Bell Achieves 12th Excellent Safe Quality Food Safety Rating
Bell Flavors & Fragrances, Inc. has completed its annual SQF Food Safety Program Audit conducted by the Safe Quality Food Institute. This past year marked the 12th consecutive audit resulting in an Excellent rating (96/100) achieved at its headquarters in Northbrook, Ill.
Each of Bell’s global locations, including Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Germany, Singapore, China and New York undergo this rigorous audit annually. Bell’s additional North American sites – Canada (96/100), Mexico (100/100) and New York (98/100) – also obtained the highest rating of Excellent.
“The SQF Food Safety Program is well-known across the food industry, utilizing a food safety and quality standard that is internationally recognized and emphasizes compliance in the application of HACCP for food safety hazards. Preparation required preparation and collaboration from various Bell departments, including Operations, Production, Quality Control, Safety and more, to ensure that all documents, systems and equipment are compliant to the SQF standard, and we’re proud to be continually recognized for our achievement,” said Kathleen Hoppie, senior quality system manager.
The program, as part of the Safe Quality Food Institute, is a “rigorous and credible food safety and quality program that is recognized by retailers, brand owners and food service providers worldwide. Recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative, the SQF family of food safety and quality codes are designed to meet industry, customer and regulatory requirements for all sectors of the food supply chain – from the farm all the way to the retail stores” (SQF Institute, 2023).
A variety of SQF Programs are available for implementation at the supplier level (e.g., SQF Fundamentals Program and SQF Ethical Sourcing Program), with Bell actively participating in the three-day audit spanning key categories such as waste disposal, water treatment, ventilation, food defense and more.
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