Posted: August 11th, 2011 - 9:14pm
Source: 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.
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.
"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.
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.