The Safe Food Alliance, a division of DFA of California, has opened a laboratory in Kingsburg, Calif.
The facility, at about 20,000 square feet, is three times the size of a former lab in Fresno, Calif., which has moved into the new space. Other Safe Food Alliance labs are in Kerman, Winters and Yuba City, Calif.
The company invited growers, packers, processors and manufacturers to the Kingsburg facility for a grand opening on April 25. The company offers lab testing and analysis, research, training consulting and third-party certification audits, according to a news release.
“While we continue to expand our portfolio of services to better serve the growing needs of food manufacturing companies globally, we always remember our mission to promote a consumer-focused safe food environment,” Sam Keiper, president and CEO of Safe Food Alliance said in the release. “As both consumers and regulators scrutinize the food supply to ensure quality and safety in the food system, our Kingsburg Center will serve business partners who seek solutions to delivering the highest quality products worldwide.”
The lab has a training center, and new equipment, and will be home to research projects on food safety and product quality, according to the release. The company recently received a $450,000 grant from the Food and Drug Administration through the California Department of Food and Agriculture to put on 25 produce safety training classes in central and Southern California. They continue into June and are designed to help companies comply with the Food Safety Modernization Act’s Produce Safety Rule.
“Our new lab is designed to assist with the services vital to the success of agriculture and food companies,” Thomas Jones, senior director of analytical services, said in the release.
That includes water tests for the Produce Safety Rule, environmental monitoring programs, shelf life studies and product testing to establish regulatory compliance, Jones said in the release.
