Sourcing

Maize millers maintain close relationships with the maize producers

As the representative organisation for the European dry maize milling sector, Euromaisiers strongly believes that it is crucial to engage in long-term partnerships with the community producing the maize that millers process into food and feed ingredients.

Maize-milling activity helps ensure a fair standard of living for the maize farming community in Europe and worldwide. European maize is predominantly grown in France, Italy and Spain followed by Hungary, Romania and Poland, although maize may also be sourced outside Europe.

Together with farmers, we seek the highest quality standards for maize, both from an agronomical and food safety perspective. This partnership starts in the fields, where maize millers and farmers combine their knowledge to advance the best practices in maize growing. This includes maize hybrids that meet special production needs, taking into account the environment and the wide range of farmland characteristics, such as soil and climate. The milling industry is therefore able to source high-quality, safe and sustainable maize throughout the supply chain, from farm to fork.

Traceability

Maize millers ensure traceability from the farm to the mill

Today, food operators all along the supply chain must be able to rapidly identify any supplier or purchaser. For the miller, this means that all processed foodstuffs can be traced back to the farms.

Euromaisiers millers apply a comprehensive HACCP system, including systematic monitoring, guaranteeing maximum control of the production chain.

Each link in the supply chain plays a vital role in guaranteeing that customers get a reliable supply. This involves a solid partnership with the seed manufacturers, the farmers and the storage companies, whose practices are audited regularly.

All maize products are fully compliant with European food safety regulations, including rules on plant protection products, mycotoxins, GMOs and allergens. Conformity with EU rules is constantly assessed and certified by both internal and external auditors and laboratories. This monitoring – including seed sampling and analysis – contributes to a system that records – individual lots of maize permitting traceability right through to end products.

The maize-milling process also includes cleaning, drying and storage in silos and finally packaging. The same rigorous standards and controls apply to each step of this process including transport, with trucks specifically adapted for handling such food products.

Quality

Maize millers aim to source the right quality of raw maize to produce high-quality foodstuffs

Just as the quality of the food on consumers’ plates depends on the right ingredients, millers’ success relies on the quality and choice of agricultural raw materials.

The European maize milling industry sources a very specific maize types of CORN, either FLINT or DENT with vitreous kernel texture. Most of the raw maize available on the market is rather of the DENT quality with a floury kernel texture, which is less suitable for the dry maize milling process.

Colour, kernel size and processing performance are some of the decisive factors for an optimal milling process. Reaching the right maize milling quality requires unique attention to the sourcing of raw materials and significant premiums are added to the raw maize market price as a result of these specific quality demands.

To maintain a high level of quality, some maize millers have established long-term collaboration with plant breeders and farmers to identify and select new varieties that provide the highest quality and desired characteristics.