Food Quality Certification

What Food Quality Certification does

Food Quality Certification GmbH (FQ-Cert) is a Hannover, Germany-based private limited company (GmbH) that provides independent certification and auditing services for the agricultural and food industry. The company is authorized to conduct audits and issue certifications against a portfolio of roughly ten German food-quality and animal-welfare standard systems, including QS (fresh-food quality assurance), Initiative Tierwohl (ITW), ORGAINVENT (meat origin labeling), Regionalfenster (regional origin labeling), VLOG ('Ohne Gentechnik' / non-GMO), Tierschutzlabel ('Für Mehr Tierschutz'), Haltungsform (animal-welfare classification), REWE Group supplier audits, QM Honig honey audits, and general hygiene audits. Services are delivered via on-site audits conducted by FQ-Cert's own experienced auditors across the full farm-to-retail chain, and the customer base spans farmers, livestock producers, food processors, dairies, egg producers, food retailers and wholesalers, food-service operators, and beekeepers. The company's go-to-market is sales-led B2B professional services, with lead generation handled primarily through its corporate website (fq-cert.de), phone, and email, supplemented by standard-specific application forms. No proprietary technology platform is offered; there is no mobile app, no public API, and no disclosed pricing model — clients are directed to contact the company directly for certification fees. The firm is small (1–10 employees), privately held with no institutional investors, manages a single headquarters office in Hannover under Managing Director Jacqueline Klein, and operates exclusively within Germany.

Name

Food Quality Certification

Legal name

Food Quality Certification GmbH

Website

https://fq-cert.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Food Quality Certification GmbH is a Hannover-based German certification body that conducts audits and issues certifications across major agricultural and food-industry standard systems (QS, ITW, VLOG, Tierschutzlabel, ORGAINVENT, Regionalfenster, REWE, honey and hygiene audits) for farmers, processors, and retailers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Safety and Quality Certification Services

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYAFALAAAB

Food Safety Auditing & Inspection Services (GFSI/Third-Party Audits)

Agriculture & Food Production/Food Safety, Testing & Certification/Food Testing Laboratories (Microbiological, Chemical, Allergen)

SECONDARYAFALACAA

Accredited Certification Bodies (CBs) – ISO 22000/FSSC 22000/BRCGS/SQF

Agriculture & Food Production/Food Safety, Testing & Certification/Food Safety Certification Bodies (ISO 22000, FSSC 22000, BRCGS, SQF)

Keywords

• Food safety certification
• Quality assurance auditing
• Animal welfare certification
• Origin labeling audits
• Hygiene compliance audits

Headquarters

HQ city

Hanover

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Certification and Audit Services: Professional service fees for conducting certification audits and issuing certifications for various food quality and animal welfare standards. The company charges for auditing services across multiple certification schemes including QS, ITW, VLOG, Tierschutzlabel, Haltungsform, and hygiene audits.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Food Quality Certification GmbH (FQ-Cert) provides independent third-party certification and auditing services for the agricultural and food industry in Germany. Its portfolio covers QS quality assurance for fresh foods, ITW animal welfare certification, ORGAINVENT meat origin labeling, VLOG 'Ohne Gentechnik' non-GMO certification, Tierschutzlabel and Haltungsform animal welfare classification, Regionalfenster regional labeling, honey audits, REWE supplier audits, hygiene audits, and origin labeling certification. Audits are conducted on-site at farms, processing facilities, retail sites, and food service operations by FQ-Cert's own experienced auditors.

Product overview

Food Quality Certification GmbH (FQ-Cert) is a certification services provider specializing in standards for the agriculture and food industry. The company offers a portfolio of distinct certification and audit services covering food quality assurance, animal welfare, origin labeling, sustainability, and hygiene compliance. The portfolio is not a unified software platform but rather a set of individual certification offerings: QS (quality assurance), ORGAINVENT (meat origin labeling), ITW Initiative Tierwohl (animal welfare), VLOG 'Ohne Gentechnik' (non-GMO), Tierschutzlabel 'Für Mehr Tierschutz' (animal welfare label), Haltungsform (animal welfare classification), Regionalfenster (regional origin), Honig-Audits (honey quality), REWE-Audits (retailer-specific standards), Hygieneaudits (food chain hygiene), and Herkunftskennzeichen (origin labeling). Together these services support companies across the food supply chain in meeting regulatory requirements and voluntary standards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• QS-Zertifizierung QS-Prüfzeichen certification providing documented and controlled traceability for fresh food products — meat, poultry, fruit, vegetables, and potatoes — from farmer through to retail shelf, for food producers, processors, and retailers seeking QS quality assurance participation.
• ORGAINVENT Herkunftskennzeichnung System certification for origin labeling and traceability of meat products (beef, pork, sheep, goat, poultry), supporting compliance with EU mandatory origin labeling rules since 2000 and 2015 for slaughterhouses, cutting plants, wholesalers, retail chains, butchers, and farm direct marketers.
• ITW Initiative Tierwohl Zertifizierung Certification for the Initiative Tierwohl (ITW) program developed jointly by agriculture, meat industry, and food retail to promote more animal-friendly and sustainable meat production under measurable, science-based animal husbandry requirements.
• VLOG Lebensmittel ohne Gentechnik Zertifizierung Certification of food producers and feed manufacturers against the VLOG 'Ohne GenTechnik' food and 'VLOG geprüft' feed standards, enabling companies to label qualifying products with the VLOG seals in compliance with the EU Genetic Engineering Implementation Act.
• Tierschutzlabel 'Für Mehr Tierschutz' Zertifizierung Two-tier animal welfare label certification of the German Animal Protection Federation covering the entire production chain of meat, dairy, and eggs — from husbandry through processing to point of sale — for producers meeting significantly improved animal welfare conditions.
• Haltungsform Kennzeichnung Classification certification under the Haltungsform system, ranking existing animal welfare labels for beef, pork, poultry, and rabbit products on a four-level scale and giving consumers an at-a-glance overview of animal welfare standards in livestock production.
• Regionalfenster Zertifizierung Certification verifying Regionalfenster declaration fields for food producers, providing consumers transparency on the origin and share of regional agricultural ingredients, processing location, and the assigned neutral control institution.
• Honig-Audits (QM Honig und Imkerei) Honey audits under the QM Honig und Imkerei standard of the Landesverband Westfälischer und Lippischer Imkerei e.V., verifying geographic origin, processing details, traceability to the beekeeping operation, legal quality compliance, and bee health for honey producers.
• REWE-Audits Supplier and producer audits verifying reliable implementation of REWE Group's company-specific standards — covering transparency, product safety, traceability, and responsible production methods — for REWE suppliers across the fresh food supply chain.
• Hygieneaudits Systematic on-site hygiene audits across the food chain — in food processing, retail, large-scale kitchens, direct marketing, and fresh produce transport — verifying compliance with legal and internal hygiene rules and supporting continuous improvement of hygiene standards.
• Herkunftskennzeichen Origin labeling certification enabling food producers and processors to communicate the geographic origin of products to consumers at a glance, supporting trust and informed purchase decisions for domestically produced goods.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• QS (Qualität und Sicherheit)coreOthersFQ-Cert is an authorized certification body for the QS audit system, which covers all stages of the food chain for fresh foods. QS requires strict standards for traceability and hygiene, with independent auditors conducting regular checks on participating businesses in Germany and internationally.
• ORGAINVENT GmbHcoreOthersFQ-Cert provides ORGAINVENT system certifications for origin labeling of meat. Since 1998, ORGAINVENT has supported companies in implementing legal requirements for origin labeling with a practical system for labeling and traceability used by businesses across the meat industry, artisan butchers, and retail.
• Deutscher Tierschutzbund (Tierschutzlabel)coreOthersFQ-Cert conducts certifications for the Tierschutzlabel 'Für Mehr Tierschutz' (For More Animal Welfare) system, which covers all production stages of meat, dairy, and eggs from animal housing to point of sale. The two-tier label system (entry level and premium) provides significantly improved conditions for farm animals.
• Haltungsform (Gesellschaft zur Förderung des Tierwohls in der Nutztierhaltung mbH)coreOthersFQ-Cert participates in the Haltungsform classification system, which categorizes existing animal welfare labels into levels 1-4, providing consumers with transparency about animal welfare standards beyond legal requirements for beef, pork, poultry, and rabbit products.
• REWE GroupcoreOthersFQ-Cert conducts REWE audits to verify that suppliers and producers reliably implement REWE Group's company-specific standards, particularly regarding transparency, product safety, traceability, and responsible production methods.
• Initiative Tierwohl (ITW)coreOthersFQ-Cert provides certifications for the Initiative Tierwohl program, which brings together agricultural, meat industry, and food retail companies to promote more animal-friendly and sustainable meat production with scientifically-based, measurable requirements for animal husbandry.
• VLOG (Verband Lebensmittel ohne Gentechnik e.V.)coreOthersFQ-Cert certifies companies for the VLOG 'Without Genetic Engineering' standard for food and 'VLOG tested' feed. The standard establishes requirements for 'Ohne Gentechnik' production and certification based on the EU Genetic Engineering Implementation Act.
• RegionalfenstercoreOthersFQ-Cert offers Regionalfenster certification, a declaration field providing information about the origin and proportion of regional agricultural ingredients, processing location, and optionally about upstream agricultural production stages, with neutral control institution verification.
• Landesverband Westfälischer und Lippischer Imkerei e.V. (QM Honig)minorOthersFQ-Cert conducts honey audits according to the QM Honig and Beekeeping standard, ensuring clear and verifiable information about geographic origin and processing of honey, with focus on traceability to the beekeeping operation, compliance with legal quality requirements, and bee health.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Broad incumbents

• SGS: World's largest testing, inspection, and certification company with established food and agricultural audit operations in Germany. Comparable audit and certification services, vastly larger scale.
• DNV: Global assurance and certification provider active in food chain and agri-food certification. Comparable third-party auditing function, though anchored in maritime/energy heritage.
• TÜV Rheinland: Global certification and testing company with food safety and agricultural certification services in Germany. Directly competes in the same accreditation space but with a much wider industry footprint.
• TÜV SÜD: Global certification giant with significant German food, agriculture, and animal-welfare audit business. Comparable as a third-party auditor for QS, VLOG, ITW, and organic/non-GMO schemes, but offers a much broader portfolio beyond agri-food.
• Kiwa: European (Dutch-rooted) testing, inspection, and certification group with strong German agricultural and food certification presence (e.g., BCS Öko-Garantie). Closely comparable in scope and customer type.
• Bureau Veritas: International testing, inspection, and certification group active in food and agri-food auditing, including German clients. Closely comparable service offering, broader geographic and vertical scope.
• DEKRA: Major German-headquartered testing, inspection, and certification firm with food and agricultural audit offerings (including QS). Comparable service-line overlap, though DEKRA is far larger and more diversified.

Direct peers

• Control Union: Global certification body with deep roots in agri-food, sustainability, and origin/traceability auditing (including ORGAINVENT and organic programs). Comparable in audit-style offerings and customer base.
• GUTcert: Berlin-based German certification body focused on environmental, quality, and food safety management systems. Closest peer by specialization and scale profile to FQ-Cert in the German agri-food audit market.
• AGRIZERT: German certification body specifically focused on agricultural and food industry standards (QS, organic, retailer-specific audits). Closest niche-overlap peer to FQ-Cert in the German fresh-food chain.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Food Quality Certification