Food safety on track
Importing fresh food on a large scale can be risky. A thorough product assessment paired with the risk analysis software EasyRisk Manager provides Oluf Lorentzen with full control of every product and ingredient – from producer to consumer.
Norway’s leading importer of delicacies has met Norwegians insatiable demand for fine food for more than 150 years. In order to satisfy people’s request for new tastes, Oluf Lorentzen has broadened their portfolio from 600 to more than 1,400 products in the last 12 years.
“We import 5,000 tonnes of food this year and the numbers are growing,” explains Petter Tandberg, Purchasing and marketing manager at Oluf Lorentzen. Heavy loaded trucks roll into their top modern facility every week, delivering the finest oils, olives, meat and dairy products from all over Europe and the US.
Risk based product evaluation
The rising demand for their products combined with a growing product portfolio, new suppliers as well as an increasing complexity in food regulations, both domestic and internationally, made it necessary for Oluf Lorentzen to upgrade their food safety system.
“We wanted a complete system to ensure a good overview of our value chain, improve our risk management and enhance the service to our customers,” says Mr Tandberg.
A team of DNV’s food specialists conducted a comprehensive risk assessment of the products in Oluf Lorentzen’s portfolio – down to the smallest ingredient. Each product is accompanied by a detailed product specification from the manufacturer, and DNV analysed the components to ensure compliance with Norwegian food regulations. It was a complicated task since every ingredient might face different requirements depending on the product in question and amount that is used. Also, the team evaluated if the product contained or was produced nearby allergens, and ensured proper labelling on the packaging.
The assessment results were stored in a tailor-made version of DNV’s EasyRisk Manager software, providing Oluf Lorentzen with a searchable database of the products and ingredients as well as their related requirements.
Preventing errors
“With EasyRisk Manager we have an excellent overview of the risk related to every product,” says Mr Tandberg. “Should an ingredient be labelled as an allergen or meet certain restrictions from the food authorities in the future, we can instantly produce a list of every product which contains this ingredient and immediately take proper action.”
He says the EasyRisk database complements their other safety measures, providing Oluf Lorentzen with one of the most advanced food safety systems in the world. It ensures a highly systemised information flow and protects them from errors.
“We have complete control of our supplies. It is simple to compare new deliveries with the pre-approved product information in the database. Any deviations from the approved recipe will trigger a warning from our system and we can prevent these products from being released to the market. This is proactive risk management and gives us a competitive advantage”, says Mr Tandberg.
Import assessment
After assessing all products currently existing in the market, the DNV team now evaluates the products which Oluf Lorentzen considers importing. The products are analysed and categorised in EasyRisk Manager according to their perceived risk.
“Products that do not meet the evaluation criteria are not accepted in our portfolio. Compromising on food quality and product safety has never been an option for us,” ends Mr Tandberg.
