MGP’s Atchison Distillery Earns Grade A Food and Beverage Safety Rating From Globally Prominent British Retail Consortium

15 Jan 2014 --- MGP’s Atchison, Kan., distillery has been awarded a Grade A rating by the British Retail Consortium (BRC), one of the world’s most prominently recognized food and beverage safety standards. To achieve this rating, the distillery underwent a recent third party audit that focused heavily on Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and documentation.

"We are very excited and gratified that our Atchison Distillery came out of this rigorous process for the first time with Grade A rating, the highest possible on the BRC’s rating scale, said Steve Glaser, Atchison plant manager. “This is not only evidence of everyone's tremendous hard work and dedication, but also a manifestation that the distillery's continuous improvement journey is on the right track,” he added.

BRC audits are conducted under the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), which benchmarks food and beverage safety standards globally. While MGP’s protein and starch operations in Atchison have been BRC certified for the past three years, this is the first third-party audit of this magnitude related to distillery operations owned by the company. With the success of the Atchison distillery audit, the entire Atchison facility is now BRC food and beverage safety certified. The company’s distillery operation in Lawrenceburg, Ind., currently is scheduled to undergo a similar audit in early spring 2014.

“Fulfilling the qualifications for BRC’s Grade A certification exemplifies the commitment of our employees to proactively demonstrate to existing and future customers that stringent standards are top-of-mind and are being met,” noted David Whitmer, corporate director of quality. “Furthermore, it strengthens the confidence of those we serve that MGP is absolutely sincere about its role as their partner in delivering safe, high quality ingredients and beverages to consumers worldwide.”

When comparing food and beverage companies, food manufacturers have required GFSI certified suppliers for a number of years. The beverage industry, particularly the alcohol industry, just recently began requiring GFSI certification under BRC or Safe Quality Food (SQF) standards, according to Whitmer.