What materials are used to make food grade bulk bags?

To ensure food grade products do not become contaminated, the bags are manufactured with virgin polypropylene which means they don't contain any recycled materials to help keep your food pure.

Are these bags FDA approved?
The FDA does not issue any certifications or approval for bulks bags. Food grade bulk bags that are made with 100% virgin polypropylene are a safe product in which to store your food.

Can I get bags right away?

Yes, if they are in stock, they can ship out the same day if ordered before 1:00 PM Eastern.

Do I need a certified food grade bulk bag?

Depending on the quality standards required by your plant or your customer, if any, there are different quality certifications that you can request such as FSSC 22000, BRC (Brand Reputation through Compliance), or AIB. Otherwise, you can request your bulk bag supplier to provide documentation for their sanitary handling and manufacturing practices.

What is the Global Food Safety Initiative?

The Global Food Safety Initiative is a private organization, established and managed by the international trade association, the Consumer Goods Forum under Belgian law in May 2000. The GFSI maintains a scheme to benchmark food safety standards for manufacturers as well as farm assurance standards.

What are all the different Food Safety Standards?

BRC (formerly the British Retail Consortium) Brand Reputation through Compliance, FSSC 22000 Food Safety System Certification, IFS (International Featured Standards), SQF (Safe Quality Food Institute), AIB (formerly the American Institute for Baking) International.

What is the BRC Global Standard for Food Safety?

BRC (formerly the British Retail Consortium) Brand Reputation through Compliance is a market-leading global brand that helps build confidence in the supply chain. Founded in 1996 by retailers who wanted to harmonize food safety standards across the supply chain, BRC’s Global Standards for Food Safety, Packaging and Packaging Materials, Storage and Distribution, Consumer Products, Agents and Brokers, Retail, and Gluten Free set the benchmark for good manufacturing practice, and help provide assurance to customers that your products are safe, legal and of high quality.

The BRC standards are divided into seven sections:

- Senior Management Commitment and Continuous Improvement
- A Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point Plan for food safety (HACCP)
- A Food safety and quality management system
- Site standards
- Product control
- Process control
- Personnel - training, protective clothing and hygiene

The latest issue (Issue 7) of the standard was published in January 2015. Learn more about the BRC here.

What is the Food Safety System Certification (FSSC 22000)?

According to the fssc22000.com website, the Foundation Food Safety System Certification 22000 (FSSC 22000) offers a complete certification Scheme for the auditing and certification of Food Safety Management Systems (FSMS) or FSMS and Quality Management Systems (FSSC 22000-Quality).

The Scheme uses international and independent standards such as ISO 22000, ISO 9001, ISO/TS 22003 and technical specifications for sector specific Pre-Requisite Programs (PRPs), such as ISO/TS 22002-1. These standards were developed through a wide and open consultation with a large number of international stakeholders. Besides these standards, the Scheme contains so-called FSSC Additional Requirements which can be found in the FSSC 22000 Scheme documents.

The FSSC 22000 Scheme consists of three components: ISO 22000, sector specific PRPs and additional requirements. Besides these three components there’s a FSSC 22000-Quality option based on the additional requirements of ISO 9001.

For organizations wishing to integrate their food quality management system into the scope of their certification, FSSC 22000-Quality certification is available. FSSC 22000-Quality consists of a combined FSSC 22000 and full ISO 9001 audit.

What is AIB International Food Safety Certification?

AIB International (formerly the American Institute for Baking) is a pioneer and leader in food safety auditing and education. Founded in 1919 in the United States, AIB conducts audits and inspections in over 10,000 facilities in 120 countries by 130+ highly trained and qualified, full-time field staff. Through its inspection and audit activities, AIB also provides a valuable educational service to all of its clients.

AIB standards include the following five categories, which form the basis of inspection steps. Some apply more to the manufacturing environment than distribution.

- Operational Methods and Personnel Practices
- Maintenance for Food Safety
- Cleaning Practices
- Integrated Pest Management
- Adequacy of Prerequisite and Food Safety Programs