quality control
Every bag of Saracen feed is manufactured in a UFAS-accredited mill and undergoes strictly documented quality control procedures.
Our approach to quality control
UFAS
Meeting UFAS requirement scheme
OUR TESTING
Working with the Horse Racing Forensic Laboratory (LGC)
The adopted quality system is the AIC (Agricultural Industries Confederation) Universal Feed Assurance Scheme.
The quality system in place is structured in a logical manner that follows established HACCP (Hazard Analysis And Critical Control Points) to identify potential nutritional, microbial or physical hazards.
Controls are applied to each area of the company’s activities where performance can have an impact on finished product quality.
- All of our raw materials are purchased from assured and approved suppliers, which we have long-standing relationships with.
- Our raw materials are sampled on arrival to ensure they reach our specification.
- The raw materials are thoroughly cleaned and travel over several magnets to remove any foreign bodies which may have been picked up during harvest.
- Saracen Horse Feeds has an extensive testing schedule running throughout the year covering nutrient analysis, microbiology, mycotoxins, pesticides and heavy metals, to monitor and assure regulatory compliance.
Written procedures are included in the quality system in accordance with the AIC Feed Assurance Scheme, and these quality records form an important part of it.
The records include information on product and raw material specifications, raw material and finished product test results, and testing procedures for the presence of naturally occurring contaminants, which are considered prohibited by the equine regulatory authorities.
To ensure that the company continually meets the requirements of the UFAS scheme, internal audits are carried out on a regular basis covering all aspects of the business and an independent audit is carried out on an annual basis.
BETA NOPS
Saracen Horse Feeds joined the code of practice for feed manufacturers put in place by the British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA) on 1st October 2009. The Naturally Occurring Prohibited Substances (NOPS) Code has been developed by BETA in response to the increased incidence of positive dope tests in racehorses.
The NOPS scheme, whilst not a guarantee, is a risk-assessment based approach to reduce the chance of feed being contaminated with naturally occurring prohibited substances, such as morphine, for example.
LGC are the central laboratory for the FEI, the international governing body for all equestrian sports, including Olympic disciplines like dressage, showjumping and eventing.
Both the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) and the National Trainers Federation (NTF) have endorsed the BETA NOPS Code, which sits alongside our UFAS annual audit.
As an approved member of the new code, we use the logo like a kitemark, a sign of reassurance to owners and trainers of the stringent quality management procedures that have been undertaken during every step of the sourcing, storage, transport and manufacturing processes for each product.
“Controls are applied to each area of the company’s activities in which performance can have an impact on finished product quality.”
testing
Saracen works with the Horse Racing Forensic Laboratory (LGC) in Newmarket, which has been testing commercially prepared feed for the horseracing industry for over 20 years. It offers a screening service designed to assist feed manufacturers in their quality control process.
Analysis is performed to high international standards (ISO 17025) using state-of-the-art mass spectrometric detection systems, capable of detecting contaminants at very low levels (ng/g).