Greifensee, Zurich -- (SBWire) -- 06/18/2012 --Food safety is increasingly top-of-mind for consumers, retailers and food manufacturers alike, with pressure mounting on suppliers to demonstrate the quality of their operations through certification. However, navigating and understanding the numerous global certification standards can be difficult. To provide guidance on relevant guidelines and which are ideal for a given business, Mettler-Toledo has published a new white paper, entitled "Food Safety & Quality and the Trend Towards Certification." This addition to the company's extensive collection of thought-leadership resources gives an overview of the regulatory and consumer pressures behind increasing food safety certification, and explores the different standards currently available to food retailers and manufacturers.

When looking at certification, the white paper takes as its starting point the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) benchmarks, and then focuses on the four accepted standards most widely in use, which include the BRC Global Standard, FSSC 22000, International Featured Standard (IFS), and SQF 2000. Through detailing the requirements, reporting, procedures and audits that each certification entails, the white paper provides guidance for producers to find the standard that is the best fit for their market, needs and customer preferences. It also indicates parameters that can be used to evaluate the most appropriate certification standard to pursue.

The trend towards more stringent food safety and quality regulation will continue as consumer awareness increases, and certification will be increasingly important as producers seek to distinguish their products in competitive global markets. Mettler-Toledo's white paper points to the launch of the new Chinese food safety law, and the U.S. Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) as examples of recent legislation affecting certification processes and suggests that more and more manufacturers and suppliers will seek certification to stay ahead of the regulatory curve.

For more info: http://us.mt.com/us/en/home/supportive_content/brochures/FoodRegulatory.html?crel=ePR_PP_EN

Contact info:
Mettler-Toledo International Inc.
Im Langacher, Zip Code 8606,
Greifensee, Switzerland.
-Mail: ePublicRelations@mt.com,
Phone: +41-44-944 33 85,
Website: http://www.mt.com

About Mettler Toledo
METTLER TOLEDO specializes in the area of precision instruments for professional use. METTLER TOLEDO laboratory instruments are used in research, scientific, drug discovery, and quality control labs, amongst many others in the pharmaceutical, chemical, food and cosmetics industries. METTLER TOLEDO comprehensive industrial solutions cover the various steps in a host of manufacturing processes at many of the same customers that laboratory serves. Solutions range from receiving raw materials through various manufacturing processes, in-line process control and end-of-line packaging control, to logistics and shipping. Increasingly, these solutions are fully integrated into the customer's IT environment, helping automate their workflows. In food retail, our offering for fresh food management ranges from receiving and pre-packaging, to in-store solutions for self-service departments, deli counters, and checkout terminals.