Victoria, Australia · ABN 62 825 390 390
Quality
control you
can prove.
Epitome Quality Group is a Victorian quality control consultancy for the food industry. We test the product, build the systems that keep it compliant, and place the QA people who run those systems on your floor.
Coverage
All of Victoria
Contracts
30+ delivered
Reporting
Plain English
Announcement
We have rebranded to serve you better
The Epitome Testing
is now Epitome Quality Group
The new name reflects what the business has grown into. Alongside food safety testing we now deliver full quality control consultancy and place specialist QA and QC personnel directly onto client sites across Victoria, Australia. “Testing” described only part of that work.
Nothing that matters to you has changed. The same team applies the same technical standards under the same ABN, and the same people answer the phone. A change of trading name does not affect existing agreements, quotations or issued reports.
- Same ABN
- 62 825 390 390
- Same team
- Led by Mac Ben
- Same contacts
- 0487 907 952
01 / The problem
Compliance fails in the gap between the folder and the floor.
Most food businesses do not fail an audit because they lack a food safety plan. They fail because the plan describes a different factory to the one their team works in — or because the one person who understood it left in March.
We close both gaps. We walk your process before we write a word, we test where the risk actually sits, and we document it in language a production supervisor can act on at 5am. When the system needs hands to run it, we place people we have screened ourselves rather than leaving you to a general recruiter.
Evidence before opinion
Every recommendation we make is traceable to a result, a clause or a validated method. If we cannot evidence it, we do not claim it.
Written for the floor
A food safety plan that only the QA manager understands has already failed. We write documentation the production team will actually use.
Local and accountable
We are based in Victoria and we work in Victoria. You get a named contact who has walked your site, not a ticket number.
02 / Capability
Seven services. One
accountable result.
Engage us for a single test, hand us the whole quality function, or take a QA officer on hire. Either way you get one named contact and one report you can act on.
- 01
Microbiological testing
Pathogen and indicator organism testing on raw materials, finished product, water and environmental swabs.
- 02
Chemical & nutritional analysis
Composition, contaminant and label-verification analysis so what is on the pack matches what is in the pack.
- 03
HACCP & food safety plans
Documented, defensible food safety programs written for your process — then kept alive through review.
- 04
Shelf life & product validation
Evidence-based use-by and best-before dating, supported by real storage and challenge data.
- 05
Audits & pre-certification
Internal audits, mock certification audits and gap assessments before the certifier arrives.
- 06
Training & compliance support
Practical food safety training and ongoing QA capacity for teams without a full-time technical manager.
- 07
QA & QC labour hire
Screened quality personnel placed into your site — for a shift, a season or a permanent role.
Not sure what you need?
Send us your product range and we will scope it.
Get in touch
03 / Labour hire
We also supply the
people who run it.
A consultancy that screens QA candidates is a very different proposition to a recruiter who screens résumés. We ask technical questions because we understand the answers.
R/01
QA Officer
Day-to-day quality oversight: releases, holds, documentation, complaint investigation and internal checks.
R/02
Food Technologist
Specification management, product development support, label and nutrition work, supplier technical liaison.
R/03
Line QC Inspector
In-process checks, weight and seal verification, metal detection challenges, CCP monitoring and records.
R/04
Food Safety Supervisor
Nominated supervisor cover for food service and manufacturing sites, with the records to satisfy council.
R/05
Sanitation Lead
Cleaning validation and verification, chemical control, and hygiene crew supervision across shift changeover.
R/06
Interim QA Manager
Senior cover during parental leave, resignation or certification crunch, holding the technical function together.
04 / Success stories
What changed afterwards
Engagements are described by sector and region rather than by client name. Full references are available on request.
- CS/012025
Zone-based
Monitoring redesign
Environmental monitoring rebuilt for a soft cheese line
The revised program was accepted at the retailer's technical review, and the team now runs it without external supervision.
Dairy & cheese
- CS/022025
Documented
Validation file
A date mark that could finally be defended
The producer now holds a documented validation file supporting its date mark, and knows exactly which conditions the claim depends on.
Meat & smallgoods
- CS/032024
8 weeks
Gap to audit-ready
HARPS readiness for a first-time supermarket supplier
The business went into its certification audit with every identified gap closed and a team that had already rehearsed the questions.
Horticulture
05 / In their words
Clients, after the fact
They walked the floor before they wrote anything. The plan we ended up with actually matches how we run the line, which is why the team uses it.
Production Manager
Specialty cheese producer, Gippsland
We had a customer asking for a validation file we did not have. Epitome scoped the study, ran it, and gave us something we could hand straight over.
Quality Assurance Coordinator
Ready-to-eat smallgoods manufacturer, Melbourne
The mock audit was harder than the real one. That was the point, and it is why we passed.
Operations Director
Grower-packer, Goulburn Valley
Results come back with an explanation of what to do about them, not just numbers. That has saved us a lot of second-guessing.
Owner
Sauce and condiment manufacturer, Western Melbourne
06 / Method
Chain of custody, start to finish.
Every engagement runs the same four stages, so you always know where your samples are and what happens next.
S/01
Scope
We walk your process, review existing records and agree exactly what needs testing and why.
S/02
Sample
Sampling plans are documented, chain of custody is recorded, and every sample is traceable end to end.
S/03
Analyse
Analysis is carried out to recognised methods, with results checked against your specification and the Code.
S/04
Report
You receive the data, the interpretation and the recommended action — in language your whole team can use.
07 / Sectors
Who we work with
Different products, different hazards, different regulators. We adjust the method to the matrix.
Dairy & cheese
Pasteurisation verification, Listeria environmental programs and shelf life for fresh and ripened product.
ListeriaPasteurisationShelf lifeMeat & smallgoods
Process validation, pathogen testing and dating support for chilled, cured and ready-to-eat lines.
RTECuringValidationHorticulture & fresh produce
HARPS and Freshcare readiness, wash water monitoring and grower-level food safety systems.
HARPSWash waterOn-farmBakery & snack
Water activity, mould-free shelf life, allergen segregation and Nutrition Information Panels.
Water activityAllergensNIPBeverage & brewing
Spoilage organism screening, process water testing and label composition verification.
SpoilageWaterLabellingFood service & retail
Food Act 1984 compliance, Standard 3.2.2A record keeping and council inspection readiness.
3.2.2ACouncilTraining
From the CEO
“A test result is only worth what someone does with it. Our job is to make sure the person on the floor knows what to do before the problem leaves the building.”
Next step
Tell us what you make.
We’ll tell you what it needs.
A first conversation costs nothing and usually saves a lot. Send us your product range and current documentation, and we will come back with a scope, a timeline and a fixed price.