Western’s Smokehouse achieves SQF Level 2 certification

Western’s Smokehouse, LLC, Greentop, Mo., said it achieved Safe Quality Food (SQF) Level 2 certification under the Global Food Safety Initiative Edition 7.2. The certification is for the processing of meat snacks, including snack sticks, shelf stable sausages, and jerky products. Western’s Smokehouse offers meat snack sticks under its own brand and for private labeling.

SQF certification is achieved when a company demonstrates exceptional quality control and food safety practices. A third-party audit is conducted by a qualified inspector to evaluate different aspects of a company’s food safety program, including personnel practices, plant maintenance and cleanliness, a food defense plan, and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points plans. It provides validation to many national and international retailer and food service providers that a company has food safety programs in place and that those programs are followed, Western's Smokehouse said. SQF is a globally recognized certification as a food safety management system and is administered by the SQF Institute.

“Achieving SQF certification demonstrates our continued commitment to providing premium quality meat snacks for our partners and customers. This is an accomplishment of which all of our employees can be proud, and we look forward to continued growth in the meat snack category,” said Kevin Western, chief operating officer.