• Entrepreneurs
• Business information
• Certification
• CAFIA laboratories
• CAFIA opinions
• More information
• Consumers
• How to know the food market
• Results of CAFIA inspections
• Consumer rights
• List of risky sites
• Hoaxes
• Other visitors
• Press Releases
• Internships at CAFIA
• Public contracts

A representative of BVQI Czech Republic, s.r.o. today presented to the Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority (CAFIA) a certificate stating that CAFIA has its Quality Management System established in accordance with the requirements of ISO 9001:2000. The subject of the certification is the “Performance of activities of administration authority carrying out state supervision in the field of foodstuffs and selected products”.

After successful certification audit, the Food Inspection Authority becomes one of the first holders of this certificate among state administration authorities in the Czech Republic.

The established QMS allowed the CAFIA to define, in a transparent way, all processes that are under way within the Authority, to describe their mutual relations, and to improve their management. The CAFIA’s main activity – performance of inspections – is monitored in a consistent manner, potential non-compliances are identified, and corrective and preventive measures are taken. Another result of establishing and certifying QMS is also unambiguous identification of final “customer”, which is every consumer of food and selected products the supervision of which is in CAFIA’s competency. “Customer” satisfaction with CAFIA’s work is vital for the Authority. For receiving and dealing with suggestions for inspections the CAFIA has set up a functional mechanism, including communication with other supervisory bodies. For the immediate period, the CAFIA has set up an objective to analyse a survey of public opinion, focused on “customers’” (consumers’) satisfaction with CAFIA’s work, consumers’ awareness of foodstuffs in general and of rights they have in connection with their purchase, amongst other things.

BVQI Czech Republic, s.r.o., is part of international certification company BVQI that is an independent certification organization and one of the key subsidiary companies of Bureau Veritas S. A. holding whose seat is in Paris. BVQI is represented in more than 100 countries and in the field of food industry it has certified companies such as Coca-Cola, Heinz, Kraft, Knorr Bremeze, Nestlé, or Pepsico, in the Czech Republic Opavia LU, Sodexho, Laris, and many others.

According to the company representative, Mr. Jiří Vaníček, the course of strict audit, performed at the CAFIA by the end of August, was exceptionally smooth. “So far we have very rarely met with such a well prepared and functioning Quality Management System”, he said during today’s presentation of the certificate in Brno.

CAFIA was establishing the Quality Management System (QMS) with the assistance of international advisory consortium. The project took 13 months and expenses acquired from the Phare project represented app. EUR 400,000.