Cherkizovo Group, the largest vertically integrated meat and feed producer in Russia, has started to implement a new, centralised quality control system.

This new system will involve the creation of a new department at Cherkizovo, the main purpose of which will be to introduce an integrated quality control system across the entire production chain, from grain growing to manufacturing meat products. Until now, production sites handled all quality control issues. With the new department in place, management will take full control of the process.

Elena Ageeva will head the new department. Over the course of her career, Ageeva has gained a vast amount of quality control experience at a range of multinational companies including Selgros Cash & Carry, McDonald's, Nestle and Mars. In her new role, she will be reporting directly to Sergey Mikhailov, CEO of Cherkizovo Group.

The department will be responsible for setting up a unified quality control programme encompassing internal standards and procedures, as well as quality control measures at all production sites. Promoting a quality control culture among Cherkizovo Group's employees will be one of the top priorities.

Cherkizovo's new innovative research laboratory, unique to the Russian agricultural sector, will become a key element of this programme. Its state-of-the-art technology is able to diagnose and prevent animal diseases at an early stage, test feed quality, detect changes in the quality of food stored, determine food energy values and also measure the impact that quality standards and product ingredients have on people's health.

 "By having full control across the production chain and continuing to invest in biosafety and state-of-the-art technology, we make some of the highest quality products in Russia," Mikhailov commented. "We never compromise on quality and the introduction of our new, centralised quality control department will ensure that all our products continue to meet the highest quality standards. Our goal is to position Russian meat in the global market and transform a traditional view of the quality of Russian meat products."