Safety and quality

Produce healthier and greater quality foods, providing the consumer with information about the safety of raw materials used and the manufacturing systems adopted.

Product quality and safety are vital elements of every company in the food industry’s
commitment to sustainability. To this end we guarantee a special commitment to the millions of people who choose our products every day that goes beyond any regulatory requirements. This commitment is aimed at satisfying their expectations and managing risk relating to the raw material and packaging procurement process and product manufacturing and distribution.

RAW MATERIALS
We can only achieve maximum product safety and quality if safe, high quality raw materials
are employed in highly technological and hygienic manufacturing and distribution processes.
Supply Quality Specifications, which establish the organoleptic, chemical-physical and hygiene qualities and the point of origin of each of the 300 types of raw materials and 50 types of packaging materials used are defined as part of the supply contracts.

The conditions set by us are often more restrictive than those required by law.

The suppliers’ adherence to these specifications is guaranteed by 200 people that carry out periodic on-site inspections on the operating methods and perform checks on the supplies. We collect and analyze samples from each batch delivery to a manufacturing facility or the mill. The materials are only accepted if they pass the analysis stage.

We analyzed 47,500 batches in 2008 and 96% complied in full to our standards. With regard to those that did not meet the standards we commence analysis and improvement procedures in order to resolve the issue together and avoid it being repeated.

A fully planned and controlled supply chain is in place for complex raw materials such as
eggs. The hens of our exclusive suppliers are raised in controlled environments in which the
temperature, light, and air flow are monitored and are provided with additive free vegetable
based feed that is sourced according to strict supply standards.

The eggs that are shelled within 48 hours of being laid are delivered to our production facilities within 16 hours of pasteurization. Only three days pass between the egg being laid and its use in the production process.

OUR FACTORIES
Barilla operates in 25 factories and 9 mills located in 10 countries. Each of these facilities was planned and constructed and are currently maintained in accordance with GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices): more than 600 hygiene-sanitary operating regulations, the correct and full observance of which is checked continuously. In order to avoid contamination, the analysis of risk and critical control points (HACCP, Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) is updated continuously for each production facility.

CLEANING
The cleanliness of our plants and properties is fundamental to product safety. Although this is normally outsourced to third parties this area is subject to strict control. After passing the selection process, the cleaning companies are trained and must adopt our rigid procedures. We check their work before starting each of the 179 production lines.

CERTIFICATIONS
Each year we certify that the Food Quality and Safety Management Systems adopted in all
of our factories and mills conform to highest international standards through assessment by
qualified experts (ISO 9001 for the Quality System and BRC/IFS for Food Safety).

PRODUCT CONTROLS
All finished products are subjected to a series of organoleptic (including tasting), microbiological and chemical-physical controls in order to check quality before being distributed for consumption.  We analyzed 87,400 batches in 2008, of which 92% were fully compliant.

The batches that do not pass selection have small defects that for most products relate to visual imperfections that do not meet Barilla’s standards of excellence. The most common cases are problems with shape, cooking or packaging.

CONTROLS ON DISTRIBUTION
In order to guarantee that our products are delivered adopting the same quality and hygiene standards as the factories in which they were manufactured, we also manage the distribution process in more than 125 countries. We require application of our GDP (Good Distribution Practices) and perform regular inspections using internal and external experts.

Analyses are performed on the structural and managerial features of all warehouses (at our factories and distributors). We check that the levels of cleanliness, humidity and temperature at our distributors’ facilities are suitable for product storage and that there is no risk of contamination with other products stored in the warehouses.

TRACEABILITY AND RETRACEABILITY
We have devised a fully automated traceability and retraceability system that is in operation in all of our factories and is used to:

• match raw material and packaging material batches used with the source supplier and the
finished product in which they were incorporated;
• identify the customer to whom each finished product batch was delivered.

Where problems arise we can act immediately both to identify the origin of the problem and
resolve it and to safeguard consumers in the event of serious defects.

We invested Euro 28 million on prevention and control activities in 2008, which are fundamental to guaranteeing product quality and safety. We involved the entire organization in developing the appropriate level of skills throughout the whole group.