AZTI-Tecnalia, a Technological Centre specialised in Marine and Food Research, will held the Secretariat General of the European Quality Control System of the European Fruit Juice Industry AISBL (EQCS) from now on. This Pan-European association was founded in 1994 and restructured in 2010 in order to implement the industrial self control and to harmonise the rules of the self control organisations that continuously monitor the market and packers. The EQCS has control activities in 17 European countries. Together with the cooperation partner for raw material suppliers assurance SGF-IRMA industrial self control represents more than 700 companies.

The objectives of EQCS, among others, are to protect the image of the products and the fruit juice industry, to harmonise control systems, to create early warning systems for detection of falsification, and to be a platform for exchange of know-how and expertise.

The President of the new association, Mr. I.W. Bouman from Royal FrieslandCampina has taken over the responsibility to achieve the above mentioned objectives and substitutes Mr. P.E. Eckes from Eckes-Granini, who has been the president since the foundation of EQCS.

The new Secretary General, Ms. A. Esturo from AZTI-Tecnalia, takes over the task carried by Mr. P. Funk from SGF up to now. Ms. Esturo has already experience in running the Secretariat of AEAZN, the Spanish fruit juice industry self control association. AZTI-Tecnalia has experience in the Secretariat of different organisations, e.g.; ADISUR, association for the development of the industry of the surimi, created by French and Spanish industries; and Cluster de la Alimentación integrated by food producers, transformers, and retailers in the Basque Country with the objective to cooperate in common issues.