NDDB's Quality Mark for Milk and Milk Products

Quality mark is a quality and food safety initiative of National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) to enhance consumer confidence in Cooperative and allied dairy sector. The guidelines for award of Quality Mark do not propose any new/additional system for Food Safety and Quality Management but only lays down the processes required for ensuring quality and safety of milk and milk products.

Aim

Quality Mark scheme aims to

1. Impart distinct identity to cooperative and allied dairy sector in the country
2. Develop a quality culture
3. These will facilitate:
• Enhanced consumer confidence and improved brand image.
• Export worthiness of the organization.

The logo/symbol of Quality Mark on milk and milk product packages conveys that the unit has adopted and implemented all the processes required as per proper food safety and quality management system for manufacture of milk and milk products as per the set quality parameters.

Eligibility to apply for award of Quality Mark

The dairy units/organisations/units from the following sectors shall be eligible for use of Quality Mark subject to fulfilling other requirements specified in the Quality Mark Guidelines.

• Cooperative Dairy Organisations (Dairy Cooperative Federation/Milk Unions and Producers owned dairy organisations)
• Subsidiaries of NDDB
• Dairy Units of Educational Institutes (from Govt. /Govt. Universities/NDDB/State Feds/unions).
• Govt. owned dairy units
• Any other unit specifically approved by NDDB

Essential requirements

The essential requirements for a unit to be eligible for submitting an application for award of Quality Mark are:

• The unit shall hold Valid License from the Food Safety Authority of India (FSSAI) as required under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and Regulations there under.
• The unit shall have valid accreditation of Quality and Food Safety Management System (such as ISO 22000 or ISO 9001 with HACCP Certifications-IS 15000) from certifying bodies shortlisted by the Quality Mark Management Committee.
• The water being used for the operations of unit shall comply with relevant standards governing use of water in the food/milk processing unit (IS: 4251).
• Valid clearance/approval from the concerned State Environment/ Pollution Control Board.

In case a unit does not have all the above mentioned statutory clearances; the unit is not eligible to apply for award/grant of Quality Mark.

The dairy plant/unit seeking award of Quality Mark and being eligible as per above shall submit the application to NDDB Anand along with the supporting documents and fees. The unit shall pay a lump sum fees of Rs. 50,000 plus taxes as applicable for inspection towards all the charges for all types of inspections (pre-award inspection, and surveillance/ surprise audits). To access the Application form, click here.

Assessment of the unit / Procedure for award of Quality Mark

A 2-step approach shall be followed for assessment of the unit for award of Quality Mark:

1. Preliminary Assessment
• The preliminary assessment shall be conducted based on the documents /information submitted along with the application.
• The applicant unit may be asked to submit additional information if needed to complete the preliminary assessment.
2. Final Assessment
• Only those units which qualify the preliminary assessment shall be considered for final assessment. The final assessment shall include an onsite visit by a team which will verify the facts given in the application, check adequacy of processes being followed for ensuring food safety and quality of all the raw materials being used for manufacture of milk and milk products, assess the infrastructure, hygiene and sanitation and capability of the unit to continuously keep on manufacturing milk and milk products which are safe and of good quality etc.
• A team comprising up to 3 (three) members shall undertake onsite inspection of the unit, primary production site, supply chain, retail points etc. for assessment as mentioned above.

Use of Logo of Quality Mark

Dairy units which meet the criteria for award of Quality Mark will be allowed to use the Quality Mark logo on the packages containing milk and milk products. The award of Quality Mark shall be specific for the unit (location wise) as well as for the process for a particular product.

The mark may be applied to the wrapping or the packaging or printed on a label affixed to the package. The approval number along with the specified logo/symbol of 'Quality Mark', shall be printed/labelled on packages of milk and milk products. The marks shall be legible and indelible, and the characters easily decipherable and shall be clearly displayed.

Validity of the Quality Mark and its renewal

The award of Quality Mark shall be valid for three years, subject to maintenance of quality and food safety standards and compliance with terms and conditions of the agreement.

The unit shall be responsible for initiating the process for renewal of the Quality Mark (approval for continuing usage) well in advance (at least 6 months before the expiry) time so that the all the required steps for assessment are completed and renewal is received before validity expires. The procedure for seeking renewal shall be same as applicable for new approval.

To access the complete guidelines, click here.

Source : National Dairy Development Board