In July 2007 the Galydhà uht goat’s milk processing plant, in Villagrande Strisaili in Sardinia, was awarded an important certification by the DNV (Det Norske Veritas):  

International Food Standard (IFS) HIGHER LEVEL

(the highest  IFS standard for the international food industry)

The IFS standard is a product certification scheme (in compliance with regulation EN 45011) and it the most widely used tool by large distribution operators in Germany and France to qualify their suppliers, ensuring a higher level of control and safety in order to reduce accidents in the development, production, distribution, advertising and sale of food products to the consumer.

For this reason, in addition to the production site’s technical performance, IFS inspectors personally verify the suppliers’ self-monitoring plans according to procedures that are compliant with standards or regulations based on the following criteria:  Quality Management (including HACCP), Management of Resources, Product Realization, Measurements, analyses and improvements.

The standards are set at two levels:  the FOUNDATION LEVEL is the minimum requirement to obtain IFS certification, while the HIGHER LEVEL represents the highest standard in the food industry.  Most German and French retailers have decided to adopt IFS certification as an essential precondition to accept suppliers.    Additionally, retailers in Poland, Austria, Belgium Holland, Luxembourg, Great Britain, and Italy, have shown considerable interest in the IFS standards, which they support.

The certification is issued by DNV (Det Norske Veritas), www.dnv.it, one of the leading certifying authorities worldwide headquartered in Oslo.  Since 1864 it has worked for the “safeguard of life, property and the environment” and it is present in 100 countries.  

DNV has operated in Italy since 1962 and it is a leading certifying authority in the Italian market, having issued more 16,000 certifications:  it ranks first in the certification of Quality Management Systems (ISO 9000) with a 17% market share and of Environmental Management Systems (ISO 14000) with 25% of the market.