Arla sets the dairy standard

Arla Foods is not only leading the way in the UK dairy industry but also now in the accreditation stakes having successfully completed an extremely tough audit to gain BVQI accreditation - a first for any UK food company.

Oakthorpe dairy, Palmers Green, North London, the largest of Arla Foods' six dairies in the UK, completed the audit bringing the dairy into line with its Scandinavian parents who also use the same accreditation.

To supply retailers in the UK, all food companies need accreditation from the British Retail Consortium (BRC). Oakthorpe decided to go that bit further and focus on food safety and put themselves to the ultimate test with the BVQI (Bureau Veritas Quality International).

"We've gained a real competitive advantage thanks to the initiative shown by colleagues at Oakthorpe," said Rowena Marshall, UK quality manager. "It is part of Arla Foods' quality strategy to focus on food safety and Oakthorpe has now paved the way for the other five UK dairies and HT Webb & Co to follow suit."

Craig Blower, operations manager at Oakthorpe: "The project was really about taking the current system and making it simpler. People are a lot clearer about their job now and how they can have an impact on food safety, people appreciate this kind of clarity," he added.

The accreditation is planned for roll out at Arla Foods' other five dairy sites across the UK in the near future.

Arla Foods UK plc is home to some of the UK’s leading dairy brands including Cravendale, Lurpak and Anchor. Processing approximately two billion litres of milk a year Arla continues to be one of the UK’s leading dairy companies and a supplier of fresh liquid milk and cream to the top seven retailers.

Over 2,500 daily deliveries are made directly to stores nationwide and Arla brands can be found across the dairy category. As well as the leader of the butter, spreads and margarine sector, and a major supplier of other added value products including flavoured milk and cheese, Arla continues to build working relationships with Arla Foods Milk Partnership, a unique group of dairy farmers, which supplies around 90 per cent of Arla's total milk requirements.

Behind this leading business is a team of circa 2,800 people across the UK located at our dairies, distribution centres and head office.