GUEST POST: This post is written by David McGiverin, Sustainability & Productivity Manager at Northwest Food Processors Association (NWFPA). 
During the economic downturn, a common but dangerous business myth emerged: it’s an employer’s marketplace. With so many downsized employees desperate to work, any job is a good job — why not enhance your company’s bottom line by demanding more, and offering less?
DePaul Packaging’s Hayden Island facility just received an AIB International score of 970 on its latest Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) Inspection for Consolidated Standards for Food Safety report. Any score of above 900 is considered a ‘Superior’ Rating, and we’re thrilled to have exceeded that mark since 2006.
AIB International is accepted as the auditing standard in the food processing industry and is committed to protecting the safety of the food supply chain by performing rigorous independent inspections, superior audits and training. DePaul Packaging’s food safety standards report includes high scores on cleaning practices, operational methods and personnel practices, and administering prerequisite and food safety programs, such as our Heart of the Workforce (HOW) Program.
We meet or exceed GMP standards for food allergen control, back-flow prevention devices (which protect water supplies from contamination), clean food contact surfaces, random sanitation testing, and many others. We’re also proud to have a dedicated Quality Assurance manager as well as a Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points (HACCP) system in place, to ensure that all of our co-packing operations and supply chain management maintain the high standards of our customers.
Visit DePaul Packaging to learn more about our facility and the co-packing and processing solutions we provide.
Northwest Food Processors Association’s Education Research Institute (ERI) and the Hitachi Foundation presented DePaul Industries with a 2011 Distinguished Premier Food Processor Award in front of 150 industry leaders at a general session during the 98th Annual NW Food Manufacturing & Packaging Expo and Conference held on January 19, 2012.
As part of Hitachi Foundation’s Pioneer Employers Project, the award recognizes employers for their contributions in promoting economic opportunities for their lower-income employees, specifically as a means of improving their corporate results. In DePaul Industries’ case, this is exactly what the Heart of the Workforce (HOW)™ Program is designed to accomplish.
The HOW Program is an entry level, workforce for productivity program designed as part of the solution to a major issue facing the food processing industry: the lack of available knowledgeable seasonal and long term skilled workers. By teaching the basics surrounding workforce readiness, workforce safety, food handling, and food safe manufacturing practices, the HOW Program prepares workers for work before they get in the door—thus reducing on the job training times, increasing quality, productivity and a dedication to safety. It’s a simple concept, but one that has been shown to bring turnover rates of 35-40% down to 20-25%.
Interested in learning more about how to transform your temporary and seasonal workforce? Contact us today.
