Exchange Water Plant in Germany receives perfect score on annual audit

Courtesy Photo | Five gallon bottles of Culligan water move down the production line after being filled and capped at the Army & Air Force Exchange Service’s Water Plant in Gruenstadt, Germany, May 11, 2015. The plant, which produces Culligan and Nature’s Recipe bottled water for service members and their families throughout Europe, received a perfect score on its annual NSF International audit earlier in the month.  

DALLAS, TX, UNITED STATES

06.22.2015

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Aaron Eastman 

Army & Air Force Exchange Service HQ

DALLAS - A recent audit of the Army & Air Force Exchange Service’s Water Plant in Gruenstadt, Germany, shows military families in Europe enjoy some of the cleanest water around. The Exchange’s plant recently earned a 100 percent score on its annual NSF International audit. Of approximately 800 NSF audits conducted annually around the world, only around 10 percent receive a perfect score.

The May 5-6 audit evaluated the facility based on criteria including proper documentation and filling operations, food safety and defense, good manufacturing practices, sanitation, container manufacturing and storage as well as the state of the facility’s interior and exterior.

The hazard analysis and critical control points program, pest control program and customer evaluations are also key areas of the audit which are handled by Margret Knopf, a quality assurance supervisor at Exchange European Industrial Activities in Gruenstadt. Knopf is head of the quality control department, an on-site, independent certified laboratory used to verify the quality of products.

“With Maggy in the background, we feel safe, secure and protected at all times,” said Sabine Adair, Water Plant Manager. “She is meticulous when it comes to complying with U.S. Army, U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Environmental Protection Agency regulations.”

The Germany plant has been open since 1996 and provides a simple taste of home for personnel stationed overseas. The plant isn’t alone either, with a smaller one in operation since 2002 in Vicenza, Italy, which produces 5 gallon bottles for home delivery. That plant scored a 99.4 percent on its audit conducted May 7.

• Date Taken: 06.22.2015
• Date Posted: 06.23.2015 11:19
• Story ID: 167770
• Location: DALLAS, TX, US