Validus Receives ISO 17065 Accreditation

Validus Verification Services, LLC, (www.validusservices.com) is proud to announce their Accreditation for ISO/IEC 17065 for nine modules from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). These modules include:

• SQF Code 7.2 Edition, July 2014
• Module 02: SQF System elements
• Module 03: Animal Feed Safety Fundamentals –GMP for Compound Feed Production
• Module 04: Pet food Safety Fundamentals – GMP for Processing of Pet Food Products
• Module 05: Food Safety Fundamentals – GAP for farming of animal products
• Module 09: Food Safety Fundamentals – GMP for pre-processing of animal products
• Module 11: Food Safety Fundamentals – GMP for processing of food products
• Module 12: Food Safety Fundamentals – GDP for transport and distribution of food Products
• Module 13: Food Safety Fundamentals – GMP for production of food packaging
• Module 16: Requirements for SQF Multi-site Programs Managed by a Central Site

Validus had previously been ISO 65 Accredited for two years.
“I am extremely proud of our entire staff, who worked hard to make the transition from ISO 65 to ISO 17065 as smooth as possible,” said Hope Kassube, Validus SQF Program Manager.

In order to become an accredited certifying body, companies must follow rigorous policy requirements. Once a company is established as a certifying body, their employees must be trained in and demonstrate expertise in Safe Quality Food (SQF) — specific areas called Food Sector Categories. A certifying body may only perform audits in the area in which they have a certified SQF Auditor. This achievement allows Validus to conduct SQF audits in 10 different Food Sector Categories (FSC) including:

• FSC 1 – Production, Capture, and Harvesting of Livestock and Game Animals
• FSC 2 – Growing and Harvesting of Animal Feeds
• FSC 7 – Slaughterhouse, Boning and Butchery Operations
• FSC 8 – Processing of Manufactured Meats and Poultry
• FSC 9 – Seafood Processing
• FSC 10 – Dairy Food Processing
• FSC 12 – Egg Processing
• FSC 18 – Preserved Foods Manufacture
• FSC 32 – Manufacture of Pet Food
• FSC 34 – Manufacture of Animal Feed

“Food safety is a main concern of consumers today,” stated Earl Dotson, CEO. “We’re proud to have achieved ISO 17065 Accreditation to continue to provide our clients with the professional auditing services they have come to expect from Validus.”

Validus Verification Services, LLC, a division of Where Food Comes From, is an ISO 9001: 2008 certified company and ISO 17065 accredited to Safe Quality Food (SQF) Code 7.2. Validus works in many areas of agriculture: pork, eggs, poultry, beef, dairy, feed mills, grain crops as well as animal welfare, worker care, and farm security. Validus is a full-service company with the ability to provide audits as well as a database to capture client results. Validus has conducted over 12,000 environmental, animal welfare, feed mill, and food safety assessments and audits. Validus is a nationwide company and has extended work internationally.