PSSI announce that Packers Chemical — the Kieler, Wisconsin-based company's exclusive, in-house chemical provider — has earned Safe Quality Foods (SQF) Level III Food Safety and Quality. PSSI says Packers Chemical is the first company in its industry segment to earn this authentication.

“This is a significant milestone for our team who has worked hard over the past several years to be the first to achieve this certification,” says Doug Sharp, president of Packers Chemical. “It not only provides confidence for our team, but also peace of mind for Packers Chemical and PSSI partners knowing we have one of the industry’s most advanced product tracking and monitoring systems in place.”

Internationally recognized SQF certification is an HACCP-based approach to ensure product safety and quality.  The certification demonstrates that Packers Chemical has established a process to track and verify the safety and quality of its products.

The SQF certification standards are based on Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) benchmarks. As part of the review, Packers Chemical was required to look at its entire chemical product chain and establish a process to ensure that every possible food safety hazard and quality issue is monitored and recorded to prevent risks of contamination.

“As part of this certification process, we established a rigorous process to test and document detailed information about where chemicals originated from, how they are stored and where they are going,” says Ulyana Stebelska, R&D director at Packers Chemical. “In the case of a potential food safety situation, it enables us to pinpoint and respond to any issues more quickly.”