News and Events

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 8, 2008

Contact: Timothy R. Rugh, CAE
Email: trugh@3-a.org

3-A SSI Announces New Public List of 3-A Symbol Holders

McLEAN, Virginia – 3-A Sanitary Standards, Inc. (3-A SSI) announces new public information on current 3-A Symbol holders to assist regulatory sanitarians, processors, equipment fabricators, and other interested parties. The list of current 3-A Symbol licensees, now available on the 3-A SSI web site, is important public information because it shows all equipment that conforms to 3-A Sanitary Standards for dairy and food processing equipment and meets provisions of the 3-A Symbol authorization program.

“Use of the list has increased significantly in recent years,” according to 3-A SSI Executive Director Tim Rugh. “Concern about food safety extends to every part of the chain, including the sanitary design of processing equipment. The 3-A Symbol is a respected and reliable means for specifiers, users, inspection authorities and others to help assure the equipment conforms to the appropriate 3-A Sanitary Standards,” he said.

The value of the 3-A Symbol in the marketplace has been enhanced by the Third Party Verification (TPV) inspection requirement that was initiated in 2003 as a requirement for 3-A Symbol authorization. Since 1956, the 3-A Symbol has been used to identify equipment that meets 3-A Sanitary Standards for design and fabrication. Use of the 3-A Symbol was based on self-certification until the new TPV requirement was instituted. Voluntary use of the 3-A Symbol on dairy and food equipment assures processors that equipment meets sanitary standards, provides accepted criteria to equipment manufacturers for sanitary design, and establishes guidelines for uniform evaluation and compliance by sanitarians.

Between 2003 and the end of 2007, approximately 520 TPV inspections were completed for equipment fabricated in the U.S. and 21 other countries around the world, according to 3-A SSI. Inspections have been completed for 3-A Symbol authorizations in all but a very small number of equipment groups, in which standards are under revision, according to 3-A SSI.

3-A SSI maintains the list of current 3-A Symbol licensees as well as a separate list of discontinued 3-A Symbol holders. The lists of current and discontinued 3-A Symbol holders are available on the 3-A SSI web site the Symbol Holders page. The discontinued symbol holders list shows the reason for discontinuation, such as the equipment is no longer in production, the equipment was consolidated in another 3-A Symbol authorization resulting from a change in company ownership, or the failure of the holder to maintain the authorization in accordance with the terms and conditions for use of the 3-A Symbol.

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3-A Sanitary Standards, Inc. is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to enhance product safety for consumers of food, beverages, and pharmaceutical products through the development and use of 3-A Sanitary Standards and 3-A Accepted Practices. Visit the 3-A SSI web site at www.3-a.org.