We’re delighted to announce that we’re in the process of obtaining our Food Safety System Certification, or FSSC 22000. This certification was designed to provide companies with an independent, ISO-based food safety management system that controls and minimizes food safety hazards. Companies that package food products now look for their suppliers to meet the high standards of the FSSC 22000, and it’s our hope that by obtaining our certification we can become the preferred supplier for companies that use poly bags to package food.
In order to obtain the certification, we must meet a number of operational requirements. Many of them we already meet unofficially, but there are some policies we will be updating, enforcing more strictly, or adopting for the first time. Here are just a few:
- Food and beverages are not allowed at any machines, and all food must be stored and eaten in designated break rooms or outside the plant. We will be building an additional break room to ensure all employees have easy access to comfortable places to eat and store their food.
- We already have a no-smoking policy in our plant, but we are now adopting a strict no-tobacco policy.
- All employees have been expected to wash their hands after eating, tobacco use, or using the restroom, but we will now require it without exception.
- Where appropriate, employees will be required to wear hairnets and other protective articles of clothing.
Receiving the FSSC 22000 can be a long and arduous process, but we believe it will be worth it in the long run for both us and our customers. It will push us to be the best company we can be, and it will give our customers who package food products the peace of mind they require.
We will post another update when our certification is complete, but if you have any questions or concerns in the meantime, please feel free to send us an email or call us anytime at (800) 272-2634.