Paul Piazza & Son, Inc. is proud to have achieved excellent-rated SQF certification scores at both of our processing plants in Louisiana – an honor earned by those food manufacturers who meet the highest standards in the industry.

SQF is a food safety standard which actually links to an international standard called GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative).

The program is described as follows on the SQF Institute website, “The Safe Quality Food (SQF) Program is a rigorous and credible food safety and quality program that is recognized by retailers, brand owners, and food service providers world-wide. Recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), the SQF family of food safety and quality codes are designed to meet industry, customer, and regulatory requirements for all sectors of the food supply chain – from the [ocean] all the way to the retail stores.”

Essentially, a high SQF certification score (and, in our case, the highest SQF certification score) is the shining stamp of approval that a food manufacturing or processing business operates at the highest levels. In our case, our shrimp are caught in the rich waters of the Gulf of Mexico, are sustainably hauled onto our boats, and are processed at our always properly-managed factories before they are served on your plates.

“It’s not about just trying to get that one high score for that one audit,” Kory Echelard, head of quality control for Paul Piazza & Son, said. “It’s about using those skills and that knowledge from the SQF Program and instilling that into the process every day.”

Echelard said that after 30 years in the business, with around 150 employees to manage, one learns what to expect from the audit and that the most important thing is making sure that both plants on a day-to-day basis always maintain a standard of cleanliness and sanitization: the goal in mind is to always be like that so that by the time the SQF certification rolls around, it’s an easy process because you’ve always been implementing it.

The importance for a consumer is best summed up in this statement from the SQF website:

“SQF Certification offers a comprehensive solution that helps you verify and demonstrate that food safety and quality controls have been effectively implemented, validated, and monitored. The results of a strong SQF Program are safe products, brand confidence, and reassured customers.”

The Paul Piazza family wouldn’t have it any other way. Our SQF certification assures our customers that our shrimp have premium quality and consistency time after time while meeting the most rigorous standards for food safety. Paul Piazza. The Perfect Shrimp. The Perfect Partner.

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