Provisur Technologies, Inc. achieves SQF® Certification for food grade paper manufacturing

Provisur^® Technologies, Inc. has achieved SQF Certification by the Safe Food Institute for the safe manufacture of food-grade paper products converted within the company’s 22,000 square foot facility in Tinley Park, IL.

The globally recognized certification covers Provisur’s Formax® brand papers for direct and indirect product contact, as well as all private label food wrapping and packaging products that Provisur supplies to its customers around the world. Applications for Provisur single sheet and roll stock food-grade papers vary widely and include papers for burger patties, cheese interleaving, sliced meat interleaving, layout bacon, cookies and more.

Melissa Casiano-Burnson, Plant Manager, led Provisur’s certification effort and said in a release “our team is gratified to receive a designation of “Excellent” along with SQF Certification on our very first attempt at this rigorous and disciplined process.” She said that the company believes the certification will be valued by its customers, “whose food safety and product quality requirements are among the highest in the world.”

The SQF audit of the Provisur facility and procedures was conducted over a six-month period and resulted in a 97-point score out of a possible 100 points. While only 70 points are required for Certification, the score of 97 places the company’s facility, employee team and procedural discipline among the world’s elite food-grade paper manufacturers. Among the many processes and documented procedures measured by the audit are raw material management, safety planning, employee training, operational procedures and traceability.

“We also like the transparency of the SQF audit process and the public reporting. Our customers can go online to see the three minor non-conformities discovered in our audit and see that even those minor concerns were addressed immediately,” Casiano-Burnson said. “That is important because many of our processor customers are routinely asked by their customers to provide verifiable information that proves robust control, monitoring and validation systems are in place. This is where the Safe Quality Food (SQF) Program comes in.”

To ensure that timely and accurate information is available to Provisur customers, as well as customers of theirs, the company has dedicated a Provisur team member solely to the job of updating quality records and SQF-related documentation. “We have not spared any resources in our quest to ensure that all Provisur products are safe for their intended purpose, and of the highest quality,” said Casiano-Burnson.

Since 2013, the company has relied on a certification from the AIB International Consolidated Standards for Food-Contact Packaging to help assure customers of high safety standards. “We’ve transitioned from our previous measurement methodology because SQF has greater international recognition and its disciplines are specifically related to food processors,” says Casiano-Burnson. “About 15 per cent of Provisur’s paper products are exported, and some of those countries require the manufacturer to be SQF Certified.”