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2014 Registration Document
Social responsibility
2
Action plans
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the Group Quality department provides effective support for quality
management in all countries to adapt to local markets and ensure
consistency worldwide. To achieve this, group experts act on a variety
of issues at the country level;
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internal control then confirms the relevance of and compliance with
procedures and declarations through a programme of strict audits.
◗
Harmonising quality standards: fundamentals shared by
all stores
In 2013, Group quality teams focused their efforts on harmonising
quality standards applicable to stores. The harmonisation targets several
coinciding goals: optimise processes, align quality levels at the country
level with the Group’s requirements, and facilitate the monitoring of
implementation of standards. In future, this harmonisation will help develop
stronger, more customer-focused quality processes.
Based on an HACCP study (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point),
Carrefour’s standards specify rules and basic expectations in five key
points, the “cornerstones of safety”:
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expert teams: organisation of country-level quality teams, expertise
of quality managers and in-store employee training (food health and
safety, compliance with rules);
■
audits: audit policy for stores, warehouses and suppliers on knowledge
of food hygiene and safety rules, specifications for auditor selection,
identification and contracts, implementation of store/warehouse action
plans;
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specifications: procedures to manage food health and safety in each
department;
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control plan: control products in stores, sort and select fresh produce
delivered to the warehouse, microbiological analysis of products
handled in-store and of food contact surfaces, specifications and
contracts with laboratories, action plans in case of non-compliance;
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database: archive of supplier and product controls, compilation of
quality/safety indicators.
With the help of the Group Quality department, indicators were sent
in 2013 to every country where Carrefour is present and implemented
in 2014.
In Europe, Belgium, Spain, France and Italy have developed a cross-
inspection system for stores and warehouses based on these five
cornerstones of safety. Conducted by quality directors or experts from
another Group country, these inspections are designed to develop an
analysis of food health risks and promote the sharing of best practices
among sites and countries.
All Carrefour brand products are audited every year, three-quarters by a
third party. In 2014, 75% of audits received a score of A+. The Group
does not sell products with a score of less than B-.
◗
Ongoing improvement of quality standards
◗
Demanding specifications for safe, quality products
To ensure that a product complies with Carrefour’s quality policy from
its initial stages of development, merchandise teams are organised into
purchasing/quality teams to work together.
To offer safe, quality Carrefour products, the Group has developed
specifications for its own-brand ranges with demanding and intangible
quality standards. Carrefour’s suppliers are committed to comply with
these strict specifications which define the product’s basic characteristics:
customer expectations, particularly in terms of taste, the recipe used,
price positioning, compliance with regulations and Carrefour standards,
the origin of raw materials and production methods for foodstuffs.
Carrefour asks each supplier for certification of food safety/quality
standards at its production site or has it audited by an expert or
independent third party to ensure that it has the skills and tools that
are compatible with the Group’s quality and safety requirements. Next,
an annual monitoring plan is developed for the product. To guarantee
maximum safety for consumers and to anticipate risks, Carrefour has
introduced procedures and tools designed to manage any potential non-
compliance: periodic analyses by independent laboratories, a monitoring
network, exchanges with consumers, the administration, the stores and
suppliers, and product traceability.
Finally, in the event of non-compliance requiring a product recall, the
Group uses an international alert system known as “Alertnet” to inform
its stores as quickly as possible. Accessible
via
the Internet, it provides
maximum responsiveness. This tool is currently used by Argentina, Brazil,
France and Poland.
◗
Continuous monitoring of substances
Quality teams monitor data provided by the scientist community and
health agencies. They rely on a network of scientists who help them
anticipate risks and take the appropriate decisions. As a result, the Group
has developed a formal risk mapping and management methodology
based on classification by risk category.
In 2014, Carrefour restricted the use of ingredients that are not yet
regulated but have become the focus of much attention in the scientific
community. For example, in the cosmetics sector, Carrefour developed
a range of around twenty nanoparticle-free suncare products for the
French, Spanish and Belgian markets.
In the food sector, in 2013, official publications on the potentially harmful
effects of acrylamide led Carrefour’s merchandise teams to develop and
implement an action plan to thoroughly assess the presence of this newly-
formed molecule in foodstuffs, quantify it for each product concerned
and verify that the content does not exceed the levels recommended by
the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). In 2014, any exceedance
resulted in a careful study of the manufacturing process in order to limit
its presence as far as possible.