Reed Boardall, one of the leading providers of cold storage and distribution services to food producers and retailers across the UK, has been awarded the highest ranking for product safety and best practice standards in its latest unannounced BRCGS audit, achieving an AA+ grade.

The Brand Reputation Compliance Global Standard (BRCGS) in storage and distribution is an industry-renowned accreditation, demonstrating a company’s commitment to best practice and facilitating a process of continual improvement through well-designed risk-based product safety management systems. It ensures the quality and safety of products during their storage and distribution throughout the supply chain.

BRCGS certification entails a comprehensive, independent audit every year, covering compliance in hazard and risk analysis, vehicle operating standards, product quality and safety management. The in-depth scrutiny entails a three-day site visit with an in-depth review of all processes, records and procedures, from assessing staff at work to interviewing personnel and reviewing documentation.

Vicki Rushworth, site quality manager at Reed Boardall, comments: “It’s great news that Reed Boardall has once again passed this exacting standard with flying colours. This industry-leading accreditation provides another layer of reassurance for our customers, adding the benefit of visibility of food safety and integrity in the supply chain. It also reduces some of the audit burden on customers as the BRCGS seal of approval assures them of Reed Boardall’s compliance.

“To elect for a 20-hour unannounced audit as we did, is a demonstration of total confidence in the robust systems we have in place and that the site operates to the BRCGS’s rigorous standards of product safety 24/7.”

Marcus Boardall, chief executive of Reed Boardall, adds: “Over the last 30 years, Reed Boardall has played an active role in driving up standards within the food industry. Our latest BRCGS AA+ rating gives customers the additional peace of mind of knowing that the most rigorous procedures for ensuring product safety are embedded in our business and that we are committed to continuous quality improvement.”

Reed Boardall is one of the largest temperature-controlled food distribution businesses in the UK, storing and delivering frozen food from manufacturers across Britain, Europe and further afield to all the UK’s best-known supermarkets. With a fleet of over 200 vehicles operating 24 hours a day, year-round, it delivers 12,000 pallets of frozen food daily for its clients as well as providing a range of complementary services including ancillary blast freezing, picking and packing. The company employs almost 800 staff at its single site in Boroughbridge, Yorkshire.