Clarebout is a dynamic family business that is determined to contribute to a sustainable world. Our focus on customer satisfaction goes hand in hand with our concern for the future.
We strive for a safe and high-quality workplace for our employees. We would like to build lasting relationships with local residents and the local community. We ask everyone to behave ethically and to respect people and the environment throughout the entire supply chain. Our production processes are focused on rational energy and water consumption and on the reuse of natural energy sources and raw materials. We produce frozen potato products that go via our customers to consumers all over the world. This consequently makes quality, safety and traceability a top priority.
Our R&D department continuously innovates with new product types, new potato varieties, new ways to grow and processes in order to get more out of the potato. All this with a focus on ‘sustainability’. We thus aim for both product and process innovation in order to deliver products of the highest quality.
We do not do this alone. There is intensive contact with the cultivators, our customers and with various external parties, such as research institutions at universities. We also have our own test fields where various affairs are tried out - in the short or long term - to continuously improve the quality of our products.
Together with the cultivators, we want to use basic products that are authentic, tasty, natural, nutritious and healthy. The climate and the soil in our region provide the best possible combination for cultivating the tastiest potatoes. Our cultivators are the first link in the production process. Maintaining good, long-term relationships with local cultivators is therefore crucial to us. We are constantly looking at how we can cultivate the best potatoes together with them that are in line with market conditions.
We assist them with advice, based on our own experiences and based on results and insights that we obtain from the test fields where we try out various potato varieties and cultivation methods. We also monitor the cultivation; we carry out quality checks and we plan the harvest together. There is a continuous quality monitoring thereafter of the fresh potatoes in storage in terms of sugar content, diseases and defects, glassiness and dry matter.
The entire production process - from the supply of the potatoes to the departure of the finished products from our production units - is subject to the strictest quality standards. Based on a well-developed traceability system, all information for all primary raw materials (potatoes, oil, foil, etc.) can be tracked from supplier to customer. Moreover, for each packaged product it can be verified which primary raw materials were used, as well as when and how it was produced.
Our own quality service is constantly busy in order to guarantee the best quality of our products. The quality team conducts a daily tour of the production sites to closely monitor everything and give advice, where necessary, and controls the production in the various phases of the production process.
The Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) regularly carries out inspections at companies to guarantee food safety. As a food company, we are therefore constantly monitored and we regularly receive control visitations from this agency.
Care for the environment can no longer be ignored in modern business operations. When making policy decisions, constant attention is paid to the preservation and promotion of the environment, the effects of decisions regarding water, noise and air on the local and wider environment.
Employees are constantly informed about the principles of environmentally-friendly management and the need for strong environmental awareness. In addition, we pursue an environmental policy that is fully consistent with all applicable laws and regulations in Belgium and Europe.
Clarebout has logistic centres that are managed by its own management. The finished products are stored in these freezer storage locations for our customers. The design of these buildings is aimed at a highly efficient and flexible operation.
This allows, for example, the loading time of trucks to be kept to a minimum and can seamlessly be linked to the logistics needs of customers.
The entire logistics chain is continuously evaluated and optimized in the context of sustainability. How can we optimize travelling times, modes of transport, number of journeys, etc. so that they cause the least nuisance (noise, emissions, traffic)?
Both the International Food Standard and the British Retail Consortium (IFS/BRC) are demanding and strict independent certifications that regulate food safety, quality and hygiene control.
As a company, we attach great importance to these independent standards and we would like to achieve the best score in this regard, year after year (higher level for IFS and AA for BRC). The production site in Nieuwkerke has been BRC certified since 2003 and for the IFS standards since 2004. The production site in Waasten has received both certificates annually since the start-up in 2009.
IFS Neuve-EgliseIFS WarnetonIFS Mouscron 1 (Mydibel)IFS Mouscron 2 (Mydibel Fresh)IFS Mouscron 2 (Gramybel)
BRC Neuve-EgliseBRC WarnetonBRC Mouscron 1 (Mydibel)BRC Mouscron 2 (Mydibel Fresh)BRC Mouscron 2 (Gramybel)
ISO 45001 (certificate 2023)
At the request of our American customers, the site in Waasten has been SMETA certified since 2017. The Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit (SMETA) is an independent audit and also one of the most used ethical controls in the world. Four major themes are addressed during these controls: Health & Safety, Working Conditions, Environment and Ethics. In addition, Clarebout operates according to the principles of the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) code. This code of conduct pays attention to the working conditions of staff and suppliers.
In 2020, we achieved ISO 45001 certification, the highest international standard for occupational health and safety.
Clarebout gives high priority to ethical behaviour. We embrace our responsibility to society, our staff and our customers by conducting our business with honesty and integrity, by cultivating a positive work environment, by promoting the safety and health of our staff, and by communicating in a transparent and accurate manner.
An internal reporting system is in place to foster open and honest communication. If you have any concerns or questions or you would like to report irregularities, violations or malpractices such as potential fraud, corruption or bullying you can contact Clarebout 24/7, both via email (communication@clarebout.com) and by phone (+32 (0)57 45 20 19).
You can also use the SpeakUp platform if you wish to raise one of these topics anonymously.
Via SpeakUp you can call or email questions anonymously. Following encryption the questions are routed via the platform to the person responsible at Clarebout and an anonymous reply is sent back.
Consult SpeakUp by phone 0800 89 326 or via the link using access code 106436.
