The Global ID Group, Fairfield, Iowa, formed the Food Quality Alliance, a consortium of proven leaders in food safety and quality working together to provide a single source of over 40 essential testing, training and certification services.

Launching in Q2 2015, the alliance will provide quality assurance teams with an integrated platform with which to centrally manage their growing array of responsibilities. It will offer products and services from the Global ID Group (CERT ID, Genetic ID and FoodChain ID) and its fellow founding members.
 
Through CERT ID, the alliance will offer multiple food safety certification services (BRC, SQF, Global G.A.P., ISO 22000) and training programs. Through Genetic ID, customers will gain access to a portfolio of pathogen, allergen, authenticity, speciation and GMO testing services. FoodChain ID will offer consulting and advisory services on international non-GMO regulatory policies and help companies obtain non-GMO project verification for products sold in North America or Ohne Gentechnik and Danube Soy certification in the European Union.
 
Other alliance members include California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF), a Santa Cruz, Calif.-based organic certifier; the Orthodox Union, a New York-based provider of kosher certification; and The Acheson Group LLC, a compilation of global experts in managing operational, regulatory and reputational risks for the food industry based in West Des Moines, Iowa. The alliance will also include laboratory partners providing a full array of chemical and nutritional testing services.
 
“As regulatory requirements and market demands on food companies continue to grow, QA departments often find themselves struggling to keep up with the rigors of compliance,” says Ron Stakland, vice president of business development for Global ID. “From food safety to sustainability to specialized niches like gluten-free and kosher, much of the work for assuring safe and compliant food products and ingredients falls on the QA department. At the same time, the need to stay competitive and keep costs in check has never been greater. The purpose of the alliance is to offer QA managers a simpler way to manage multiple services.”