Strict food safety and ISO compliance are at the company’s core

LUSAKA, ZAMBIA – Zambeef Products is stepping up its drive to attain world-class standards across all its operations in a move that puts the food processing giant at the forefront of the industry regionwide.

The company is determined to be known for high standards in all areas, and has invested heavily in ensuring that its operations are meeting the highest international safety ideals.

Novatek Animal Feeds is a member of the Zambeef Group of companies, and is now the only stockfeed operation in Zambia which is ISO 9001:2008 (Quality Management System) and ISO 22000:2005 food safety management certified. Novatek produces stockfeed that is tailored for local needs as well as exported into neighbouring countries.

Zamleather, the company’s leather arm, runs one of the country’s largest operating tanneries, manufacturing shoes, protective clothing and safety boots and wet blue hides that are sold both locally and exported to neighbouring countries. Zamleather has received ISO 20345:2011 certification for a number of its boots for the mining sector, which now meet the international standard for personal protective equipment for safety footwear.

Zambeef is currently working towards the implementation of a food safety management system based on food safety systems certification, FSSC 22000 for its beef, pork and dairy products, which it has targeted for completion by December 2017. The FSSC 22000 standard for food safety system certification, which is built on existing ISO standards such as the ISO 22000:2005, provides a framework for effectively managing food safety responsibilities and is applied to its entire value chain of food production, ensuring that the highest standards of food safety are maintained from farm to fork.

“Standards play a vital role in agro-processing and food production. In order to compete on a level playing field in the region and beyond, Zambian farmers must take the significance of high standards in their value chains very seriously,” said Zambeef’s marketing and corporate affairs manager Felix Lupindula. “Maintaining high quality levels and consistency is key in achieving world class standards in farming operations and food production.”

Zambeef has been introducing ever more ways to improve efficiency on its farms, particularly when it comes to equipment and farming infrastructure development, while the transfer of know-how to suppliers along its value chain and skills training for employees, together with an emphasis on research and development, have led to improvements in quality delivery on end products and consumer expectations.

The food and dairy giant follows strict programmes that enable it to work towards meeting the highest international standards in terms of quality and control, health and safety, environmental and social policy and animal welfare.

“Zambeef’s commitment to delivering quality end products and meeting consumer expectations and needs can be seen in the increased demand for our products over the years,” said Mr Lupindula. “A good example of this is our Kalundu Dairy Farm in Chisamba and Zamhatch in Mpongwe where the strictest bio-security measures are observed in order to ensure that the milk and day-old chicks supplied are of international standards.”

The newly-rolled out macro outlets across the country are another example of the company’s efforts to improve customers’ shopping experience. The macro outlets provide a secure facility where customers can purchase Zambeef products in one convenient location. The number of Zambeef outlets within the country currently stands at 140, with a further 31 in the West African countries of Nigeria and Ghana in partnership with Shoprite, bringing the total to 171 outlets across Africa as a whole.

“The process of ensuring that consistency and quality standards are maintained does not end with the company’s operations, but is a comprehensive exercise that involves customers, suppliers and other relevant stakeholders in evaluating and assessing the necessary requirements to achieve that goal,” said Mr Lupindula.

Zambeef’s Novatek division is the only stockfeed operation in Zambia which is ISO 9001:2008 (Quality Management System) and ISO 22000:2005 food safety management certified.	Zambeef’s Novatek division is the only stockfeed operation in Zambia which is ISO 9001:2008 (Quality Management System) and ISO 22000:2005 food safety management certified.
Zambeef’s Novatek division is the only stockfeed operation in Zambia which is ISO 9001:2008 (Quality Management System) and ISO 22000:2005 food safety management certified.	Zamleather has received ISO 20345:2011 certification for a number of its boots for the mining sector, which now meet the international standard for personal protective equipment for safety footwear.

About Zambeef Products Plc

Zambeef Products Plc is the largest integrated agribusiness and food processing company in Zambia and one of the largest in the region.

The group is principally involved in the production, processing, distribution and retailing of beef, chicken, pork, milk, dairy products, eggs, stockfeed and flour. The group also has large row cropping operations (principally maize, soya beans and wheat), with approximately 7,971 hectares of row crops under irrigation which is planted twice a year and a further 8,623 hectares of rain-fed/dry-land crops available for planting each year. The group is also expanding its West Africa operations in Nigeria and Ghana.

The company slaughters around 70,000 beef cattle, 6.75million chickens and 70,000 pigs per annum, while also processing 14.8 million litres of milk, producing 150,000 tons of stockfeed, 40.2 million eggs, 78,000 pairs of shoes and processes 97,500 hides in its tannery per year.

It has 171 retail outlets throughout Zambia and West Africa.

Zambeef employs over 6,000 people with a total of K307 million paid in remuneration and benefits in the last year. Zambeef generated US$55m in US Dollar income and contributed K144m to Government in taxes and duties.

More information is available at www.zambeefplc.com