AIB and QAI Form Alliance

AIB and QAI Form Alliance

SAN DIEGO--The American Institute of Baking(AIB) and Quality Assurance International (QAI) announced an agreement to promote one another's educational and certification services and to offer comprehensive seminars on organic compliance, audit trails, food safety and sanitation issues. "We are very excited about the relationship developing between the AIB andQAI," said Bill Pursley, AIB (www.aibonline.org) vice president food safety education."QAI is a leader in the organic foods industry--its experience and understanding of the industry, its strengths and weaknesses and the dynamics of this market are critical."

The two groups are also working together to form joint educational seminars addressing food safety in organic production and organic compliance requirements for the Japan Agricultural Standard (JAS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Organic Program. "With 22-percent annual growth in the United States, the organic industry is approaching $10 billion domestically and growing faster overseas," said JoeSmillie, QAI (www.qai-inc.com) senior vice president. "As the fastest growing food sector, we believe this alliance will deliver quality education on food safety programs and compliance requirements."