COVID-19 Important Updates

AsureQuality COVID-19 Pandemic Plan and Actions Update #24

We are committed to providing a safe environment for our teams and to ensure business continuity in service of our customers, partners, and other stakeholders.

Essential Service Status

The services AsureQuality deliver to the food and primary industries are considered essential services. This means we will continue to operate under the “COVID-19 Public Health Response (Alert Level Requirements) Order (No. 9) 2021” during the current Alert Levels.

Here’s an overview of our current plans, actions, and status:

Laboratory Services:

• All of our laboratories are currently operating effectively.
• We are working hard to manage any challenges that the ongoing COVID-19 situation presents in order to deliver testing services with minimal customer impact.
• We are keeping customers directly informed if any significant issues develop.
• Providing the best forward view of your demand and ensuring that all samples are pre-registered with complete registration information will help us to continue to operate most efficiently.

Audit, Inspection and Certification Services:

• We continue to take a precautionary approach in light of the elevated risks associated with the Delta variant.
• Our preference is to complete all work as it is scheduled, in mutual agreement with customers.
• The delivery approach for scheduled work can vary from on-site, off-site remotely, or hybrid depending on guidance from MPI and/ or the relevant standard setting body, and a risk assessment. The approach taken will be discussed and mutually agreed with customers.
• To protect our people, customers and the community all on-site work is being delivered following appropriate COVID-19 guidelines for risk assessment, mask wearing, other PPE, social distancing, strict hygiene protocols, and contact tracing.

 Meat Inspection Services:

• In alignment with our meat processing customers and the MIA, meat inspection services continue under the agreed protocols for the Alert Level including mandatory mask wearing and temperature checking for our meat inspectors
• For further information, please contact your AsureQuality Area Manager.

Training Services:

• Our preference is to complete all essential training as it is scheduled, in mutual agreement with customers.
• On-site training can proceed within MoH and MoE guidelines. On-site training includes:
  • Animal Welfare Skills
  • Introductory HACCP – Meat Industry
  • Advanced HACCP
  • Advanced Auditing Skills
  • VTA (Vertebrate Toxic Agent)
• To protect our people, customers and the community all on-site training is being delivered following appropriate COVID-19 guidelines for risk assessment, mask wearing, other PPE, social distancing, strict hygiene protocols, and contact tracing.
• A number of courses are available using Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT) via Zoom, including:
  • Introductory Food HACCP
  • Introductory Auditing Skills
  • Introductory Food Fraud (VACCP)
  • Introductory Food Defence (TACCP)
  • Introductory Food Safety
  • Introductory Food Safety - Early Childcare
  • VTA (Vertebrate Toxic Agent)
• For further information, please look online(external link) , or contact training@asurequality.com

We are continuously monitoring the situation and will adjust our plans and actions accordingly. We will be in direct communication again if we believe there are material changes.

If you have any concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to our customer services team at customerservices@asurequality.com or your usual point of contact within AsureQuality.