New SoCal facility earns foodgrade certification
West Coast Cold Storage (WCCS) now is certified for foodgrade safety.
The Southern California-based foodgrade warehousing and third-party logistics provider recently secured Safe Quality Food (SQF) certification for its new state-of-the-art cold storage facility located in Jurupa Valley, California. The woman-owned, 124,000-square-foot cold storage facility earned the distinction by completing the rigorous SQF auditing process within six months of starting operations, the company reported.
The certification, administered by the Food Marketing Institute and recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), is a meticulous food safety management system that allows food quality control systems to be verified and validated throughout the food supply chain. SQF is recognized by regulatory agencies around the world as the quality standard for food safety.
West Coast Cold Storage says it received a score of 97 out of 100 in its first audit.
“Acquiring this certification was an important milestone,” said Ricardo Rios, WCCS’s general manager. “To be SQF certified should give WCCS customers tremendous confidence that our new facility is capable of maintaining the highest levels of operational practices to meet both customer and regulatory requirements.”
The facility features 70,000 sq. ft. of frozen space and 50,000 sq. ft. of refrigerated cooler space with more than 22,000 pallet positions and 19 refrigerated dock doors. WCCS is centrally located in a critical transportation corridor in Southern California with easy access to the port of Long Beach and the I-10, I-215, I-15, and CA-60 freeways.
Since opening its doors in February, the facility has been filling rapidly with customers delivering food quality products throughout the region, WCCS added.
“Achieving this certification in our first months of operation is an impressive accomplishment for our team,” said Shannon Welch, WCCS’s managing partner. “It speaks volumes to the dedication and hard work everyone puts forth daily to ensure our customers’ products are handled with care and stored in clean, food-safe environments.”
