What's New?
Boston, Massachusetts–December 12, 2011–To thrive in today’s competitive marketplace, food producers who believe they measure up are initiating third-party inspections of their operations, systems and procedures—including Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points (HACCP) plans.
For the second year, Boston Baking, Inc. took that step by hiring the Silliker Group to conduct their well-respected Good Manufacturing Practices and Food Safety Systems Audit. Boston Baking President Julee Robey-Boschetto said although preparing for the physical inspection took ten months and the efforts of a full-time employee, the hard work paid off:
We passed on our first try with a rating of 96.7 percent, and this year we improved that to 97.8! We are so excited and feeling very positive about our future growth…
Vice President of Sales Kristen Boschetto noted that a high rating from Silliker is often required to do business with many national buyers and distributors:
National companies don’t have time to investigate every vendor, so they see the audit as a verification of professional standards...In fact, a major buyer who chose us the day after our audit score came out said our rating had a lot to do with their decision.
Arthur Cacici is the Quality and Food Safety Manager at Boston Baking. For him the best part of the audit was that it got everyone thinking about quality, process, safety, and documentation:
The third-party inspectors tell us if a policy isn’t documented, it isn’t getting done—first they reviewed our written records and procedures…When they came onsite to verify, they went through everything, and even talked to our employees on the floor to make sure they understood our systems and procedures and expectations. It is an intense process, so it’s easy to see why this audit carries so much weight with major buyers and distributors.
