Applus+ Certification has awarded Grupo Alimentario Citrus (GAC)’s range IV business units, VERDIFRESH S.L.U. and Mesturados Canarios S.L., with IFC certificates and its agricultural subsidiary, ESPACE TECNO AGRÍCOLA S.L.U., with GLOBALG.A.P. certification.
The certificates were presented on 21st November at the GAC headquarters in Valencia (Spain). Present at the ceremony were Miguel García, director of GAC’s range IV business unit, David Vitoria, head of integrated systems, Francisco Andrés, head of quality in the range IV business unit and Alicia Arroyo and Mario Magallón representing Applus+ Certification.
18 YEARS OF SUCCESS
Grupo Alimentario Citrus (GAC) is a group of companies specialising in the production and processing of healthy, fresh Mediterranean food products. The group was established in 2000. Comprising some 250 products, its diverse and innovative range helps today’s consumers to maintain a healthy, balanced diet at all times, wherever they may be.
GAC employs some 2,500 people and turned over more than €300 million in 2018. The company cultivates its own vegetables on an area of farmland that exceeds 5,000 hectares and processes them in its seven production facilities across Spain and Germany. Through its brands Sun&Vegs and Byba, it takes a taste of the Mediterranean to more than 30 countries around the world.
MORE THAN JUST CERTIFICATION
The Spanish group has been turning to Applus+ Certification for its agri-food certification since 2008. This year marks the tenth anniversary of its Verdifresh subsidiary’s inaugural IFS Food certification.
This standard provides a food-safety overview of a company’s production and packaging processes. It also indicates areas for improvement and helps to reduce the risk of food contamination. Miguel García, director of GAC’s range IV business unit, stated during the ceremony that “our IFS recertification demonstrates our firm commitment to and compliance with the demanding requirements set by our mass retail clients as well as serving as a business card to open the doors to new markets”.
In addition, Grupo Alimentario Citrus asked Applus+ Certification to certify the majority of the farms within its ESPACE Tecno Agrícola business unit for the first time in accordance with GLOBALG.A.P. and its voluntary GRASP and NURTURE modules. This certification helps producers to meet globally recognised standards in the fields of food safety, sustainable production, responsible water use and plant-propagating materials.