sicherheit GmbH the other shareholders of QS Fachgesellschaft Obst-Gemüse-Kartoffeln GmbH are:

the Bundesausschuss Obst und Gemüse (BOG)

the Bundesvereinigung der Erzeugerorganisationen Obst und Gemüse e. V.

the Zentralverband Gartenbau e. V.

the Union der Deutschen Kartoffelwirtschaft e. V.

the Deutsche Fruchthandelsverband (DFHV)

the belgische Verband der Erzeugerorganisationen (VBT)

the Fresh Produce Center

All three societies have their common seat in Bonn.