With the incorporation of 3-A SSI in 2002, the three stakeholder groups became organized in a single, independent entity. The structure of 3-A SSI was designed to balance the three interest groups in the leadership and in the day-to-day management of standards development.
The Founding Member Organizations of 3-A SSI agreed on the necessity for 3-A SSI to develop voluntary consensus documents in accordance with procedures for developing American National Standards. Accordingly, 3-A SSI attained accreditation from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as a Standards Developer Organization. 3-A SSI formally adopted these Procedures for the Development and Maintenance of 3-A Sanitary Standards and 3-A Accepted Practices. These new procedures are designed to comply with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Essential Requirements: Due Process Requirements for American National Standards. The purpose of the document is twofold: 1) provide a concise overview of the role and the function of the 3-A Steering Committee as it operates within the ANSI voluntary consensus system; and 2) provide the 3-A Steering Committee with a procedure manual for developing American National Standards, according to rules that 3-A SSI must observe in order to operate as an ANSI-accredited Standards Developing Organization.
All participants in the 3-A SSI consensus document process
and other parties are invited to read the 3-A
SSI procedures (PDF).