A Message from our General Manager

A great deal is happening at Misty Mountain Spring Water in the area of Food Safety.

• FDA is preparing to issue the modernized GMP proposal.
• There is a draft to modify acidified foods processing and evaluate processes
• A new food safety proposal affecting the entire industry is forthcoming.

However, there's also another driver of compliance, and that.s the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI). This program, driven by major retailers around the world, has the following objectives:

• Ensuring food safety
• Ensuring consumer protection
• Strengthening consumer confidence
• Benchmarking requirements for food safety management, and
• Improving cost efficiency.

Since these companies and others involved are responsible for marketing huge quantities of consumer products, the program has grown rapidly since its formation in 2000.

To date, GFSI has approved six audit standards for food processors, each of which include all of the elements defined by GFSI:

• BRC-British Retail Consortium
• SQF-Safe Quality Foods
• IFS-International Food Standard
• Dutch HACCP and a couple more

Each standard focuses on ensuring the production of safe foods by using the hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP). Each standard is slightly different in set-up and the basic requirements for certification. For example the BRC, states hands must be washed in about 113 degree water while another does not mention the temperature of the water.

Misty Mountain Spring Water passed the BRC certification this past December with an "A" rating. This means we can continue to due business with our current customers who require the GFSI standard and you can be sure our processes and water are safe.

Gene Belcher
General Manager
Misty Mountain Spring Water
276-623-5000
belcherg@mistymountainspringwater.com