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Joining the exclusive group of certified facilities takes time and effort on the part of a team of individuals at each plant. A well-trained group of employees who complement each other’s efforts is a hallmark of each certified facility.

AFIA staff members regularly receive reports from managers of certified plants that they are pleased to discover the extent to which certification leads to a substantial reduction in shrink and increases overall plant efficiency. Some certified plants are known to receive direct financial benefits in the form of lowered product-liability insurance premiums. And when customers ask whether a plant is Safe Feed/Safe Food-certified because it gives them greater peace of mind, the reason to become involved in the program is even clearer.

International version nearing launch
The existing program is running well, so much so that an international version of the program will launch in the near future. AFIA in early 2009 formed an alliance with the EU Feed Additives and Premixtures Association, also known as FEFANA, to accomplish this mutually beneficial objective. Since then, auditors affiliated with the Facility Certification Institute have received training from FEFANA representatives about how to conduct audits of U.S. facilities to meet the European Commission’s Feed Hygiene Rule. Additional details are being finalized as of this writing in November.

The International Safe Feed/Safe Food Certification Program is expected to launch in the near future with easier importing and exporting of products the clear anticipated benefit of international certification.

Keith Epperson is AFIA’s vice president of manufacturing and training. He also manages the technical details of the Safe Feed/Safe Food Certification Program. Anne Keller, AFIA’s communications director, is responsible for the marketing and promotion of the Safe Feed/Safe Food program.

AFIA actively engaged in legislation, regulations regarding members’ issues

By Richard Sellers and Steve Kopperud

Even the most casual observers of the American political scene cannot have failed to realize members of Congress were focused on issues related to health care and the recession-battered economy in 2009. Whether or not you agree with the way the debate and legislative activity surrounding the issues unfolded, there is no question most every issue and congressional action considered in Washington, D.C., over the past year related to those weighty matters in some way.

While health care and the economy are priorities of the Obama administration and remain the subjects of a great deal of attention in Congress, other issues with more direct links to the feed industry are getting attention behind the scenes.