Nine quality checks we run before a container sails

Importers rarely see what happens between the purchase order and the sailing schedule. Here is the check sequence we follow on every food consignment.

1. Raw material sampling on arrival for moisture, foreign matter and infestation. 2. Supplier and mill approval review, with a certificate of analysis on file. 3. In-process checks on grinding, roasting or polishing lines. 4. Metal detection and sieving before filling. 5. Fill weight audits at the start, middle and end of each batch. 6. Seal integrity and leak testing on pouches and bottles. 7. Label verification against the buyer approved artwork, including batch and expiry coding. 8. Laboratory analysis for the parameters named in the contract. 9. Container inspection, dunnage and stuffing photographs before sealing.

Each step is recorded against the batch number, so if a question is raised six months later we can reconstruct exactly what left our facility.