Oakwood, Ohio – Cooper Farms was recently awarded an AA+ rating at both their Van Wert Cooked Meats and St. Henry Harvesting plants in a recent food safety audit from the Brand Reputation Compliance through Global Standard (BRCGS). This is the highest possible rating attainable.

Director of Processing, Tom Wisvari, said the company has received perfect ratings from pre-announced audits in the past, but the AA+ rating is only achievable in an unannounced audit.

“This particular audit was unannounced, so we are extremely proud to know that our team members are doing things the right way at all times,” said Wisvari. “This gives us great confidence that our products are being produced safely.”

COO Gary Cooper credits the team members on the production floor, as well as the sanitation crews, for the successful audit.

“Food safety and quality is a top priority at both the harvesting and cooked meats locations,” Cooper said. “The dedicated teams we have, as well as the leadership at both locations, deserve all the credit in the world for maintaining our reputation of producing high-quality, safe products.”

From the BRCGS official website: The BRCGS Global Food Safety Standard has set the benchmark for nearly 25 years. Adopted by over 22,000 sites in more than 130 countries, the standard is accepted by 70% of the top 10 global retailers, 60% of the top 10 quick-service restaurants, and 50% of the top 25 manufacturers.

Developed with input from industry, it provides a framework to manage product safety, integrity, legality and quality, and the operational controls for these criteria in the food and food ingredient manufacturing, processing and packing industry.