VeriPrime Certified Safeguards
Farm to Fork Food Assurance
Farm to Fork Food Assurance
The VeriPrime Food Safety System is an
There are many reasons. For instance the food industry has undergone significant consolidation with fewer producers and processors. Nationwide distribution means that one local problem can quickly be transported to sites across the country. Another factor is increased globalization of the marketplace. We are importing more food products from other countries. More sophisticated testing is available that can detect pathogens.
Sometimes our government food inspections systems don’t operate as efficiently and effectively as they should, so more contaminated food enters the food supply. Because of these factors, food safety has become even more critical and difficult to monitor. Consumers deserve assurance that the food they are feeding their families is safe. VeriPrime™ is based on preventing food borne illness by implementing scientifically based protocols.
The VeriPrime™ Food Safety System is
VeriPrime™ originated from the Latin root veritas prim, which translates roughly into ‘proof’ or ‘truth first’. That is our goal – to prove the reduction of dangerous pathogens and bacteria is possible through preventing, tracing, verifying, and certifying safety along every step in the supply chain.
We operate as a member-owned federation of cooperatives that include farmers/producers, processors, distributors, food retailers (such as restaurants and supermarkets) and foodservice companies. The federation covers the entire food chain. The VeriPrime™ Food Safety System, unlike programs that involve only certification, works because it offers food safety protocols and prevention strategies along every step of the food supply chain from the farm to the consumer. The VeriPrime™ System concentrates on traceability and prevention. For example, VeriPrime installs prevention measures using E. coli -killing interventions, such as organic and hot water sprays in meat processing, animal vaccinations, treatment of irrigations systems and natural, protective probiotics. Traceability, Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP), and sanitation monitoring are conducted throughout. Food quality is tracked from the time it leaves the plant to the time it arrives in the grocery store, restaurant or food outlet. We ensure that these science-based measures targeting E. coli in beef are implemented correctly within each segment and all along the chain, as well.
No. The nation currently has two government food safety inspection systems – the U.S. Department of Agriculture inspects meat, poultry and some egg products, and the Food and Drug Administration is responsible for the rest of the food supply. Their mandate is to inspect to find problems. If problems are found, products are voluntarily recalled by the manufacturer, often after they have caused human illness or death. The government systems are not mandated to prevent problems from occurring in the first place.
While the private food and agriculture industries have implemented significant prevention systems over the years, there is no other system in the U.S. that tracks food from the farm to the consumer to certify that safety protocols are being implemented along the way. VeriPrime™ takes a multi-pronged approach that combines prevention, tracking and inspection.
The certifying agent for VeriPrime™ is Agri Food Certification. It has been accredited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service for Certified Traceable feed and food. This is included under its ISO 65 programs. Agri Food Certification holds an exclusive agreement with VeriPrime™ to administer the VeriPrime™ Traceability Assurance System. At a minimum, it audits each company, every year, to confirm conformance.
Yes. We also are collaborating with educational institutions like Kansas State University and UniversityOfTheNet.com. They support training and education.
The investment is about $5 per person per year, or less than 1¢ per hamburger. For that amount, we can effectively target E. coli in beef , with the goal of preventing hundreds, or more, deaths every year.
System subscription fees are paid by Foodservice companies, food retail and other food outlets. In return, they receive certified beef products that have been found in conformance with a series of science based prevention protocols targeting E. coli. The VeriPrime™ Food Safety System subscription fees are used to reimburse participants in the supply chain for implementing food safety protocols.
VeriPrime™ is a member-owned federation of cooperatives whose members include farmers, ranchers, processors, distributors, restaurants and retailers. In other words, all members of the food chain.
Yes. In addition to targeting E. coli in beef, the system will be expanded to include other contaminants such as Listeria and Campylobacter.
Our government food safety regulatory structure is very complex, and some say, cumbersome. To mandate such a food safety prevention system, it would take many years and many more to implement it. The good news is that VeriPrime™ is available to be implemented today—providing safer foods to consumers—with no government regulatory changes needed.