Orkney Herring has become the first seafood processing company in the UK to become accredited for a fully integrated management system.

With backing from Orkney Enterprise through the Innovation Support Programme, the company took only 18 months to implement the management system which - for the first time - covers quality control procedures, environmental policy and health and safety issues.

Orkney Herring produce a range of sweet cured herring and salmon products in various sauces and marinades.  They have an enviable list of customers including Tesco, Asda, Safeway and Sainsburys but leading clients are looking for increasingly stringent quality assurance standards, including the provision of a full environmental management system.

With a grant from Orkney Enterprise worth £5,000, the company was able to enlist the services of an expert consultant who worked with management to implement the new integrated management system.

According to Ken Sutherland, managing director of Orkney Herring, the new system is more geared towards continual improvement and customer satisfaction.  He said: "We can analyse quality, delivery, packaging and so on in a more holistic manner and if we find problems we have the systems in place to improve things. 

"Also, the environment is extremely important to our clients so we have come up with an environmental policy which includes targets such as a reduction in waste, less use of electricity and more environmentally friendly packaging."

A more recent contribution of £800 from Orkney Enterprise finally allowed the company to be externally assessed.  Orkney Herring can now boast having an upgraded quality assurance system (ISO 9001-2002 HACCP), full environmental management system (ISO 14001) and an occupational health and safety regime (OHSAS 18001).

Commenting on the company's accreditation, Ken Sutherland said: "The achievement of these accreditations gives Orkney Herring a good platform for future business expansion.  Although the process has been tough it will be worth it because we will be able to retain our existing customers and hopefully attract new ones."

Chief executive of Orkney Enterprise, Ken Grant said: "Orkney Herring are to be congratulated on their success.  The food and drink sector is one of Orkney's main economic drivers and we are delighted to see a local business setting such high standards.

"Orkney is an area renowned for its quality produce as well as its clean environment and it is important that our exports continue to reflect that."