FSNS C&A adds SQF verification to battery of food industry audits

Food Safety Net Services – Certification & Audit (FSNS C&A) reinforced its industry position as an all-in-one food quality/food safety auditing and certifying third party by adding Safe Quality Food (SQF) capabilities to its comprehensive verification credentials.

The SQF audit and certification capabilities supplement a battery of auditing services already offered to food producers by FSNS C&A. SQF complements the British Retail Consortium (BRC) to allow FSNS C&A to provide two discrete food safety and quality schemes, both supported by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI).

“We added the SQF scheme both to meet consumer needs for food quality and safety assurance as well as to expand the GFSI schemes our company offers,” said FSNS C&A Vice President of Audit Services Lori Ernst. “In addition to SQF, FSNS C&A also offers BRC Food and BRC Storage and Distribution audit services.”

“Our highly qualified auditors challenge programs that make up the process to verify that they are in place to address potential food safety or food quality issues that might arise in operations on a day-to-day basis,” Ernst said.  “They also challenge programs to verify they are established and implemented to address those potential issues.”

Audit services provide many other benefits to food producers including better commercial standing with downstream retailers and foodservice operators, according to FSNS C&A. For example, audits for either the SQF or the BRC schemes can lead to GFSI-recognized certification that international, national and regional retailers, foodservice providers and suppliers accept as proof of production integrity.