U.S – To broaden the scope of food, feed, and farm certification services offered by Kiwa, independent third-party certification provider ASI LLC has integrated with the Kiwa Group, a global Testing, Inspection, and Certification (TIC) company.
Together, the businesses will strengthen their services both locally and internationally and collectively broaden their reach.
With ASI, Kiwa expands its knowledge and reach, especially in the United States, said Richard Stolk, Kiwa’s Global Director for the Food, Feed & Farm sector.
“Kiwa already has a strong footprint in the global Food, Feed & Farm sector. With ASI, we significantly expand our reach, expertise, and footprint, particularly in the United States of America but certainly with a global perspective.
“Now that we have welcomed ASI to the Kiwa family, we can better provide our customers with a one-stop shop for food- and feed-related certification services on all continents. All in all, it ensures a sustainable future for all of us,” he noted.
Richard will also be the President of the Board of ASI LLC and will be directly involved in the further growth of ASI.
Given its relationship with the American market, the addition will also bolster the company’s already substantial footprint in Latin America.
ASI, a leading food safety solutions company located in the Midwest region of the United States, has provided farm-to-fork food safety solutions since the 1940s.
With its headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri, the country’s consumer packaged products capital, ASI provides a comprehensive range of safety and quality services to the food and beverage, dietary supplement, and most recently, the cannabis industry.
“Kiwa and ASI share similar customer-first business values and follow the same business model when it comes to testing, inspection, and certification. By joining the Kiwa family, we’re combining their wide portfolio of accreditations and services, their global business network, and expertise with our client network in farm-to-fork food safety to assist our growing client base in North America even better,” said Charray Williams, CEO of ASI.
From pre-harvest to retail, ASI offers inspections, accredited certifications, training, consulting, and standards development.
Standards covered include various global schemes recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), such as the Safe Quality Food Program (SQF), current Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), and current Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs), complimented by custom second-party audits.
ASI’s wide portfolio of accreditations and services includes BRC, IFS, FSSC, PrimusGFS, GLOBALG.A.P., Rainforest Alliance, MSC/ASC, Organic/USDA, and others.
To help the Kiwa team fulfill the changing certification requirements of growing sectors, ASI will also give insights into the industry.
“Not only is this merger increasing our notoriety as a historically family-owned operation, but it also strengthens ASI being privy to the evolving certification needs of emerging industries. Our accredited CSQ (Cannabis Safety and Quality) standard for the legalized use of cannabis ingredients in (food) products in the US market is an example of us capturing evolving certification needs.
“We are excited to share these types of cutting-edge insights with the Kiwa team, as well as supporting them globally with our SQF expertise in various countries across the globe, especially in Australia,” said Tyler Williams, CTO of ASI.
Tyler will officially succeed Charray Williams as CEO come 1 January 2023 and lead the expansion of Kiwa and ASI in the Food, Feed & Farm sector in North America.
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