Quality Circle: Food Safety & Quality
At Seaboard Foods, we feed people, and there are few jobs more important than that.
That’s why, when it comes to safety and quality improvements at our facilities, we
constantly question practices, analyze how we do things and support research to find
even better ways. And we don’t hesitate to invest in improvements from before the
farm to beyond the fork to ensure we always supply consistent, high-quality pork for
our customers. Key safety and quality processes at Seaboard Foods are USDA Process
Verified* through a rigorous series of audits to provide an extra level of assurance that you
will always receive the finest fresh pork products.
Superior Genetics
It all starts at our breeding barns, where our team of genetics experts selects for the optimum genetic traits of both our male and female pigs. Because we own our boars and our sows, we can conduct ongoing, in-depth research over generations so we maintain strict genetic control of our herd. Our emphasis on science allows us to produce pork with a consistent appearance, texture and flavor with uniform marbling. With Seaboard Foods, you can be confident you'll always receive high-quality pork with consistent attributes.
Customized Nutrition
At Seaboard Foods, we own the facilities where we make our feed.
Working with animal nutritionists, we’ve developed 15 proprietary grain-based
rations, as well as specially formulated vitamin packs, that help to support
pig health and optimize the color, consistency, tenderness and flavor of our
pork. We take pride in offering high-quality pork that meets our customer needs
and consumer preferences.
Unparalleled Safety Assurances
Our end goal is producing safe, high-quality pork for our customers. We know it's not enough to say our strict Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points (HACCP) protocols and practices meet both government and industry standards. We strive to exceed them. Our teams know – and we want to be sure you know, as well – that if there's a better way to create high-quality, safe pork, we're doing it.
For example:
Seaboard Foods is the first pork producer in the United States to rely on a needle-free injection system, which eliminates the food safety risk of needle fragments in our pork.
We employ x-rays and metal detectors to further ensure no physical contaminants are present.
High-pressure, hot water steam vacuum wash cabinets achieve maximum reduction and suppression of microbial growth on our pork carcasses.
All of our employees are empowered to stop the production line at any time if they suspect a food quality or safety issue.
Seaboard Foods employs 50+ trained quality assurance inspectors dedicated to constantly reviewing product quality throughout our plants to ensure food safety from beginning to end.
Advanced Processing
We have one of the newest, large-scale pork processing plants in the industry, where we employ the latest technology to produce safe, delicious and nutritious pork, including:
Proprietary quick chill, a control point that promotes food safety by inhibiting bacterial outgrowth, as well as enhancing quality, by helping set optimal pH levels for juicier pork with a more favorable color and texture.
Laser-guided precision cutting, which allows for exact, consistent product specifications.
Hands-free, automatic computer vision system for loin cutting and butt pulling and belly trimming to yield precise product specification every time.
Unique boning process designed to eliminate bone chips and provide exact trim specs.
Testing & Traceability
We know you want assurances there will be no post-market issues with the quality or safety of the pork you get from us. Our proactive, on-site testing takes place throughout the pork production process. From pre-operational microbial and hygiene testing of our equipment and facilities, to extensive sampling and testing throughout slaughter to fabrication, we are committed to pork safety. In the unlikely event of a safety issue pre-processing, we are able to trace each animal to the farm on which it was raised. After processing, we can trace each carcass to a specific work shift and facility, so we can narrow down which farms it came from – another
USDA Process Verified* control point.
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