International Paper Co., Memphis, Tenn., USA, is committed to improving food safety throughout the supply chain. The company announced its Kenton, Ohio, and Visalia, Calif., facilities achieved food safety certification by exceeding the standards of the benchmarking procedures as dictated by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI). The two sites join IP's Shelbyville, Ill., facility that was certified in March 2016. All three sites achieved scores above 99%.

Earlier this year, IP set the goal of exceeding the GFSI standards at 100% of the company's U.S. Foodservice Facilities before year-end, and that now has been done.

GFSI is a non-profit, international benchmarking organization created to standardize food safety rules and has been rapidly recognized as the "gold standard" for international food safety. These global specifications promoted by GFSI address food, packaging, packaging materials, storage, and distribution. Certification is a very stringent and demanding process that requires a facility to organize its Quality Management System (QMS) to address components in the manufacturing process such as management responsibility, hazard analysis, resource management, and document control of procedures, policies, and records.

"Safety as a whole is a deep-seated part of our everyday operations and our number one priority," said Jon Ernst, VP and GM of International Paper's Foodservice Business. "We are proactively doing our part to ensure we have the systems in place to eliminate food safety risks in the packaging arena and continue to provide a top quality product."

Requests for GFSI-benchmarked audits have been quickly growing. Ernst says that many large retailers and foodservice industry brands are calling for this type of certification as a pre-requisite to doing business. "International Paper continuously strives to exceed our commitment of excellence to our customers. As the needs of our customers continue to grow, we are well positioned to meet those needs."

IP's Foodservice business is a global marketer and manufacturer of single-use packaging for the foodservice industry. The company's paper cups, food containers, plates, and accessories are found in leading chain restaurants around the world. The company has a solid record of bringing innovative products and brands to market, including Hold&Go®, a patented insulated paper hot cup using ThermaShield™ technology, which provides a versatile solution for on-the-go beverages, and ecotainer®, a commercially compostable product line made from fully renewable resources along with products made from FDA-compliant, post-consumer fiber. The foodservice business has operations in Kenton, Ohio, Shelbyville, Ill., and Visalia, Calif., Shanghai and Tianjin China, Winsford, U.K., and Bogota, Colombia.