American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) contracted with Eurofins Scientific, Inc. (ESI) to provide audits to AFIA’s International Safe Feed/Safe Food (I-SF/SF) Certification Program that will meet FAMI-QS requirements for the importing of feed ingredients into the European Union (EU).

Eurofins Certification and its U.S. division are licensed by the European Feed Additives and Premixtures Quality System Association to provide audits globally. The EU Feed Additives and Premixtures Quality System (FAMI-QS) standards, the EU’s feed hygiene regulation, Regulation (EC) 183/2005, require certification to the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points system on additives for use in animal nutrition.

FAMI-QS is a unique, third-party certification program. More than 600 feed additive and premixture companies participate in the program globally. FAMI-QS is one of only three systems officially adopted by EU authorities. They recognize FAMI-QS as a suitable system for implementing the ambitious requirements of the feed hygiene regulation.

Eurofins Certification and ESI, through its Food Safety Systems (FSS) division, will provide audit services that will allow U.S. manufacturers of feed additives and premixtures to jointly comply with both FAMI-QS requirements and AFIA’s International and Domestic Safe Feed/Safe Food Certification Program requirements through the successful completion of a single audit.

This partnership is the result of an increased focus in the U.S. on the use of accredited certification processes to increase oversight across the supply chain and is intended to offer a cost efficient program that will document feed safety within the U.S. and facilitate the export of U.S. products.

Some companies have only one feed mill or feed- or ingredient-producing facility certified by the Safe Feed/Safe Food Certification Program. Other companies, with multiple facilities, have all or several of their facilities enrolled in the program. Either way, AFIA membership is not required to become certified by the Safe Feed/Safe Food Certification Program. One quality exhibited by each certified facility is the employees' dedication to the highest standards of safety and overall excellence.

For more information on how your facility can join the Safe Feed/ Safe Food program, please contact Ardin Backous, Director of Food Safety Systems, via email or at 515-265-1461.