Largest North American Certifiers Unite to Provide Seafood Quality and Safety Certification Needs
ANN ARBOR, Mich. and LYNNWOOD, Wash. – NSF International, a not-for-profit, public health and safety organization that has been providing inspection and certification services to the food industry for over 65 years, today announced the acquisition of Surefish, Inc., a recognized seafood quality specialist and provider of independent seafood inspections and expert consultations.
NSF International, the leading global food safety specialist, and Surefish, Inc., the largest Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) leader in North America, together will help improve the safety and quality of the seafood supply for retail and foodservice industries.
NSF International is the only North American certifier that is accredited by the American National Standards Institute for Safe Quality Foods (SQF) and British Retail Consortium (BRC). The company will be branded NSF Surefish and will integrate certification experience and seafood expertise to provide comprehensive services at each step in the supply chain.
The acquisition comes at a crucial time as the increase in reported food contamination occurrences reinforce the need for enhanced quality assurance across the food supply chain. NSF Surefish will help strengthen food safety practices by providing services that will assist companies in demonstrating compliance with regulatory requirements and quality standards.
The acquisition comes at a crucial time as the increase in reported food contamination occurrences reinforce the need for enhanced quality assurance across the food supply chain. NSF Surefish will help strengthen food safety practices by providing services that will assist companies in demonstrating compliance with regulatory requirements and quality standards.
As the leading Chain of Custody certifier in North America under the MSC, Surefish fits well within NSF International's food safety training, auditing and certification programs, which support companies throughout the food supply chain. In addition, the Aquaculture Certification Council (ACC), a non profit that implements the Global Aquaculture Alliance Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) standard, recently selected NSF International to be one of two initial certification organizations to conduct BAP standard inspections. NSF Surefish will combine this expertise with other industry leading certifications to Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI)*-benchmarked standards, which include SQF, BRC and Food Safety System Certification (FSSC).
"We are extremely enthusiastic about the many synergies that exist between Surefish and NSF International. This acquisition will help us to continue to meet the rapidly increasing demand for quality and safety throughout the seafood supply chain," said Lisa Goche, Surefish President. "Our clients will benefit from our core offerings of seafood quality inspections, MSC Chain of Custody Certifications, consulting and auditing, as well as NSF's certifications, including BRC and SQF."
"We are extremely enthusiastic about the many synergies that exist between Surefish and NSF International. This acquisition will help us to continue to meet the rapidly increasing demand for quality and safety throughout the seafood supply chain," said Lisa Goche, Surefish President. "Our clients will benefit from our core offerings of seafood quality inspections, MSC Chain of Custody Certifications, consulting and auditing, as well as NSF's certifications, including BRC and SQF."
Key stakeholders who will benefit from this acquisition include fisheries, seafood wholesalers, processors, retailers, restaurants and others within the food industry.
"NSF Surefish services will help seafood companies comply with best industry practices and standards throughout the world, while providing these companies with comprehensive training, auditing, certification services and seafood quality programs. To fulfill the increased demand for these types of food safety audits, NSF International also continues to train new auditors to BRC and SQF," said Tom Chestnut, Vice President, Supply Chain Food Safety and Quality, NSF International.
CONTACT: Greta Houlahan
NSF International
Phone: (734) 913-5723
Email: houlahan@nsf.org
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2751 Hennepin Ave S #297
Minneapolis, MN 55408
(612) 216-3987
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