Western’s Smokehouse LLC announced that it has been awarded the Safe Quality Food (SQF) Level 2 certification under the Global Food Safety Initiative Edition 7.2. The certification is for the processing of meat snacks including snack sticks, shelf stable sausages, and jerky products.

SQF certification is achieved when a company demonstrates exceptional quality control and food safety practices. A third-party audit is conducted by a qualified inspector to evaluate different aspects of a company’s food safety program, including: personnel practices, plant maintenance and cleanliness, food defense plan, and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) plans. It provides validation to many national and international retailer and food service providers that a company has food safety programs in place and that those programs are followed. SQF is a globally recognized certification as a food safety management system and is administered by the SQF Institute.

“Achieving SQF certification demonstrates our continued commitment to providing premium quality meat snacks for our partners and customers. This is an accomplishment of which all of our employees can be proud, and we look forward to continued growth in the meat snack category,” said Kevin Western, chief operating officer.

Western’s Smokehouse meat snack sticks are currently available throughout the US in convenience, grocery, K-12 schools, and assorted retail chains. Western's Smokehouse Hickory Smoked Meat Snack Sticks are made with high quality tender cuts of meat and seasoned with an award winning blend of herbs and spices, then hickory smoked for natural goodness. The fully cooked, shelf stable products are individually wrapped, and available in eight savory flavors.

Source: Western’s Smokehouse