مراقَب في كل مرحلة، ومسجَّل في كل خطوة

No supplier delivers into our stores before they have been assessed. Approval covers who they are, what they can realistically supply and whether their handling practices are good enough to protect product quality.

• Identity, registration and location of the farmer, group or trader recorded
• Assessment of the crops supplied, typical volumes and seasonality
• Review of on-farm or in-store handling, drying and storage practices
• Trial or first-delivery assessment before a supplier is used regularly
• Approved suppliers recorded on a register and reviewed on performance

Every incoming delivery is inspected before it is accepted into store. The purpose is to catch problems at the gate, where they can still be rejected, rather than after the consignment has been mixed with approved stock.

• Visual inspection of the consignment and of the transport it arrived in
• Check for foreign material, damaged grain, discolouration and off-odours
• Check for signs of live infestation or previous insect damage
• Verification of quantity against the delivery documentation
• Acceptance, conditional acceptance or rejection recorded with the reason

Grading and testing are only as reliable as the sample they are performed on. Samples are drawn to a set method so that the result represents the whole consignment rather than the most convenient bag.

• Samples drawn from multiple points across the consignment, not from one bag
• Increments combined and reduced to a working sample by a set method
• Sample identified with supplier, date, lot reference and the person sampling
• Retention samples kept for reference for an agreed period
• Buyer or third-party witnessed sampling arranged where the contract requires it

The working sample is graded against the specification for that product. Grading determines what the consignment can be sold as, and it is done before a price is agreed rather than afterwards.

• Assessment against the agreed specification for the commodity
• Measurement of purity, foreign matter and admixture
• Assessment of broken, immature, shrivelled, discoloured and damaged grain
• Size, colour and uniformity assessed where the specification calls for it
• Grade result recorded against the lot and attached to the stock record

Moisture is the single biggest determinant of whether a consignment stores safely. Product above the safe moisture level for its commodity is dried down or refused; it is never simply stored and hoped for.

• Moisture measured at intake and recorded against the lot
• Result compared with the safe storage level for that commodity
• Product outside the range dried down, or rejected where drying is not viable
• Re-testing during storage and again before packing or loading
• Test instruments checked and calibrated to a defined schedule

Product held in a clean, dry, well-ventilated store retains the grade it was bought at. Housekeeping is treated as a scheduled quality control, not as general tidying.

• Cleaning schedule for floors, walls, pallets and handling equipment
• Stock stacked on pallets, clear of walls, with defined aisles for inspection
• Separation of different lots, products and grades to prevent mixing
• Control of ventilation, leaks and standing water in the store
• Personal hygiene, protective clothing and no-eating rules inside the store

Storage pests can destroy the value of a consignment quickly and can also make it inadmissible at destination. Control is preventive and monitored, and any treatment is carried out by licensed operators using permitted products.

• Scheduled inspection and monitoring for insects, rodents and birds
• Physical exclusion — proofing, screening and sealed doors
• Stock rotation on a first-in, first-out basis to avoid long-held lots
• Treatment or fumigation carried out only by licensed service providers
• Treatment records kept, including product used, dose, date and operator

Packaging protects the product through transit and carries the information the destination market requires. It is checked before filling and again once the consignment is packed.

• Packaging material checked for cleanliness, strength and suitability
• Confirmation that the material and format match the contract
• Net weight verification and check-weighing of filled units
• Closure, stitching or sealing checked on filled packaging
• Labelling and markings checked against the buyer's and destination's requirements

Loading is supervised so that what leaves the store is what was sold, and so that it is protected for the journey. Most disputes that reach a buyer start at this point.

• Container or vehicle inspected for cleanliness, damage, odour and leaks
• Lining and dunnage fitted where the product or route requires it
• Tally of units loaded, reconciled against the packing list
• Photographic record of the loading and of the sealed doors
• Seal number recorded and reported to the buyer

Documents are checked against the contract and against each other before they are released. An error in a document can hold a consignment at the destination port for longer than the voyage took.

• Commercial invoice and packing list checked against the loaded quantity
• Consistency of product description, weights and marks across all documents
• Confirmation that every certificate the destination requires has been applied for
• Check against the buyer's documentary instructions and payment terms
• Final review and sign-off before documents are released