Leading seed supplier is committed to industry best practices
LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Caudill Seed Co. has been recommended for and will receive an “A” grade certification from the British Retail Consortium (BRC), a certified body for the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), for its Caudill Sprouting, CS Health and Whole Alternatives subsidiaries.
“We are very proud to have become the first sprouting seed company in the industry to receive BRC certification back in 2010. Also, this is the first “A” rated certification to be provided to a sprouting seed supplier in North America,” said Fred Kapp, CQE, MBA, Corporate Director of Quality Assurance for Caudill Seed Co. Fred Kapp has more than 35 years of experience in quality assurance for major food and medical device companies in the United States.
“This recertification is an outgrowth of implementing the best practices in the industry,” said Dan Caudill, Chief Operations Officer. “We are committed to no less than excellence when it comes to food safety.”
The BRC Global Standards, adopted by retailers in North America and the European Union, assure the highest food safety standards in the world for production, packaging, storage and distribution of food products. According to the BRC, many UK, North American and many European retailers and brand owners will only consider business with suppliers who have gained certification to the appropriate BRC Global Standard.
Before suppliers may receive a certification, they must undergo and pass an independent 3rd party audit. To date, more than 17,000 suppliers in over 90 countries have achieved certification against one of the Global Standards.
BRC institutes a series of checks to ensure that all issues in connection with food handling and packaging are addressed promptly with the utmost of safety in mind.
Third-party food safety audits are extremely important to Caudill Seed. In addition to BRC, the company has also earned superior ratings by “AIB International,” and is also audited and approved by Food Protection Services against GSFI standards as well as Certified Kosher by the “Orthodox Union” and Certified Organic through the National Organic Program (NOP) and audited by “Quality Assurance International.” Of course, our customers are always welcome to visit us for unannounced audits against these as well as their own internal standards, which many routinely do. Caudill Seed falls under the auspices of the FDA and meets all of its regulations. Caudill Sprouting, as well as Whole Alternatives and CS Health, strive to reach the highest food safety standards that can be met on their products with 3rd party validations.
Caudill Seed, founded in 1947 by Forrest Caudill as a wholesale farm seed company, has grown to become one of the nation’s largest seed suppliers.