Darling’s Commitment to Quality, Safety and the Environment
Our commitment to sustainability is demonstrated throughout Darling’s long history of providing top quality and environmentally friendly collection and recycling solutions to the nation’s food industry.
Certification Programs
Darling International is committed to the continual improvement of the safety and consistency of our products. As with all renderers in the U.S., we are subject to state and federal government regulations and inspection; however, Darling takes our dedication to product safety beyond regulatory requirements. We are developing an internal system of programs which create a plant environment where safe products can be produced and are implementing controls at specific points in the process where potential hazards can be prevented, eliminated or reduced to acceptable levels.
To advance improvements and validate our progress, eligible Darling plants participate in one or both industry programs sponsored by the Animal Protein Producers Industry (APPI). Employees from plants that are eligible to participate in the Salmonella Reduction and Education Program receive continuing education on practices that successfully reduce potential risks associated with microbial contamination. In addition, participants regularly sample and monitor indicator microbe levels in rendered proteins as a means to validate the proper operation of their process controls.
Darling facilities also participate in the APPI Code of Practice which consists of a minimum set of industry standards designed to promote the safe production of rendered animal fats and proteins. Once product safety programs have been designed, implemented and validated, participating plants are audited by the Facility Certification Institute for compliance. This is a dynamic process requiring continual revisions as regulations and markets change. To support this effort, Darling operates one of the best-equipped and staffed laboratories in the rendering industry.
BSE Measures
BSE stands for bovine spongiform encephalopathy and is commonly known as mad-cow disease. The USDA website is a good source of current information on the actions taken by various countries and their government agencies to protect against the spread of BSE. We take government regulations regarding BSE seriously.
If you would like to read further about the products and services we provide and the laws that regulate them, please see our Resources. Information on product safety within the rendering industry can also be found on the NRA website’s Product Safety page. Please note that these are for external links that will take you to sites not maintained by Darling International Inc.