Club member Jamie Calvetti of Calvetti Meats on LinkedIn
Food safety and cleanliness are the meat and potatoes of any processing plant’s priorities — the first step to producing quality value-added products is quality food safety management. HACCP certification is the bare minimum and is the standard expectation for many small to medium-sized plants. But when vendors and consumers want something better than the standard, you have to invest in more than just better beef and labor.
Going Above and Beyond
Getting SQF certification means going above and beyond – but why is it considered so exceptional? Let me tell you, it’s not just about the heightened safety and accountability.
From an image perspective, HACCP means you comply by the rules but SQF means you care that much more. You have the choice to coast on the bare minimum or to work a little harder for the sake of your employees, stakeholders and buyers.
From an industry perspective, it keeps you competitive and on top of the curve. Preparing more than needed now can prove to save you in the future when rules change. Safety protocols is a foolish area to get stuck playing catch up, so you might as well do it right right now.
Getting SQF certification also means playing with the big boys, which brings me to my next point.
David vs Goliath
The meat of the matter is that SQF certification means more to small businesses than to larger companies. The time, manpower and money it takes to implement the SQF certification process has to come from a smaller pool of resources- both tangible and not. It’s a comparatively much larger endeavor.
When a large business takes on SQF certification, it means more to their image than anything else. They can spare the expenses and manpower just as easily as they can slap the new distinction on new packaging. For a small business? It shows a genuine attention to things bigger than image: quality, safety and the business’ future.
Doing the Extra Mile Right
Making such a hefty investment in time and money is daunting to the unprepared. But with a smart plan the SQF certification process accommodates other worthwhile changes. Instead of making standard upgrades to your facilities and equipment, see what you can do to make your plant even better.
For example, upgraded equipment came hand in hand with James Calvetti Meats’ SQF certification process. I saw it as an opportunity to make the facility overall more efficient and forward-thinking. Resisting the temptation to go through the intensive safety evaluations with blinders on, I stepped back and looked at where else my plant could go the extra mile. I ended up giving the refrigeration and lighting systems an eco-friendly makeover.
SQF isn’t just about improving safety– it’s about improving the business overall, in the right way for the right reasons. And that’s why SQF is a big gosh darned deal.
