The Safe Quality Food Institute (SQFI) is concerned over a November 16, 2011 U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Warning Letter, which addresses significant food safety violations at five Sparboe Farms poultry house operations. None of the five poultry houses identified in FDA’s warning letter to Sparboe Farms is Safe Quality Food (SQF) certified, however, the egg processing facilities associated with the five poultry houses are SQF Level 3 2000 certified. None of the five SQF-certified egg processing facilities has been cited in the FDA letter.

SQF certification of processing facilities (SQF 2000 code) requires control of all suppliers to be responsible for raw materials that impact finished product safety and quality, including the receipt of fresh shell eggs. The FDA letter brings into question whether Sparboe Farm’s egg processing operations applied adequate controls to their internal egg suppliers. SQFI and TUV SUD America, the certifying body that assessed the Sparboe egg processing operations, are taking action and investigating Sparboe Farms controls.  TUV SUD America is requiring Sparboe Farms to immediately provide all written procedures/processes describing controls over hen (poultry) house operations. Further, TUV SUD America intends to begin reassessment of Sparboe egg processing facilities in early December.

It is important to make the distinction that Sparboe egg processing facilities are SQF-certified facilities, Sparboe poultry house operations are not. As a voluntary program, SQFI realizes the company and buyers had the opportunity to, but did not elect to certify their poultry houses under SQF’s 1000 code – a HACCP-based supplier code for the primary producer. The SQFI 1000 code addresses farm operations such as poultry houses.

This is a significant issue for SQFI. SQFI is the only Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) standard that covers the entire spectrum of food operations, from the farm through distribution. SQFI is committed to providing a rigorous, credible food safety management system throughout the food production chain.

For more information, please contact Robert Garfield, senior vice president, SQFI, Food Marketing Institute, at rgarfield@fmi.org or 202-220-0633.