Safe Feed/Safe Food Program Continues to Show Value

Written by: AFIA Editor   |   April 2, 2024

feed & food safety, Feed safety

The American Feed Industry Association continues to focus on the promotion of safe practices in the production and handling of livestock feed and pet food. The Safe Feed/Safe Food (SF/SF) certification program is aimed at ensuring the safety of animal food products. The program emphasizes best practices, regulations and standards to minimize the risk of contamination and ensures the safety and quality of animal feed. CPC Commodities’ Ivan Pedigo, Megan Jones and Michelle Estes recently shared their experiences on the continued value that the SF/SF certification has for their company.  

Q: CPC has been a participant in SF/SF for several years now. What originally drew you to the program? What were you hoping to get from participating, and how has the reality matched up with your expectations all those years ago?  

Pedigo: We wanted to be part of the program due to it being the high standard it was in the industry. We hoped it would identify our mills among the leaders in the area. Today, I feel like we are part of an elite group.  

Q: How has SF/SF helped CPC with regulatory compliance? Would you say it has helped CPC improve its internal quality/food safety programs?  

Estes: By utilizing the SF/SF guidelines to aid in our regulatory compliance, I feel like CPC Commodities’ family of businesses can stay at or above the required level of compliance with all regulatory bodies. We use these guidelines daily, whether it be through drug assays, formula/ration reviews, housekeeping efforts to maintain a clean facility or licensing/reporting requirements. The opportunity to review these guidelines and discuss those applicable requirements with inspectors and third-party auditors allows us to tailor our programs to not only meet the guidelines, but improve our ability to manufacture safe, quality feeds that meet or exceed our customers’ expectations.  

Q: How does SF/SF help differentiate CPC in the overall feed market? What do you wish more people knew about SF/SF?  

Jones: Anytime you can operate your mill to the standards of a program like SF/SF, you differentiate yourself from the competition. 

Q: It has been said that SF/SF certification can ease or speed up business-to-business transactions. How have you seen that factor in when manufacturing for another company?  

Jones and Pedigo: This has definitely been the case. Once we identify that we are SF/SF with customers that we toll mill for, then there are no issues moving forward. That certification has really helped us grow our manufacturing business.  

Q: What would you like to say to a facility's leadership that is considering participating in SF/SF?  

Estes: I would recommend a facility to participate in the SF/SF program. By meeting the guidelines for SF/SF certification, a facility can be assured that they are implementing the necessary steps to manufacture safe feed products. While this third-party certification is not a requirement, it does provide to your customers added value within your service stream as an indication of your commitment to feed safety and feed quality.  

The certification process is easy to navigate, and the auditors are thorough in checking the procedures you have in place. In my time with CPC Commodities, I have undergone several audits at our various facilities. While our facilities all exceed the minimum requirements to retain our certification, I still learn from every audit process and use that knowledge to grow our programs. 

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Learn more about the SF/SF certification program here.