QUALITY ASSURANCE PROGRAM

Northern Fish Products has an exceptional product safety and sanitation program. We set the standard in the industry for quality. Listed below are examples of the procedures we have in place to assure the highest product quality for our customers.

• Employee Training on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)--Northern Fish Products has implemented and monitors all employees on Good Manufacturing Practices. These steps are taken to ensure cross contamination is avoided and proper sanitation practices are followed at all times. All employees are trained on our comprehensive company policies, which are reviewed frequently. This is monitored daily by the Quality Assurance Manager.
• Environmental Swab Testing Program--Northern Fish Products conducts swab testing for the sanitary operation of the plant. These swab tests, performed by an independent testing agency, are taken on non-food and food contact surfaces. The swabs are checked for Coliforms, TPC, E-Coli, FCS, NFCS and Listeria.
• Product Traceability--Northern Fish Products ensures that each item sold can be traced from the original supplier to the customer. We conduct quarterly mock recalls to ensure the accuracy and time monitoring. During our mock recalls we have determined it would take less than 3 hours to recall all products sold.
• Water Safety--Northern Fish Products tests the ice and water in the plant regularly to ensure the safety of the water supply. These tests are conducted and checked for the following: TPC, Coliform and E-Coli. (Conducted by SIS). We also use backflow prevention devices on all our water hoses and lines.
• Country of Origin Labeling (COOL)--Each item packaged at Northern Fish Products has a statement of the country of origin on the label. This is a requirement of the U.S Custom Service as authorized by the Tariff Act of 1930 and Customs’ regulations (19 USC 1304(a) and 19 CFR part 134). All products we sell are compliant.
• Plant Security/Bio Terrorism--Northern Fish Products has a plant/food security policy. Visitors must check in at a front desk and sign a Visitor Log. All visitors must be escorted through the plant. Gates are locked throughout the day. We also have a Crisis Management Team in place. Northern Fish Products is Bio-Terrorism-Registered with the FDA (reg #15090275530). All employees are trained on food security awareness, including how to prevent, detect, and respond to tampering or other malicious, criminal or terrorist actions or threats.
• HACCP Import Plan--We have a HACCP Import Plan in place. All suppliers we use send us a letter of compliance that is reviewed annually and kept on file.
• Metal Exclusion--Daily inspections are done to ensure that all metal is excluded from our products. a) Ban Saw- Inspected for missing teeth and nicks in the blade.
  b) Knives-Inspected for chips, nicks or missing implements. If any metal is missing, all products from the last checkpoint are run through the metal detector to check for ferrous, non-ferrous and stainless metals. These inspections are conducted daily at startup, breaks, and at the end of the day. These reports are documented and kept on file.
• Scale Inspection--Each day all scales are checked for accuracy of weight and measures. Scales are checked to ensure that proper weights are being given. These reports are documented and are on file.
• Monitoring Coolers/Freezers--Northern Fish Products continuously monitors all coolers and freezers with chart recorders or data loggers. These devices take samples every few minutes and create a chart to ensure that all our storage areas are at correct temperatures. According to the Fish & Fisheries Product Hazards & Control Guideline Manual, cooked ready to eat items and toxin forming scromboid species are especially sensitive to a temperature controlled environment.
• Order Packing--All orders are packed in a temperature controlled chill room. All orders are delivered in refrigerated trucks.
• Water Phase Salt--The following applies to Northern Fish Products' hot smoke operation:
  • We test our product quarterly to ensure that water phase salt content is at the correct level.
  • All products are brined a minimum of 12 hours.
• Smoke House Operation--All Northern Fish smoked products are produced in a controlled environment. All Products are brined, smoked, cooled and packaged in their own room, away from all raw products. Our smoke house design is based on the Continuous Flow Model approved and recommended by the FDA. Only trained or authorized employees are allowed to be in this room.
• Finished Product Testing--Northern Fish Products has implemented a plan to quarterly test our finished product that we process or produce. This test checks for TPC, Cloriform, E-Coli, Staph, Salmonella and Listeria. (Conducted by an independent testing agency). We also have our scromboind toxin forming species (tuna, marlin and mahi) tested for histamines. These steps are taken to ensure the safety of the finished product.
• Routine Safety Testing and Inspection-- Northern Fish Products is routinely inspected by the following agencies:
  • USDC (United States Department of Commerce) inspection is conducted annually.
  • FDA (Food and Drug Administration) inspection is conducted annually.
  • VET COM (Pacific Northwest Veterinary Command) inspection is conducted on a bi-annual basis.
  • WSDA (Washington State Department of Agriculture) inspection is conducted annually.
  • WSHOH (Washington State Department of Health) inspection is conducted annually.
  • An independent company inspects our product daily for quality, shelf life, workmanship (outgoing product). They also conduct our environmental swab program and other lab testing that we routinely perform.