About BReMA
BReMA is the sectoral federation of ready meals in Belgium. We represent a sector of 66 Belgian companies where 2000 employees work day after day to make high quality ready meals. Together, these companies achieve an annual turnover of €450 million. In Belgium, the market represents 208.500 tonnes of ready meals.
Our goal
The association aims to inform, support and advise companies that produce ready meals and meal components in Belgium by providing adequate information to members or government organizations in a timely manner so that problems, events and challenges can be anticipated and handled efficiently. For example, on technical-scientific issues, on export level,…
What we do
Our members can have access to extensive
services regarding social issues, sustainability, labeling,…
Networking
BReMA represents the sector towards all ministerial cabinets, the retail sector, policy makers at Flemish, Walloon and federal level. For instance, Public Health, Economics, Agriculture, Education,…
But we also take part in discussions at European level and follow developments. Furthermore, we represent the sector at the FASFC, various Belgian administrations, the agricultural sector, related federations for basic ingredients of ready meals (dairy products, potatoes, pasta, rice, vegetables, meat, fish, veggies,…)
We also ensure close cooperation with the education world, both for training in collective catering and innovation projects with universities and research institutes in Belgium.
Providing information
We are your contact for all possible questions that have to do with your company. FASFC circular letters, new regulations,… We keep you informed of new developments and provide assistance. We organize training when necessary and send a newsletter on a regular basis with all relevant information about the market, ingredient prices,…
BReMA is also affiliated with the European Ready Meals Federation, European Chilled Food Federation, ECFF, www.ecff.net and the Belgian Food Industry Federation, FEVIA, www.fevia.be
Self-checking guide
Membership of BReMA gives you access to a comprehensive compliance guide for our sector at an attractive price. This is a document that has been created by the sector for the operators of this sector and includes guidance on how to satisfy legal requirements with respect to hygiene, traceability, self-regulation, etc. The guide has been approved by the FASFC.
Members support
The members of BReMA can appeal to the support and expertise of the secretariat. Ask your question and we will help you.
We assist you for all questions related to production, audits, labeling, export support, investment subsidy,…
Market information
What does our market look like? How is it evolving? We provide you with regular update in collaboration with governmental organisations such as Landbouw & Visserij, GFK.
Communication
Day after day, we defend the image of our companies and their products:
The ready meals that our sector produces have a high quality and nutritional value.
We are working on continuous improvement of our products, but also of our production processes. Our companies also pay particular attention to the sustainability of their products.
About our members
BReMA represents the ready meals sector and includes 66 Belgian companies that all live up to the same high quality standards.With 2000 employees and an annual turnover of €450 million, BReMA is representative of the sector. In Belgium, the market represents 208.500 tons of ready meals.
Belgian companies
employees
million € annual turnover
tons of ready meals
About ready meals
‘Ready meals’ refer to all products that replace a complete meal and that are sold to be consumed immediately or after a small manipulation. Some examples of typical ready meals that can be found on the Belgian market: pasta preparations, pizzas, oven and wok dishes, fish and meat dishes, salads, quiches, organic meals and home-cooked meals. You can find these products on the store shelves, in the coolers or freezers of supermarkets, sometimes under retailer’s brand, but often also under private label.
Ready meals can also reach the consumer via the horeca sector, through home delivery, in hospitals and other healthcare institutions. Ready meals are, in other words, prepared or ready-to-eat meals, not to be confused with ready-to-eat snacks, which usually contain typical snacking products (e.g. chips, fried snacks, …) and therefore do not belong to the category of ready meals.
Organisation
Board of Directors and General Assembly
Meets 2x/year
Technical Committee
President: Mr. Guido Bresseleers (What’s Cooking)
Meets 2-3x/year
Secretariat
Secretary General: Anneleen Vandewynckel
av@brema.be
Contact
Brusselstraat 295, 1702 Groot-Bijgaarden
Food security
Legislation requires from companies in the food industry that they develop a system to assure the security of their products. Companies have to make a check of critical points in the production procedure, to avoid that pathogenic germs contaminate food. Therefore, they have to apply the HACCP principles (HazardAnalysis and CriticalControl Points). In many food companies, there is a quality system that goes further than what is required by the law. In those systems, guarantees are not only given for what concerns food security, but also general quality aspects.
All members of BReMA have chosen to have their quality system controlled by an independent third party (certification or inspection organism).
Those organisms will investigate to what extent companies meet specific standards or specifications. Their controls can finally result in issuing a certificate. The certificate may involve the system used by the companies to warrant quality (also certification system) or may involve the produced products or a combination of both.
The food quality system of all the members of BReMA is certified by one of the recognised standards of the GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative, www.mygfsi.com):
- BRC Food technical standard
- HACCP certification
- IFS
- EFSIS standard