Emerald Kalama Chemical Receives FSSC 22000 Certification For Kalama Benzoate Salts

SAI Global has issued a three-year FSSC 22000 certification to Emerald Kalama Chemical, a business group of Emerald Performance Materials, covering its sodium benzoate and potassium benzoate products manufactured at the group’s Kalama, Wash. Facility.  These products are used as preservatives in the food and beverage industry, as well as in other applications such as pharmaceutical and personal care. Emerald Kalama Chemical also produces PUROX^® S sodium benzoate at its Rotterdam facility, which received FSSC 22000 certification in 2012. The FSSC 22000 certification program is recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI).   

“The GFSI has raised the bar with respect to food safety standards across the entire supply chain in the production of food and beverage products worldwide to address and prevent sources of contamination. As global leaders in providing sodium benzoate and potassium benzoate products, a central part of our mission has been to deliver the highest purity and quality ingredients to our customers worldwide. Achieving FSSC 22000 at both our plants is a tangible demonstration of our commitment as a valued supplier to the food and beverage industry,” said Hubert Degens, vice president and general manager of benzoates and intermediates for  Kalama Chemical.

Degens continued, “This certification complements our many other food-safety certifications and acknowledgements that prove our compliance with other standards for many of our product lines—such as HACCP, FDA, NF/FCC, ISO-9001, Kosher and Halal. By making these high standards an integral part of our everyday practices, we continually demonstrate our dedication to safety and quality.”

Kalama^® Sodium Benzoate and Potassium Benzoate are FDA GRAS food additives and preservatives used to reduce or inhibit the activity of microorganisms. They can also be used in combination with artificial sweeteners to create a desired taste profile and, as a result, they are widely used in food and beverage applications such as fruit juices and salads, jams, jellies, low alcohol beverages and soft drinks, salad dressings and sauces. Additionally, they are used in pharmaceuticals, toiletries, cosmetics, pastes and polishes, adhesives and paper materials. Potassium benzoate is designed to replace sodium benzoate in applications where low sodium content is desired.

Several grades and physical forms of Kalama^® Sodium Benzoate and Potassium Benzoate are available globally and manufactured at our facilities in Kalama, Wash. and Rotterdam, Netherlands. Both facilities have management systems certified in accordance with current ISO-9001 and ISO-14001 standards, and they have been certified for Kosher and Halal food products by the Orthodox Union, the Halal Food Council of Europe (Rotterdam) and the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (Kalama).

Other food ingredients and processing aids available from Emerald’s business groups include Kalama^® flavor ingredients, Hilton Davis^®FD&C certified colors and Emerald FOAM BLAST^® foam control products.