Liberty Fruit attains highest food-safety rating
Liberty Fruit attains highest food-safety rating
Liberty Fruit Co. Inc. has earned the highest-possible food-safety rating, according to Scott Danner, the firm's chief operating officer.
"We have passed the SQF 2000 Level 3 certification," Danner told The Produce News April 21. "This is the highest food-safety certification one can achieve."
Beyond offering Liberty Fruit customers the highest-possible confidence level in its food-safety management, Danner noted that another benefit is internal efficiency.
Ana Deshpande, quality assurance manager of Liberty Fruit Co. Inc., in Kansas City, KS, with Scott Danner, the firm's chief operating officer. Under Deshpande's leadership, Liberty recently achieved the SQF 2000 Level 3 food safety certification.
In prior years, various customers requested specific audits, which could number 15 or 20 a year. Liberty's quality assurance managers needed to dedicate roughly a month's worth of work each year to accommodate those specific audits. The new Level 3 certification in recent weeks has already cut out two customers' needs for special audits, and Danner hopes that number continues to decline.
The Level 3 certification meets the requirements of the Global Food Safety Initiative, which is demanded by the nation's largest retailers.
Danner said meeting the highest standards involves intensive training for all employees. He said all employees must pass individual tests for the correct food-safety protocols. Such questions may be as basic as, "What do you do if milk spills in the lunch room." If someone in the organization doesn't have the right answer, "We fail the audit," said Danner.
Danner noted, "The hardest part of the process is to communicate with the rank-and-file. Without our loyal employees, we could not have done this. But they wanted to get involved."
Danner particularly saluted the work of Ana Deshpande, who became quality-assurance manager at the Kansas City, KS-based produce distributor in November, following a national search. Danner described her as "beyond smart. And, she is very passionate for food safety."
