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Home > Sustainability > Principles > Quality assurance

Quality assurance

Brewing is a natural process in which the main ingredients are barley malt, water and hops. Malt is produced in maltings by stepping, germinating and drying barley. Also other grains, such as maize, rice or sorghum can be used in our beers are required to meet high quality standards laid down in our recipes and specifications. As for the use of raw materials, it is HEINEKEN’s policy to only use ingredients that are safe for human consumption. The packaging materials and primary packaging must, as a minimum, comply with all statutory guidelines and a good Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system is mandatory for all suppliers of these goods. In order to assure the quality of raw materials and packaging materials, all our breweries have their own laboratories, in which entry checks are conducted in a systematic manner.

In accordance with HEINEKEN’s product integrity policy, appropriate measures are taken throughout our brewing and packaging process to prevent any product contamination. These measures include process controls such as our HACCP systems. All of our breweries are required to implement a coherent HACCP system regardless of whether or not this is mandatory under national law. Other process controls include the continuous monitoring of primary packaging during cleaning and filling, for example on leakage.

We work with farmers to minimise their pesticide usage and we pursue a biotechnology policy that prohibits the use of genetically modified raw materials. Adherence to this policy is regularly monitored in the context of our entry control. In addition, consumables must present no product safety hazard and we conduct audits throughout the total supply chain to identify and minimise risks. The water used by our breweries must comply with all EU or WHO drinking-water standards. To ensure that our beer reaches the consumer in perfect condition, we operate a freshness policy, which relates mainly to our distribution channels.

All products are coded so that they can be traced throughout the supply chain, allowing us to identify the source of any problems that arise. The effectiveness with which these policy measures are implemented at local level is monitored centrally. Beer samples are analysed and tasted in a systematic manner by our local laboratories. For the Corporate (HEINEKEN® and Amstel®) and non-Corporate brands additional sensory and analytical testing takes place in our central laboratory in Zoeterwoude, the Netherlands.

On the basis of our testing activities, HEINEKEN producing breweries participate in an internal Quality Award programme. Market surveys and regular sampling results form the basis of this award. This quality award programme encourages our breweries to make an extra effort to give the consumer an excellent product.

HEINEKEN assures that its products are produced according to the highest food safety standards. In the case a product does not fully meet these standards, HEINEKEN will not hesitate to take appropriate action.