Diva Nutritional Products
'The manufacture of the highest quality food products at the most affordable prices' has been the main priority of Diva Nutritional Products since it's inception in the early nineties, and the company's initial success was largely due to its supply and distribution of nutritional food products to the many government departments and food aid schemes that it supplied.
Even in the early years ideas for the company's future were expansive and by 1997, with the overwhelming spread of HIV and Aids in Africa, the company recognised the need to extend its activities into research and development around nutrition, placing particular emphasis on the nutritional requirements of those suffering from the effects of HIV and Aids. A range of highly focused HIV and Aids oriented products, confirmed by clinical trials, were developed and supplied successfully.
This has been further extended to incorporate the development and production of RUTF's to counter the effects of malnutrition and recent investments into a new production plant for the manufacture of RUTFs, will ensure the company's further extension into both local and export markets.
In order to fully achieve its objectives the company pays particular attention to its staff compliment. It presently employs 70 permanent staff of which 16 hold positions of management, administration and laboratory and technical staff in keeping with its core values of 'bettering the lives of the ordinary South Africans', all employees are drawn primarily from the neighbouring areas. Extensive in-house and institutional training has been undertaken to ensure that all staff are highly competent.
The Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) initiative of the South African Department of Trade and Industry has also been fully embraced by management who has encouraged suppliers to the company to obtain similar certification. And Diva vigorously pursues the involvement of smaller companies in an effort to improve employment in the region.
Diva works in compliance with Codex Alimentarius and ISO 22000 and has been recommended as a supplier of RUTF's to UNICEF. The company has also been accredited with an Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point Program (HACCP) compliance certificate which is issued by the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS). Diva is audited on an annual basis by the SABS.
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