ARLINGTON, VA. — The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) announced on May 28 that the Pork Safety Committee of the National Pork Board recently endorsed AFIA’s Safe Feed/Safe Food Certification Program, an exclusive third-party-certified feed safety program.

AFIA said the 29-member Pork Safety Committee provided its endorsement after examining the details of the Safe Feed/Safe Food Certification Program, administered by AFIA. The program is designed to ensure stringent standards of safety and quality are met in the production of livestock feed and pet food.

"The Pork Safety Committee’s endorsement means a lot to those who work to make pork a safe, nutritious and healthy food," said Joel G. Newman, AFIA president and chief executive officer. "That’s why I am extremely pleased the committee decided to study and subsequently endorse the Safe Feed/Safe Food Certification Program, which is designed to assist the employees of feed mills and related facilities achieve the highest levels of feed safety. Hogs and other livestock that consume safe feed are more likely to produce safe food for human consumption."

Barb Determan, a producer from Iowa and member of the Pork Checkoff’s Pork Safety Committee, said that the committee supports third-party-certification programs that address the safety of feed manufacturing such as the Safe Feed/Safe Food Certification Program. Ms. Determan added that the Pork Checkoff would encourage the use of Safe Feed/Safe Food materials by producers.

Becoming Safe Feed/Safe Food-certified means the facility demonstrates and ensures continuous improvements in delivering safe, wholesome feed, according to AFIA. Nearly 330 feed- and ingredient-related facilities in the U.S. and Canada have been certified under the voluntary program. 

AFIA’s Safe Feed/Safe Certification Program is open to livestock feed and pet food manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, integrated producers, meat processors, feed purchasers, livestock producers, renderers and others.