Wheat Facility Earns 100 Rating from Safe Quality Food Institute
PureField Ingredients recently demonstrated exactly why it is one of America’s most trusted providers of food ingredients, earning a perfect 100 rating from the Safe Quality Food (SQF) Institute during an unannounced audit of its food ingredients facility in Russell, Kansas.
“What an incredible testament to our employees and their commitment to producing safe food ingredients. This accomplishment places PureField Ingredients in an elite group of premier food companies,” said PureField CEO Greg Thompson. “We’ve worked hard to instill a culture that places a premium on food safety and employee safety, and this shows that the PureField team is living those principles every day.”
PureField Ingredients must pass annual audits to certify that it meets SQF’s high standards for facilities that produce food and food ingredients.
“Very few get a perfect score,” said Barb Elliott, PureField’s director of quality control and safety.
“It is extremely difficult to earn a 100 rating during any type of inspection, much less a surprise inspection.”
Elliot works closely with Doug Funk, manager of the food ingredients facility, to instill a culture of food safety among PureField’s employees. She credits the company’s investments in employee training and the meticulous procedures it has developed to ensure excellence in food safety.
“Our employees learn the importance of food safety on Day 1. They know it is a priority for us and that’s why we test every ingredient we produce for quality and consistency,” Elliott said. “It’s a huge advantage to have employees who understand the big picture and appreciate why it is critical to do all the little things that keep our food ingredients facility so clean.”
PureField Ingredients is America’s largest producer of wheat protein. It distributes more than 50 million pounds of what protein each year directly to leading consumer food companies and pet food companies and through qualified national distribution partners. The company also produces alcohol, biofuels and animal feed products.