Foods Connected Blog

How Pilgrim's Europe improved product checks and compliance

Written by Caitlin Arthurs | Jul 18, 2025 2:55:16 PM

In this case study we dive into how Pilgrim's Europe digitised product checks, streamlined compliance and scaled audit activity without increasing admin.

About Pilgrim’s Europe

Pilgrim’s Europe is a leading chilled and frozen food producer, supplying both branded and own-label products to top UK and Irish retailers. With operations spanning multiple sites, the business must meet high standards in food safety, compliance, and traceability.

Time-heavy checks and disconnected data

Before adopting Foods Connected, Pilgrim’s managed product checks using printed templates and spreadsheets—combined with handwritten notes and scattered email threads.

  • Photos had to be manually uploaded
  • Corrective actions were tracked outside the check process
  • Reports were inconsistent and time-consuming to compile

As a result, valuable quality data was fragmented, follow-ups with suppliers were slow, and admin time added up quickly.

One system, full oversight

With Foods Connected, Pilgrim’s rolled out a digital audit platform tailored to their process needs.

Key features included:

  • Tailored check templates
  • Mobile photo uploads
  • Offline access for factory environments
  • Real-time dashboards and action tracking

This gave the team one central place to manage, track, and act on product check data across sites—cutting delays and reducing admin.

Doubling audits without doubling the workload

Pilgrim’s saw measurable improvements from the shift to digital:

  • 46 minutes saved per product check
  • Increased traceability and reporting accuracy
  • Immediately accessible visibility over supplier performance

More audits, less effort - and full visibility into issues as they emerged.

These improvements have helped Pilgrim's Europe scale its  efforts without scaling workload—supporting a 300% return on investment from the new approach.

From manual to measurable 

Pilgrim’s Europe didn’t just replace paperwork with a digital form - they rethought the entire product check process. By giving teams real-time visibility into checks and non-conformances, they were able to act faster and reduce time lost to follow-up. The standardised system also created consistency across sites, which improved reporting accuracy and made it easier to spot recurring issues.

Instead of working across scattered tools and threads, quality teams now have one central platform that supports every stage of the process - from capturing data to resolving issues. Senior teams benefit from live dashboards and performance insights, while on-the-ground users save time and reduce duplication. The result is a system that empowers people at every level of the operation - without adding complexity.

If you'd like to discover more about how Pilgrim's Europe now has a scalable, standardised approach to product checks, you can get your own copy of the full case study here. 

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