AFIA's landmark new Safe Feed/Safe Food program received final approval by the Association's Board of Directors during the Fall Forum in Baltimore, Md. on Sept. 22. The Board unanimously approved final drafts by four working groups that paved the way for immediate implementation. The historic program was created to demonstrate and ensure continuous improvement in the delivery of a safe and wholesome feed supply for the growth and care of animals.
Former AFIA Chairman and Food Safety Task Force Chair Richard Frasch, Cargill Animal Nutrition, announced the Board action and launch of Safe Feed/Safe Food during the annual AFIA awards luncheon at the Fall Forum.
Frasch said, "We stand on the threshold of making an incredible dream become reality. We have developed one of the most ambitious and significant programs in the history of the American Feed Industry Association. It carries with it an impact that will be felt not only by the feed industry in the U.S. but also by feed and ingredient industries around the world."
Fifteen companies quickly signed up as charter members for the program. They include Alltech, APC, Inc.; Bioproducts; Cargill Animal Nutrition; International Nutrition; North American Nutrition Companies (Akey and Vigortone Ag Products); Omega Protein; Pennfield Corporation; Prince Agri Products; Ridley; Southern States Cooperative; Trouw Nutrition International; United Cooperative Farmers; U.S. Sugar Corporation; and Westway Trading Corporation.
The program is intended for companies interested in demonstrating their pledge to food safety and enhancing consumer confidence in the products they provide. This includes feed manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, integrated producers, feed purchasers, livestock producers and others who want to validate a commitment to food safety and proactive leadership.
Participation means a lot and with it will come significant benefits. A new Safe Feed/Safe Food seal has been created for those companies to display. It will signify that they have embraced the feed industry's proactive role in creating feed based safety programs; that they are doing their part to reduce food safety risks; they are participating in an approved risk management program and they are aggressively practicing risk reduction. Frasch challenged the entire industry to get behind the program.
"This represents the greatest opportunity we have ever had to assure consumers abut the safety of our industry's products and the food they enjoy," he said.
For more information, contact afia@afia.org. A sign up sheet for joining the Safe Feed/Safe Food effort will be available on the association's website soon.
