Common Market Georgia earns SQF certification
Atlanta, Ga.-based The Common Market Georgia has received Safe Quality Foods certification.
“The certification is a way for us add legitimacy to the local food space by focusing on safety from our vendor supply all the way to our customers,” Lily Rolader, director of The Common Market Georgia, said in a news release. “It’s a way for us to increase confidence and increase transparency around the process.”
The Common Market Georgia, a nonprofit local food distributor, is the only local food hub in the region to receive the certification, according to the release. It is second in obtaining the certification behind only its flagship, The Common Market Mid-Atlantic, which was the first local food hub in the nation to receive the certification in 2016.
The SQF certification includes a validation process that makes sure food safety control systems have been implemented effectively, according to the release.
The Common Market Georgia connects customers with more than 30 producers in Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, and Tennessee, according to the release. The farmer-suppliers for the Common Market go through comprehensive approval and inspection processes, according to the release, and are certified with USDA-compliant Good Agricultural Practices.
The Common Market Georgia is working to have 100% GAP certification for its suppliers, according to the release.
