Quality, all along the chain
Quality, all along the chain
At Milcobel, we aim for total chain management, from resource to finished product, from grass to glass.
Our quality is what sets us apart. High-quality end products, services and processes are embedded in our mindset.
Quality at the dairy farm
It all begins with our chief resource: our Milk!
We collect the fresh and pure milk from our own member dairy farmers, who are all IKM-certified (Integrale Kwaliteitszorg Melk = Integral Milk Quality Assurance). Each milk delivery is subject to the legal quality regulations. Official quality assessments are conducted by the accredited laboratories at the Melkcontrolecentrum Vlaanderen in Lier and the Comité du Lait in Battice.
Quality in milk transportation
In order to collect the milk from all of our dairy farmers, within the legal deadline and in an optimal way, we deploy more than 60 milk collection trucks daily. Each of these trucks is equipped with a sampling device and a computerised data system for milk volume and supplier registration. Their GPS location is used to identify each dairy farm. This ensures full traceability at all times. All of our milk collectors have undergone training under the supervision of the FASFC (Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain) and have a milk collector licence to show for it.
Quality in milk processing and production
We process the milk in our own state-of-the-art factories.
All Milcobel plants operate in compliance with the Milcobel QAS (quality assurance system) and the Milcobel ACS (auto-control system), validated by the FASFC (Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain). All of our sites have GFSI certification (IFS/BRC).
Our products comply with the strictest standards and their specifications are determined so as to satisfy the most demanding customers. We want the Milcobel name to always be associated with quality, both in the B2B and B2C domain. This endeavour goes well beyond our products, and also extends to our services.
IKM or DQA, the dairy quality assurance scheme
IKM Certificate - Integral Milk Quality Assurance
An IKM certificate guarantees good agricultural practice on the dairy farm. It articulates the dairy producer's commitment to society and relies on 8 modules:
- Animal health
- Animal welfare
- Milk production
- Cleaning
- The environment
- Duty of notification
- Sustainability monitor
- Hygiene
IKM production ledger
The IKM production ledger helps monitor production conditions and food safety. It contains all of the anchor points from the auto control guide for the primary production of raw milk, in addition to a series of specific IKM points.
ACS-G-009 certificate
The ACS-G-009 certificate ​guarantees good transport practice, food safety and raw milk traceability. An HACCP guide, with an assessment of the probability of hazards occurring and their effects, features both a hazard analysis report and any relevant containment materials. As an auto control guide for the collection and transportation milk, it is based on 5 modules:
- Milk collection
- Transport
- Milk reception
- Cleaning station
- Monitoring the tank and equipment cleaning of collection and transport vehicles.