CLEWISTON, FL – May 8, 2007 – U.S. Sugar Corporation’s feed brand Suga-Lik® has completed certification for the European Good Manufacturing/Managing Practices (GMP+) quality assurance program. Suga-Lik® liquid feed products, including pasture supplements for beef herds and mixed rations for dairy cattle, are the leading choice of cattlemen in the Southeastern United States. The GMP+-regulations for the animal feed sector have been developed by the Product Board Animal Feed as part of an ongoing effort to optimize quality policy in the feed industry. The Product Board Animal Feed, based in the Netherlands, is a regulatory authority under public law. It also serves as a platform for all of the links in the animal feed chain. The Board represents companies active in the production of and/or trade in animal feed ingredients and the production of feed materials. This special assurance quality program, Feed for Food, focuses on animal feed safety as a component of overall food safety. It is based on the principle that animal feed and food for human consumption can never be isolated from one another. They are implicitly connected. Therefore, protection of that relationship is vital to human food safety. A number of recent food crises have made it clear that programs and certifications like the GMP+, are imperative to help guarantee nutritional quality, technical quality and safety for the animals. All of these components can translate into increased safety for humans. “Food safety continues to be our number one priority,” said Patrick Whidden, Director of the Molasses & Liquid Feed Department at U.S. Sugar Corporation. “We are continuously striving to improve our animal feed products while adhering to the highest safety standards. The GMP+ certification is an additional tool to help strengthen the confidence our customers have in our products.” An integral part of ensuring food safety is the ability to track and trace any irregularities in animal feed and foodstuffs. Careful monitoring of all ingredients during the production process makes it possible to identify and recall any ingredients that may be a source of contamination. To become a GMP+ certified company, a mandatory audit is required to make certain the business is adhering to strict program standards for both production and handling of food products. As added safeguards, U.S. Sugar Corporation continues to voluntarily participate in third party certifications through the Facility Certification Institute’s (FCI) Restricted Use Protein Program, as well as the American Feed Industry Association’s (AFIA) Safe Feed/Safe Food certification. FCI’s strict certification requires a rigorous inspection of the facility and the company’s processes and procedures. The FCI Seal of Approval ensures that a feed supplier is not using banned protein products. AFIA’s Safe Feed/Safe Food certification signifies that U.S. Sugar’s, Suga-Lik® Feed Department has embraced the feed industry’s proactive role in creating HACCP-based feed based safety programs and that they are doing their part to reduce food safety risks by raising the industry’s “own bar” when it comes to this important obligation. In order to receive the certification, the feed manufacturer must be able to identify the sources from which the ingredients that are incorporated into a feed or feed ingredient have been supplied. The traceability of the food chain must be established for all stages of production, processing and distribution to demonstrate safety of ingredients. Produced from pure sugar cane molasses, Suga-Lik® liquid feed is the leading choice of cattlemen in the Southeastern United States for pasture supplements for their beef herds and is also a popular supplement for total mixed rations for dairy cattle. Over one hundred different liquid feed formulas are researched, developed, formulated and manufactured by U.S. Sugar. CONTACT: Heather Mikes
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