Compliance / Certification 

All of Muntons maltings and malt ingredients activities are covered by appropriate ISO or Industry Standards Schemes.
View or download certificates and statements below:

CERTIFICATION

All of Muntons maltings and malt ingredients activities are covered by appropriate ISO or Industry Standards Schemes. Muntons laboratories are participants in the Malt Analyses Proficiency Testing Scheme (MAPS) run by the LGC Standards Proficiency Testing and openly declare their results. Muntons encourage their staff to further their education and an ongoing training programme enhances the existing range of qualified Brewers and Maltsters.

Click the following link to view our Health & Safety Policy.

SUPPLY CHAIN ETHICS

Sustainability is the common objective that links all aspects of Muntons business activities. Our objective is to minimise the impact of our business activity on the environment wherever possible. This is achieved by talking with our suppliers to ensure that they likewise take their corporate social responsibility seriously. Muntons has an underlying and long-standing commitment based on the belief that business can be both profitable and responsible. This is achieved by building long-lasting relationships with our employees, across the supply chain and with the local community.

Muntons keeps abreast of legislation through links with professional and trade bodies, official Internet websites and business and case law updates. Compliance with laws on health and safety, environment and other applicable law are given high priority at executive level via review at our board meetings. We share our information through the Supplier Ethical Data Exchange (SEDEX) and are regularly externally audited to the SEDEX Members Ethical Trade Audit (SMETA) four pillar standard: Labour Standards; Health and Safety; Environment; Business Practices.

Read our Ethical Statement here

TRACEABILITY

Traceability of grain used for malting is possible from a batch of malt right back to the farmer or merchant that the grain in silo has been bought from. The major reason for record keeping through this supply chain is to ensure that we are effectively managing the risks to assure food safety. Therefore we take great care to set standards for pesticide application and pesticide residues, mycotoxins and heavy metals. These are considered the major potential risk areas for grain. In addition to setting out our requirements we carry out tests at intake to the maltings and other due diligence testing to confirm that our grain is food safe.

How good is our traceability system?

We can trace the barley used in malting back to the malting process, then to the silo. In the silo many deliveries from farmers and merchants are combined together hence traceability of an individual delivery is not possible. However, we require all our grain for malting to be delivered by members of an Assured Scheme. Schemes such as the Assured Combinable Crops Scheme (ACCS) or Scottish Quality Cereals (SQC) are run by an external accredited organisation. If a farmer is found to comply with the correct use of grain treatments and storage they will be issued with an ACCS membership number. The farmer is supplied with a certification sticker showing his membership number. This sticker has to be affixed to the delivery paperwork otherwise grain will be rejected at intake. In addition to the assured scheme sticker the farmer or merchant must supply a certificate showing what if anything has been applied to the grain post-harvest – a Post-Harvest Pesticide Application certificate.

We have on a number of occasions proved that we can trace from a batch of malt back through the malting process back to the original intake documentation showing analysis together with confirmation of the farmer’s membership of an assured grain scheme. Traceability is maintained within our system using unique batch reference numbers and product codes. The traceability exercise takes us on average less than 2 hours.

WHAT PESTICIDES ARE FARMERS ALLOWED TO USE

Farmers are only allowed to use chemicals that are approved for use on malting barley. In the UK we take great care to assess the pesticides that are used on malting barley. The organisation called the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) together with Campden-BRi carry out a survey of all the possible pesticides that can be used and publish a list of those chemicals that have been shown to have no effect on malting and brewing. The approval is based on practical malting and brewing trials and a comprehensive survey of worldwide literature. The literature covers applications of pesticides in different countries, toxicity data if it exists and brewing trials where pesticide has been applied at twice the maximum permitted limit. If there are no toxicity concerns and there is no effect on malting and brewing process and analysis, both conventional and sensory, then the pesticide is included on the BBPA / Campden-BRi list.

The BBPA/Campden-BRi list contains many chemicals that are assigned Maximum Residue Levels (MRL) based on EU law where applicable. However, many of these pesticides are only applied to the leaves of the barley when growing and do not persist onto the grain at harvest. Therefore it is likely that in the future a revised list of pesticides that should be tested at intake will be developed. Only those pesticides that can persist onto the grain need be tested for residues.

DUE DILIGENCE TEST RESULTS

A risk based analysis of the pesticides in the malting process indicates that barley at intake should be sampled at specific rates which are determined according to the risk of occurrence and persistence. Sampling rate is determined on the basis of risk for all the participating malting companies in the MAGB with individual companies contributing results based on intake tonnage. Muntons operates according to this testing schedule and submits samples to an accredited laboratory for pesticide residue testing. We also carry out regular mycotoxin and heavy metal analysis, again on the basis of risk of contamination.

All our due diligence results for the past few years show that there are no residues above the MRL for any pesticide tested. Heavy metals are all well below the maximum permissible limits.

For mycotoxins, because the likelihood of occurrence is largely linked to prevailing weather conditions at harvest and is a feature of the agricultural practice for the country; all maltsters in the UK submit samples via the Maltsters Association of Great Britain (MAGB) for collaborative testing. All our results for recent years confirm that levels of mycotoxins in our grain, and for the UK as a whole, are well below the permissible limits.

If you wish to learn more about the testing and due diligence on UK malt please visit the website of the Maltsters Association of Great Britain on: www.ukmalt.com

CONTROL OF MYCOTOXINS IN STORAGE

The occurrence of mycotoxins due to mould growth is controlled in five ways:

  1. By drying grain to below 14% before storage
  2. By our due diligence testing
  3. By visual inspection of the grain at intake
  4. By smelling the grain at intake
  5. By monitoring temperatures within the storage silos

Visual inspection of the grain at intake allows us to see any grain that has fungal contamination. Smelling the grain too is a very sensitive way to detect mould. At Muntons we also use internal sensory checks for our intake operators to regularly confirm their ability to smell the mouldy aroma. Operators are required to inform us if they have a cold so that they use a deputy to smell the grain since this is an important control check.

Drying of grain to 14% prior to storage puts the grain into a safe environment where mould is unlikely to grow. When stored in silo we monitor the temperature. A rise in temperature over 2-3 days may indicate fungal growth or insect contamination. In this case we can either blow cool air through the silo or use phosphine gas to stop further growth. A professional external company puts the phsophine gas into the silo. Phosphine is very effective at controlling infestation and leaves no residue on the grain.

Muntons adopts the AHDB Safe Storage calculator to determine the maximum safe storage time for grain before it must be dried.

Grain Specifications and Supplier Approval

All our raw materials are bought on an agreed specification. The specification is agreed with the farmer or merchant every year via our ‘Terms and Conditions of Purchase’. This document is reviewed annually.

All our suppliers for grain have to be approved as part of our ISO 9001:2000 system. The approved list is reviewed annually just prior to harvest. Approval is based on the supplier’s acceptance of our Terms and Conditions, membership of an approved supply scheme, and their delivery and general performance record over the past year.

Suppliers may be required to submit a pre-delivery sample for evaluation. However, even if a supplier is approved and has submitted an acceptable pre-shipment sample, our acceptance of a load at intake is based on our analysis of that specific load.

Certification by Other Food Safety Assurance Schemes

Muntons Malt takes Food Safety very seriously and we have become certificated to two important standards that assure Food Safety:

British Retail Consortium Global Standard – Food (BRC)

Our safety standards have a comprehensive HACCP system as the backbone of the requirement. Muntons Malt use multi-disciplinary HACCP teams consisting of production, laboratory, technical, engineering, microbiological and management members to fully protect our products and systems.

The BRC standard was developed by large supermarket operators to provide them with the assurances that they needed from suppliers of raw materials for human consumption. It is a very detailed audit of hygiene practices and food safety control measures.

COMPLIANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAWS AND STANDARDS

Muntons keeps abreast of legislation through links with professional and trade bodies, official Internet websites and business and case law updates. Compliance with laws on health and safety, environment and other applicable law are given high priority at executive level via review at our board meetings. We share our information through the Supplier Ethical Data Exchange (SEDEX) and are regularly externally audited to the SEDEX Members Ethical Trade Audit (SMETA) four pillar standard: Labour Standards; Health and Safety; Environment; Business Practices.

MUNTONS QUALITY AND FOOD SAFETY POLICY

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Muntons plc has a high regard for the health and safety of its employees. A Company director is responsible for Health and Safety implementation within the group, shadowed by a non-executive director. We also have a diploma-qualified Safety Advisor. At each of our sites we have local safety representatives appointed by the unions and representatives of employee safety selected from our workforce. These are organised into committees meeting monthly. Performance is monitored and reported at divisional board meetings each month. We are members of the British Safety Council.

PURCHASING AND PROCUREMENT POLICY

Muntons plc has an ethical purchasing and supply policy. When purchasing on behalf of the Company, employees are always expected to act professionally and selflessly and be fair, ethical and legal. The same standards apply to our vendors. We monitor our suppliers for their CSR initiatives.

FINANCIAL AND PROCUREMENT ETHICS, ANTI BRIBERY & CORRUPTION

Muntons plc values its reputation for ethical behaviour and for financial probity and reliability. It is our policy to conduct business in an honest and ethical way, without the use of corrupt practices or acts of bribery to obtain an unfair advantage.

We take a zero-tolerance approach to bribery and corruption and are committed to acting professionally, fairly and with integrity in all our business dealings and relationships. We follow the law of the UK Bribery Act 2010, in all our markets.

ENVIRONMENTAL PRACTICE

Muntons is passionate about environmental protection. We have environmental standards ISO14001 and ISO50001 and have won many sustainability awards. We consistently outperform our Climate Change emissions targets set by government through a comprehensive carbon reduction programme drawing on numerous initiatives throughout the supply chain. We strongly champion carbon reduction in the supply chain and are members of the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative and the Centre for Excellence for UK Farming.

Click here to view our Environmental Policy.

Click here to view our Energy Policy.

FOOD SAFETY AND HYGIENE

We supply into the food and beverage industries and take hygiene very seriously. All our employees are trained in basic food safety and hygiene with specific reference to the production of malt and malted ingredients. Our plants are certificated to British Retail Consortium Global Standard Food and to ISO22000 and FSSC22000. We are certificated to provide Kosher and Organic products. For the protection of the food supply chain we only purchase grain from approved suppliers and the Feed Materials Accreditation Scheme (FEMAS) to protect the co-products we sell as animal feed.

AEO

In light of the continuing uncertainty surrounding Brexit, we are doing all we can to mitigate any potential risks which may arise.

To that end, we have achieved an HMRC recognised accreditation which enabled us to become an Authorised Economic Operator (AEO). This is a status which exists across the UK and Europe. It is designed to introduce security measures with the purpose of securing the international supply chain. It achieves this by preventing smuggling, tampering, false documentation, identity fraud and theft. The benefits include simplified customs procedures and the possibility of fast tracking shipments in some cases.

As a company involved in the international supply chain, we must ensure that all cargo we control is safe and secure at all times. Having the AEO accreditation will guarantee a secure transit and ensure we are recognised as ‘trusted traders’. In addition, it is crucial we ensure we are fully compliant with customs rules in order to avoid penalties.

We have partnered with a leading Customs compliance consultancy to assist us with our AEO application, Vartan Consultancy. Together with Vartan we are closely monitoring all updates from HMRC regarding the possibility of a ‘No Deal’ Brexit. Vartan are assisting us with Customs training to enable us to deal with the re-introduction of Customs declarations on goods moving between the UK and the EU.

Gaining AEO accreditation has allowed Muntons easier access to any facilitation or simplifications that HMRC may introduce in an attempt to prevent delays at Channel ports in the event of a ‘No Deal’ situation. It is likely that access to such facilitations will only be granted to ‘Trusted Traders’, achieving AEO will elevate Muntons to trusted trader status with HMRC.

ACRYLAMIDES

When foods are heated to generate colour and flavour it can lead to the generation of small levels of what are termed heat-generated toxins. For malt that is kilned normally for use in brewing or flour there is minimal increase in these compounds. The levels do not increase unless the malts are roasted to produce darker coloured or speciality malts. Essentially the level in final foods is extremely low due to the small inclusion rates in most products. However, if a recipe uses a particularly high level of roasted malt then it would be wise to obtain an analysis of the final product to confirm the residual level, although the data still show it is unlikely to be a significant issue as explained in the following detail.

ETHICAL SUPPLIER

Sustainability is the common objective that links all aspects of Muntons business activities. Our objective is to minimise the impact of our business activity on the environment wherever possible. This is achieved by talking with our suppliers to ensure that they likewise take their corporate social responsibility seriously. Muntons has an underlying and long-standing commitment based on the belief that business can be both profitable and responsible. This is achieved by building long-lasting relationships with our employees, across the supply chain and with the local community.

GLYPHOSATE

UK barley and malt are highly safe and comply with legislation in place to protect the consumer from unsafe levels of glyphosate. All the cereals taken in and all of our malt or malted ingredients are safe in this regard. Residual levels of glyphosate are just 0.05% of the safe level identified in legislation by the European Union Maximum Residue Levels, thus food and beverages made with UK malt do not show unsafe levels of glyphosate residues.

European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development

Muntons Peating Malt Plant project supported by European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. This plant will produce peat smoked malt to supply the distilling industry using locally grown and malted barley.

 

Download Muntons PLC Standard Conditions of Purchase

DOWNLOAD DOCUMENT