ANN ARBOR, MI, April 6, 2005 -- NSF International has become the exclusive audit agency for the International Packaged Ice Association (IPIA) member audit program. The IPIA is a trade association with a mission to promote growth and profitability for the packaged ice industry through the ongoing development and management of standards.
The member audit program, Packaged Ice Quality Control Standards (PIQCS), is a quality control program designed to improve and maintain the quality of packaged ice sold by IPIA members. With the IPIA PIQCS Plus program, a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) initiative is incorporated into the program to keep the packaged ice industry in the forefront of food safety. HACCP is a preventive system for assuring safer production of food products.
"We are thrilled to have NSF as our exclusive audit inspection partner for our 300 IPIA member plants," said Jane McEwen the executive director of the IPIA. "Our new partnership with NSF will truly serve to enhance the image of our industry because NSF is known as the leading global provider of food safety-based audits with extensive experience in the bottled water and packaged ice food segments."
NSF, the only international certifier of bottled water, brings 10 years of auditing experience to this partnership, including broad auditing experience from its packaged ice certification program and expertise in HACCP registration.
"The IPIA membership has a strong commitment to quality, and we are very pleased that the IPIA has selected NSF International as their exclusive audit partner," says Loren Merrick, general manager of the packaged ice and bottled water certification programs at NSF. "As their exclusive audit partner, we will continue to work together to raise the bar on packaged ice industry standards."
NSF International (www.nsf.org), an Ann Arbor, Mich.-based independent, not-for-profit organization, helps protect consumers by certifying products and writing standards for food, water, air and related consumer goods. Founded in 1944, it's a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Food and Water Safety and Indoor Environment. Additional services include safety audits for the food and water industries, management systems registrations delivered through NSF International Strategic Registrations Ltd., organic certification provided by Quality Assurance International and education through the NSF Center for Public Health Education.
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