Environment, Quality and Certificates

Whoever invests in the environment is investing in the future. That is part of our motto.

To this end the following measures were introduced some years ago:

• Support for organic farming by purchasing grain and fruit from Swiss organic farmers.
• Heat recovery from the mill drying process and the use of an air compressor to produce hot water for use in the factory.
• Solar panels on the roof to produce hot water.
• Voluntary agreement of objectives with the Economic Energy Agency (EnAW) to reduce CO2 emissions.
• 100% of cooling energy produced using ground water.
• Water-saving taps installed wherever possible.
• Office cleaning using 100% bio-degradable cleaning agents and the use of microfibre materials.
• Production staff are trained to clean using appropriate gentle cleaning agents.
• Staff are made more aware of electricity consumption.
• Ecopass reward scheme: Car pools are actively supported and the use of public transport is also promoted (half-fare cards are offered)
• The entire volume of green electricity is taken from the local power station in Sachseln and Sarnen, which produce drinking water

Only if each and every one of us does their bit for the environment each day can we move forward. That’s what we stand for!

bio-familia AG was awarded ISO 9001 certification in 1994. Meeting our customers’ requirements, complying with statutory guidelines, ensuring the safety of our manufacturing processes and continuing to improve – this is the basis of our work every day. In other words – our management system is an essential component in ensuring the long-term success of our company.

In 1998 bio-familia AG was one of the first Swiss companies to be BRC-certified, one of the major internationally-recognised food standards. By minimising the health risks, we increase the safety of bio-familia products and generate confidence amongst our customers and consumers.

The following process controls are now a matter of course at bio-familia:

• Working relationships with all suppliers are based on detailed specifications and agreements – in this way we guarantee the high quality of our products.

• Inspection of all raw materials received. For example, every delivery of GM-critical raw materials, such as maize and soya, is checked in an external lab.
  Non-GMO Declaration

• Integral metal detectors guarantee that no foreign bodies, which could be harmful to health, find their way into the end product.

• Depending on the product and the customer’s specification, every department carries out a number of process checks according to a pre-set plan – all this in the pursuit of continuously improving quality.

• The products are packaged in a protected atmosphere without the use of chemicals – this means that the products have a long shelf-life without any loss of enjoyment or taste.

• Retention samples are taken during every production run and are stored for 6 months after their expiry date.
  

• There is complete traceability of raw materials via batch numbers – our ERP system allows us to trace a product within seconds.
  

• Regular analysis of our products to check on nutrient content, residues and microbiology – this way we build up confidence with our customers.
  

• Morover, we are more than happy to carry out customer audits in our factories.

Some of our certificates can be downloaded below:

• ISO 9001:2008
• BRC
• bio.inspecta AG (Organic Certification Centre for Switzerland and the EU)
• Knospe “bud“ (Licensed Organic logo in Switzerland, in German)
• Kosher Parve and Kosher Dairy 
• naturemade star (production with organic current, in German)