Dutch Food Companies Share Secrets for Innovation and Product Consistency

“Because of the exceptionally vulnerable health status of many of our consumers and patients, food quality and food safety have always been a fundamental pillar, not only of our specialized nutrition manufacturing sites, but also of our research and product development teams,” said company spokesman William Green. “In the case of our medical nutrition business—and also, for a great part, our baby nutrition business—this work continues to be planned, executed, and monitored in and from the Netherlands by our highly qualified QFS teams.”

• Heinz has had a presence in the Netherlands since 1958, when it started selling ketchup and sandwich spread, and has grown significantly ever since through the acquisition of several well-known Dutch brands. The company, which employs about 1,200 in the Benelux region, has made food quality a major priority.

“We have very strict quality guidelines in place that ensure we are compliant with local and European food regulations,” noted Peter Boterman, a spokesman for Heinz’ operations in the Netherlands. “All of our products are extensively tested before launch with consumers and internally via sensory panels. We have strong measures in place to ensure we produce in compliance with our internal, strict quality standards and have processes in place to continuously improve our operations, ways of working, and processes.”

• New Zealand-based FrieslandCampina, one of the largest dairy conglomerates in the world, has the largest operation in the Netherlands, with annual revenues of about $12.7 billion. The company plans to open a new innovation center this year in Wageningen.

FrieslandCampina’s quality and safety program, “Foqus,” concentrates on ensuring safety and quality throughout the entire chain, from farm to distribution. Foqus requires that each production location to have at least one certificate recognized by the Global Food and Safety Initiative (GFSI), a collaboration of several of the world’s largest retail, manufacturing, and food service companies. GFSI uses a benchmarking procedure to set food safety requirements. FrieslandCampina said its Foqus program goes beyond the standard criteria and is customized for the company.

Specifically, Foqus sets targets that include change control, good hygiene practices, good manufacturing practices, tracking and tracing, crisis management, and supplier management. Change control involves a procedure to execute changes in processes in a secure manner. All changes have to be documented so they can be retrieved at a later stage.

• One of the most unique food companies in the Netherlands is Koppert Cress, specializing in cresses, the seedlings of unique plants. Koppert Cress develops these micro-vegetables as a collection, which it describes as “Architecture Aromatique.” The company traces its history back to 1987, but its major growth began in 2002 when it was acquired by current owner Rob Baan. Koppert Cress markets its products to chefs, caterers, and hotels in Europe from its headquarters in Monster. In 2008, the company opened a greenhouse on Long Island, N.Y., to supply the U.S. market.

Koppert Cress spokeswoman Hélène Bénard said all of the company’s procedures are conducted according to HACCP and SQF 2000 standards, which ensure that produce is cultivated and processed in a clean and responsible manner. Koppert Cress produces all of its seeds and grows them to food-grade standards. All cresses are grown in greenhouses.

“In the seed production, as well as pre-harvest and post-harvest, we [take] into account that we will use the seeds for food,” Bénard said. “Koppert Cress works with WUR and has good contacts with the Dutch food safety authorities.”