Marketplace
We continue to drive standards of good hygienic practice at our sites with a target of all sites being accredited to the Quality Management System ISO 9001. Our dairies at Chadwell Heath and Fenstanton achieved accreditation during the year, leaving only our newly acquired site at Foston to achieve this level.
We continue to have dialogue with the Food Standards Agency regarding their targets for nutritional dietary improvement. In particular, we have agreed certain salt reductions in our cheese portfolio which are achievable without adverse impact on product quality. During the course of the year we have also completed the removal programme of trans fatty acids from our range of spreads containing vegetable fats.
We have supported both the IGD and Dairy UK proposals for declaring Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs) on packs as the most sensible means of providing consumers with meaningful information on nutritional status.
We have a short supply chain, enabling close relationships with the 1600 British dairy farmers who supply us directly, as well as supplying dairy co-operatives. The Dairy Crest Assurance Scheme ensures the delivery of top quality milk, produced to high standards of food safety, animal welfare and protection of the environment. Dairy Crest provides a subsidised support package, through the independent White Gold Service, to enable direct supplying farmers to maintain Farm Assurance standards with the minimum of disruption and cost.
