Ensuring Quality and Safety for Consumers

Tomatoes arrive in large bins before they are processed

Global Quality Strategy and Risk Management
In 2005, Heinz launched a Global Quality Strategy that intensified our focus on risk assessment and prevention, sharing of global best practices, consistent product performance, and continuous improvement.

Our Global Quality Strategy is built upon five pillars:

• Prediction
• People and Organization
• Policies and Standards
• Processes and Systems
• Performance

At the same time, Heinz also established the Global Quality Risk Management Assessment and Improvement Program. The program is based on externally-recognized quality standards, including ISO 9001 and Hazard Analysis, and Critical Control Point, a food safety risk assessment process focused on control of biological, chemical, and physical hazards within the food chain.

The Global Quality Risk Management Process is designed to reduce quality/food safety risks, identify and share best practices, and measure all Heinz facilities against a global common standard. In Fiscal 2006 and 2007, all Heinz-owned and operated facilities around the world were assessed against this standard to enable us to record a performance baseline and develop improvement plans.

The assessment process involved thirdparty auditors assisted by Heinz staff, who then collaborated and developed improvement action plans that become part of our Annual Quality Plan. This baseline has helped Heinz determine where to make capital improvements, further develop employee training, and maximize resource utilization.

Overall, the assessments found that most Heinz facilities performed very well in quality and product safety categories. The results highlighted different improvement opportunities in each region, which we are in the process of implementing, to drive higher performance across Heinz.

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