Mainstream CANADA meets high food safety standards for salmon

11.aug.11
FIS

Mainstream Canada's Food Safety system helps to ensure its salmon is some of the safest seafood available on store shelves.

The Food Safety management system was certified this spring to ISO 22000:2005 standards by an independent auditor.

ISO stands for "International Organization for Standardization," the world's largest independent developer and publisher of International Standards. ISO is a network of the national standards institutes of 161 countries, including Canada's Standards Council of Canada.


Mainstream Canada is the second largest producer of farmed salmon in British Columbia producing over 25,000 metric tonnes of farm fresh Atlantic salmon annually 

Being ISO-certified shows that Mainstream Canada's way of doing business meets established standards, which in turn, assures that their employees, customers and community know that they are operating in a safe, environmentally friendly and socially responsible manner.

The system follows Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) principles, which were originally developed by NASA in the 1960s to make sure food for its astronauts was safe.

The ISO-certified management systems that Mainstream Canada follow are a comprehensive and systematic way of managing the organization's continual improvements on areas including environmental aspects, quality, health and safety and food safety.

"This new certification shows that we are committed to producing safe and consistently top-quality salmon for our customers," said Richard Finch, Mainstream Canada's certification and quality manager.


Mainstream Canada specializes in high quality farm fresh Atlantic salmon 

"Being ISO 22000-certified shows our commitment to continual improvement, and that we are committed to putting only the best salmon on store shelves."

The company's ISO 22000-certified Food Safety management system is a tool which Mainstream uses to scrutinize its production processes and the products it provides. It allows Mainstream to identify potential hazards involved in food production, and put controls in place to address those hazards. By doing so, it helps the company proactively reduce the risks of food-borne issues.

Mainstream Canada's Food Safety management system is based on HACCP principles approved by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization.


About Mainstream Canada

Mainstream Canada is the second largest producer of farmed salmon in British Columbia. Mainstream Canada is part of Mainstream Group, the farming division of the Norwegian holding Cermaq, a fully integrated world leader in salmon production.

With operations off the East and West coasts of Vancouver Island, Mainstream Canada produces over 25,000 metric tonnes of farm fresh Atlantic salmon annually through 3 freshwater hatcheries, 1 marine/freshwater lens site and 30 marine farm sites

Harvested fish are processed for market at Pacific National Processing Ltd, managed and operated by Mainstream Canada in Tofino, B.C., and at local facilities in Campbell River, B.C.


Mainstream Canada employs over 250 people in its hatcheries, farms, processing plants and administration centers, throughout Vancouver Island 

Specializing in farm-raised Atlantic salmon for domestic and international markets, Mainstream Canada prides itself on the production of quality salmon, and on respect for the local environment and the communities in which they operate.

Source: Mainstream Canada