Indian Harvest, a U.S. supplier of grains and blends to foodservice, manufacturing, and retail, earned Global Food Safety Certification for 2013 from the British Retail Consortium (BRC), an internationally esteemed third-party auditor.
Best known for its distinctive grains, grain blends, beans, and legumes, Indian Harvest secured an A grade—the highest rating possible—following months of rigorous evaluation.
The BRC, which grants certification under the auspices of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), developed and introduced the Food Technical Standard in 1998 as the first globally recognized program providing independent certification that a supplier’s food-safety-management system complies with international and domestic food-safety regulations throughout all levels of the supply chain. The success and widespread acceptance of the BRC Food Technical Standard led the BRC to publish the first issue of the Packaging Standard in 2002.
To date, more than 17,000 companies operating in approximately 90 countries have achieved BRC certification. A growing number of food manufacturers and retailers in Europe and North America will only consider business with suppliers that have gained global certification to the appropriate BRC standard.
Indian Harvest earned BRC certification of its blending and packaging of pure rices, other grains, and legumes, as well as its new puffed grains, which include Puffed Wild Rice, Puffed Colusari Red Rice, and Puffed Brown Rice. The certification is in effect for one year, and Indian Harvest will re-apply annually.
“We worked very meticulously to achieve an A grade from the BRC,” says Golnar Emam, director of operations for Indian Harvest. “Every employee, from sanitation personnel to our CEO, was committed.”
According to Emam, rapidly accelerating demand for Indian Harvest’s products from food manufacturers abroad as well as in North America spurred desire for third-party food-safety auditing and certification from an internationally respected and credible source.
In particular, European food manufacturers are clamoring for wild rice as consumers’ interest in this flavorful whole grain, which is indigenous to the United States and Canada, increases.
As a Minnesota-based company with processing and packaging operations in California, Indian Harvest aligns its food-safety commitment with that of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act signed into law in 2011. Validation from the BRC of Indian Harvest’s products and packaging, says Emam, supports the company’s dedication to leading domestic and international efforts in ensuring a safe food supply.
