The Michigan Milk Producers Association (MMPA), a regional dairy marketing cooperative and dairy ingredient processor, announced today that it has been awarded SQF Level 2 certification by the Safe Quality Food Institute (SQFI), a globally trusted, recognized and accepted food safety and quality program. The cooperative received "excellent" ratings, the highest ranking awarded by SQFI.
"MMPA has always prided itself on using our member's superior quality milk to produce superior quality products. It took cooperation and dedication from everyone within the system to achieve SQF certification and showcase our product quality in a language our customers understand," Joe Diglio, MMPA general manager, says. "SQF certification grants us the ability to compete effectively in the global dairy marketplace and enables us to return added value to our member-owners."
To achieve SQF certification, MMPA's Constantine and Ovid manufacturing plants spent over a year streamlining processes, updating facilities, reorganizing traffic patterns and evaluating food safety at every step of the production process. Thousands of pages of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) plans and standard operating procedures were created to train employees and prepare for the rigorous auditing process.
SQF is a Global Food Safety Institute (GFSI) benchmark recognized by retailers around the world as a meticulous, credible food safety management system. Many national retailers and grocery store chains require their suppliers have SQF Level 2 certification. A growing number of countries, including China, accept SQF-certified products.
"SQF keeps us up-to-date with the next step in food safety regulation and helps articulate our high standards to customers. This provides a lot of opportunities for MMPA and our members," Amandeep Dhillon, MMPA director of quality, says.
Looking ahead, the cooperative is taking steps to begin SQF Level 3 certification in 2015.
MMPA is a member owned and controlled dairy cooperative and dairy ingredient processor serving approximately 2,000 dairy farmers in Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio and Indiana.
9.9.2014