Food Safety Training is Huge for Giants Snacks
Giants Snacks
Family-owned and operated for nearly two decades, Giants Snacks is headquartered near the edge of Wahpeton, North Dakota. Their products, sold through multiple channels such as mail order, retail stores, and MLB (major league baseball) outlets, include various flavors of roasted sunflower seeds, pistachios, cashews, pumpkin seeds, and toasted corn.
Prioritizing customer-service and “the best of the best quality,” GIANTS works directly with hometown farmers in the selection of sunflower seeds. Giant Snacks has launched many deals with major baseball league teams such as the Colorado Rockies, Texas Rangers, Minnesota Twins, and the San Francisco Giants. With unique seed flavors like dill pickle, bacon ranch, and kettle roast, Giants Snacks focuses on bringing flavor to the next level.
Preventive Controls for Human Food regulation is a law enacted to ensure safe preparation of food products for human consumption in the US in order to prevent food borne illnesses. This requires that food production facilities have a Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) prepare their Food Safety Plan. A company that does not have a PCQI prepared food safety plan is at risk of being shut down.
As a company dedicated to producing the highest quality snack foods in safe manner, Giants follows the established regulations. The PCQI training offered by Impact Dakota provided the company with the opportunity to learn more about the Food Safety Plan which included an analysis of hazards and risk-based preventive controls.
The PCQI training provided by Impact Dakota was very helpful in learning about the Preventive Controls for Human Food Regulation which requires that certain activities in the company's production facility need to be completed by a PCQI. Not meeting such requirements ultimately can result in loss of customers.
Giants is a company with goals of expanding markets and product variety and this training has been instrumental in not only meeting regulatory requirements but also in enhancing its plans for integrating the required food safety plans. The company believes that the PCQI certificates received can further its market giving consumers the assurance that they are enjoying a top notch product produced in a company with a culture of food safety.
Cost Saving (10%) - Enhanced understanding of the requirements for safe preparation of food products has resulted in avoiding some of the costs that may have resulted due to miss-handling of raw materials, packaging, and stored foods.
General/Other (Retained Sales – 100%) - Meeting the requirements to have a Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) prepare Food Safety Plans has enabled the company to retain its sales.
New Markets - The PCQI certificates received along with company's AIB/ASI provides the consumers the assurance about the company's culture of food safety which can help with expanded market.
Increased Sales (10%) - The expanded (new) market, as outlined in the above-mentioned paragraph further increases sales.
“Impact Dakota has been a helpful resource for different trainings and technical assistance, some of which we have benefited from. I would recommend that other companies use Impact Dakota resources to explore improvement opportunities.”
—Lucy Spiekermeier, General Manager