Global public health organization and leading food safety service provider NSF International has partnered with the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) to conduct audits for AFIA’s Safe Feed/Safe Food (SF/SF) Certification Program. The new partnership assists feed operations in implementing effective feed safety management systems.

The SF/SF Certification Program was developed to further enhance consumer confidence in the feed and food supply industry by establishing food safety guidelines. Adherence to these guidelines will help ensure continuous improvement in the delivery of a safe and wholesome feed supply essential for the growth and care of animals.

NSF International, a trusted food safety expert and leading Safe Quality Food (SQF) certification body, will offer SF/SF certification to food and livestock feed facilities that comply with all feed safety and quality requirements. These requirements include achieving feed safety objectives; supporting the development, implementation, maintenance and ongoing improvement of the SF/SF system; and basic fundamentals such as personnel training.

A non-profit organization committed to representing the total feed industry, AFIA and its 575 members work with the Safe Quality Food Institute (SQFI) to administer the SF/SF Certification Program. AFIA oversees the SF/SF program and will help train NSF’s food safety auditors on program requirements.

Obtaining SF/SF certification enables a company to use the AFIA SF/SF seal. Before earning SF/SF certification, a supplier must be registered by SQFI. This serves as a step in the right direction in terms of meeting upcoming Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) requirements, which focus on preventing food safety problems rather than reacting to them after they occur.

NSF International Supply Chain Food Safety Global Managing Director Robert Prevendar says, “The new NSF International-AFIA partnership will enable livestock feed companies to continually improve food safety and quality practices as well as move toward meeting future FSMA requirements.” NSF International recently earned the 2014 SQF Certification Body of the Year award from SQFI for developing best-in-class practices and new tools for auditor training and calibration.

“AFIA is excited to expand the number of certifying bodies that provide Safe Feed/Safe Food certification,” said Henry Turlington, Ph.D., AFIA director of quality and manufacturing regulatory affairs. “NSF International has a long history as a certifying body for SQF certifications and it is a natural fit for them to work with AFIA to provide Safe Feed/Safe Food.”

For more information on how NSF International’s food safety and integrity services may help organizations achieve their food safety objectives, contact Dan Fone, Global Business Development Director of NSF’s Food Division, at foodsafetysolutions@nsf.org or +1 877-893-1325 or visit NSF’s food safety webpage.