Rare ISO Certification for FarmLink

FarmLink, a fruits and vegetables (F&V) supply chain company, receives a rare ‘ISO-22000’ certification from TUV-NORD, a reputed international provider of quality accreditations. It is very uncommon in India for an agri-startup to receive such validation for its F&V distribution centre near Mumbai. The certification further strengthens the company’s quality assurance and publicly demonstrates a commitment to food safety.

FarmLink Collection Centre

Ravish Chavan, COO of FarmLink, said, “The accomplishment is a significant step for FarmLink. Efforts of the team at Vashi (near Mumbai) distribution centre have paid off well with the recognition, adding further credibility to the company. It confirms our best-in-class food safety management system and assures safe and high-quality fruits & vegetables for consumers.”

FarmLink procures fresh produce from farmers through its network of collection and service centres and delivers the produce to industrial scale off-takers such as Hotel-Restaurant-Cafe (HORECA) chains, big retail stores, industrial processors and emerging e-commerce platforms.

“Due to the nature of work involved, it is indeed very rare and difficult to obtain ‘Food Safety Standard’ certification for facilities exclusively engaged in fruits & vegetables procurement, sorting or grading activities and distribution for where no processing takes place,” Ravish added.

Post appointment as COO last year, Ravish has played a key role in improving FarmLink’s operational efficiency and bring in process discipline. While he has been instrumental in the company’s growth by scaling business operations, the recognition would further support his marketing efforts to onboard customers.

“There is a significant rise in recognition of ISO-22000 standard throughout the global food supply chain. Given today’s fragmented and complex food chains that have led to steep increase in fraud and contamination, consumer’s quest for safe and sustainable food has become a top priority. Hence, such recognition for an Indian F&V distribution centre plays a crucial role in the entire farm-to-fork ecosystem of the country,” said Sameer Bidaye from TUV-Nord Group.

TUV-Nord Group conducted a three-stage audit at the Vashi (near Mumbai) distribution centre to audit the process as per scope for Receiving, Processing, (Sorting Grading, Storage, Cold Storage, Packing) and dispatch of fresh & cut vegetables & fruits. FarmLink sought the certification to pursue its commitment towards adherence of quality and food safety standards. With the successful completion of the audit, the distribution centre is now amongst few companies in India to be certified ‘ISO 22000 Food Safety’ standard.

With a mission to develop India’s underserved regions, FarmLink supports more than 1000 farmers in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu by providing knowledge & extension services, including agriculture credit, crop insurance and warehousing. The company intends to reduce agriculture wastage by streamlining the value chain, wherein the majority of this saving translates into increased farmers’ earnings.

About FarmLink

Founded in 2014, FarmLink is a fruit and vegetable supply chain company on a mission to address serious challenges in Indian agriculture such as low yield and enormous wastage across the value chain. The company is modernizing the way fresh produce is grown and distributed in India by not only introducing global best practices in agronomy, but also providing knowledge and extension services to the farmers.

It seeks to become the backend supply chain partner, the “one-stop shop”, and the preferred supplier of value-added fresh produce for industrial-sized customers in the country while ensuring end-to-end value chain control, food safety, increased digitization, farmer engagement and social responsibility.

FarmLink was launched by Pioneering Ventures (formerly P&P Entrepreneurial Services), a leading incubator and accelerator of ventures within the Indian agriculture and food supply chain space.

For more information, please visit website – farmlink.in I Corporate Video – Click here.