NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release

Contact:     Ellen Brophy
Marci Cleary
(202)737-4332

IDFA Launches Comprehensive HACCP Certification Program
Association Unveils New Food Safety Resource for Industry at 2002 Dairy Forum

(Phoenix, Ariz. - January 15, 2002) The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) announced the launch of a new food safety program, the IDFA HACCP Certification Program, this week at the 2002 Dairy Forum. The initiative is designed to provide a comprehensive HACCP certification and training program that will allow dairy and juice manufacturers to fully meet the regulatory requirements for U.S. processing plants.

With the advent of a HACCP pilot program from the National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments (NCIMS) and the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) mandatory program for juice plants, many processors are implementing HACCP as the preferred food safety system. IDFA is offering the program as a "one stop" resource for the industry on HACCP expertise and implementation.

"We wanted to assist plants in implementing a single, focused method for product safety, efficiency and cost savings," said C. Gordon Brown, Ph.D., IDFA senior vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs. "With new regulations going into effect right now, we've already been getting a lot of interest in the IDFA Certification program.

"Companies that get involved now can achieve full compliance this year," he added. As part of the new program, IDFA will be presenting its first 2002 HACCP training workshop in early spring.

The IDFA HACCP Certification Program is available in three different levels of service: Individual Certification, Program Certification and Comprehensive Certification.

• Individual Certification denotes that a person has successfully completed training and passed a rigorous exam on HACCP principles and procedures, and can implement a HACCP program.
• With Program Certification, a plant's HACCP program and a staff member are certified. Certification means that a plant's HACCP program has successfully passed an IDFA HACCP audit.
• Comprehensive Certification is the premier HACCP service, providing for certification of all trained plant staff and of the plant's HACCP program, including on-site training. In addition, IDFA will stand by the company through announced inspections and serve as the plant's HACCP advocate.

All programs include HACCP manuals, software and training; the Program and Comprehensive levels also include written review of a plant's HACCP plan and an on-site audit.

Complete descriptions and prices of the three levels of the IDFA HACCP Certification Program are available here. For more information on the IDFA HACCP Certification Program, contact Ellen Brophy at ebrophy@idfa.org, 202/220-3527.