The Safe Feed/Safe Food Certification Program Comments about the Safe Feed/Safe Food Certification Program have been prepared to accompany the nine-page slide presentation that may be shared with employees, members of the community or other audiences. The comments appear below with the image of the relevant slide. The Safe Feed/Safe Food Certification Program was launched by the American Feed Industry Association in 2005. Since then, the program has expanded and improved. For example, when the program launched, companies and facilities were able to conduct their own audits. That practice has been discontinued. Self-auditing is no longer permitted, and all facilities must undergo an audit by an independent, third party to become certified. 1
Feed Safety Stair Steps HAACP-SF/SF SAFE FEED/ SAFE FOOD COMPANY, QUALITY & SAFETY PROGRAM Building a feed safety program is like building a pyramid. It requires a good foundation which are the cGMP’s or company quality program. Add the Safe Feed/Safe Food program using the HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point system) principles to this foundation, and you have developed the core of a strong program that produces a safe product for customers and their livestock. At the top of the pyramid is the certified HACCP program--the pinnacle of feed and food safety. 2
Why Safe Feed/Safe Food Matters to Feed Mill Managers Recognition by FDA Officials Translates to shorter and/or fewer inspections by the Food and Drug Administration Lowers Insurance Premiums Participating facilities often find that reduced insurance premiums result from Safe Feed/Safe Food certification Preserves Brand Identity Demonstrates to customers and ultimately consumers a commitment to producing safe, healthy feed and food Improves Bottom Line Increased savings by controlling various steps in the manufacturing process and reducing waste We have indentified four main reasons why the Safe Feed/Safe Food Certification Program matters to the managers of feed mills and feed- and ingredient-related facilities. These reasons relate to (1) recognition of the program by the FDA, (2) the reduction of insurance premiums, (3) the preservation of a hard-won brand identity and (4) dollars and cents. 3
Safe Feed/Safe Food Marketing � Launched Web site: www.safefeedsafefood.org � Appealed to non-participating AFIA members � Hosted educational webcast � Receive promotion assistance from already- certified facilities, state associations � Prepared advertising, brochure, merchandise � Outreach to retailers, trade associations � Online media kit in production An effort to market the Safe Feed/Safe Food Certification Program is under way, and naturally there are several elements to the campaign. A new Web site was established in the summer of 2009. The address is www.safefeedsafefood.org. (If you type “.com” instead, you will be directed to the proper site at “.org.”) Other elements of the marketing campaign include advertising in Feedstuffs (a two-page ad appeared in the June 1, 2009, issue published right before the World Pork Expo, and Safe Feed/Safe Food button ads will appear on the Feedstuffs Web site into 2010). Ads in producer-focused publications also will appear this year. Outreach is another important element of the marketing campaign. Members of the staff are reaching out to Wal-Mart, McDonald’s, the Food Marketing Institute and other retail-focused groups in an effort to educate them about the program. We’ve also had a webcast, produced a brochure and some merchandise and received assistance in promoting the program from AFIA members already participating in the program. An online media kit is in development, and it will be posted to the safefeedsafefood.org Web site before long. It will include a sample news release that facilities may use when they receive notice that they have become certified. We’re doing other things, as well, these are just a few of the highlights. 4
Ongoing Outreach to Producer Groups � Collaborated with National Pork Board – Developed unique on-farm program � Endorsed by NPB’s Pork Safety Cmte � Met with representatives of NMPF, NCBA � Working to develop producer awareness through advertising and by creating “pull- through” demand Just a moment ago, I mentioned we are reaching out to stakeholders such as retailers to educate them about the Safe Feed/Safe Food Certification Program. While we believe this is important, we also are reaching out to our friends in agriculture. We have had some success, and we hope for more. Our greatest success to this point has been with the pork industry and the National Pork Board, in particular. We are proud the National Pork Board’s Pork Safety Committee endorsed the Safe Feed/Safe Food Certification Program in the spring of 2009. This came a couple years after Keith Epperson and Richard Sellers developed an on- farm program specifically for pork producers. In addition, members of the AFIA staff have met with representatives of the National Milk Producers Federation and the National Cattleman’s Beef Association within the last year to spread the word about the program. We hope, over time, we can gain the support of those organizations or other such groups. This kind of outreach takes time and involves identifying the most appropriate people within these organizations to meet with. Again, our efforts now are focused on a couple of industry sectors—dairy and beef. We welcome your suggestions as well. 5
Develop Awareness in Food, Retail Sectors � Met with representatives of McDonald’s, Wal-Mart, Food Marketing Institute � Additional outreach planned, under way � Leveraging existing relationships is helpful I also mentioned a short time ago that we are working to reach out to retailers and others who connect American consumers with the food they purchase and enjoy with their families. This spring, AFIA pitched the program to representatives of Wal-Mart and the Food Marketing Institute, and we have plans to continue to do this type of groundwork as we work to elevate the profile of the Safe Feed/Safe Food Certification Program. We’ve also met with a representative of McDonald’s back in 2008. Relationship- building takes time and effort, and we will continue to explore these avenues. In addition, AFIA members that believe in the Safe Feed/Safe Food program can be very helpful if they already have relationships with companies and associations such as Wal-Mart, McDonald’s, FMI and NCBA. We want to maximize those relationships to create demand, to create “pull-through” and to increase the overall level of interest in the program. If you have ideas along these lines, please suggest them. 6
Continuous Improvement in Safe Food/Safe Feed � Enhanced program in early 2008 � Increased marketing efforts in 2009 � Strengthened position with respect to FDA � Continuing education for FCI auditors � Ongoing improvements based on Quality Committee recommendations � Receive positive responses from certified facilities about their experiences A few additional items about the Safe Feed/Safe Food Certification Program… I believe I mentioned earlier that the program began back in 2005. And it’s been enhanced since then, as I referenced near the beginning of the presentation. The success of the Safe Feed/Safe Food Certification Program has a lot to do with the tenacious efforts brought to bear by Keith Epperson, AFIA vice president of manufacturing and training. Also, as noted before, we have increased our marketing of the program, and we believe the program’s positioning at FDA is stronger at this time than ever before. For example, Dr. Dan McChesney, the director of the office of surveillance in the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, has made positive comments about the program on a couple of occasions, as has Dr. Stephen Sundlof, former director of the Center for Veterinary Medicine. With respect to the third party that actually audits and certifies individual facilities, that work is done by the 16 auditors associated with the Facility Certification Institute. These auditors have more than 600 years of experience in the feed industry, and they receive continuing education so they remain on top of the latest developments in safety and technology. In addition, the program is not static. Additional improvements and enhancements will roll out as they are needed, and members of AFIA’s Quality Committee assist in this endeavor. I also wish to add that the employees of certified companies and their facilities have expressed positive comments about the program. We regularly hear that certification has resulted in savings in terms of dollars and less waste. Most importantly, we hear that employees see the benefits of the program—they feel they are a part of a larger effort that results in safe, nutritious food for their families, friends and communities. 7
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