News

I’m so proud to share with you that Ozarks Food Harvest received a superior food safety score of 955 out of 1,000 from AIB International this fiscal year! We also earned a perfect score for our cleanliness and sanitation practices in our warehouse.

Our AIB score and audit are important because food safety is a top priority at The Food Bank. To ensure it remains a priority, The Food Bank voluntarily undergoes a thorough inspection from the food safety professionals at AIB International every two years. AIB International is one of the world’s top training and auditing organizations on food safety, inspecting many of our major food donors like Associated Wholesale Grocers, Kraft and SGC Foodservice.

The inspection process involves an in-depth examination of Ozarks Food Harvest’s sanitation practices, documentation processes, pest control and standard operating procedures to guarantee the entire facility meets food safety standards. The inspection not only allows us to certify that we handle food with the utmost care, but also provides an opportunity to double-check our work.

In 2012, Ozarks Food Harvest was the sixth Feeding America food bank of 200 in the country to undergo an AIB audit and certification. For more than a decade, we’ve received superior AIB ratings that serve as a testament to our commitment to food safety. We continue to do this voluntary inspection because we believe that everyone in our community deserves safe, healthy food.

We receive superior ratings for food safety because we’ve built it into our culture. The processes and procedures that go under review with AIB aren’t just thrown together when we know the inspector is due — they’re meticulously maintained every single day of the year. From briefing volunteers on food safety procedures to rigorous temperature checks, all of our procedures are checked and monitored by Ozarks Food Harvest staff. When our AIB auditors come for inspection, it’s just another day at the warehouse.

Maintaining impeccable conditions in our warehouse goes beyond meeting standards; it also builds trust with our retail donors and our network of 270 charities. Last fiscal year, we received, processed and distributed more than 20 million meals. Distributing that many meals with our cleanliness standards builds trust because people see that we are doing everything we can to ensure meals are distributed safely so families have good, nutritious food to put on the table.

If you have any questions about AIB or food safety, feel free to give me a call. I would love to walk you through the process on a deeper level and show you how dedicated we are to serving safe, healthy food to families facing hunger in the Ozarks.