By Sudeep Jain, MMPA Director of Quality
At MMPA, quality is our number one core value. And for us, it’s not just a slogan, it’s a deeply held value that guides every decision we make, from the production floor to the boardroom. We also understand that the safety and quality of our products are only as strong as our weakest link. That’s why we invest in every part of the process, ensuring that no detail is overlooked, and no team member is left behind.
A cornerstone of our food quality and safety program is our commitment to the Global Food Safety Initiative’s Safe Quality Food (SQF) audit program. Every one of our plants undergoes this audit on a yearly basis. This audit evaluates infrastructure, practices, policies and behaviors in a food production facility against the SQF Code, a globally recognized standard. This standard is respected and recognized by our customers who use this as a tool to assess their vendors and the comprehensive process holds MMPA accountable for maintaining the highest standards.
This year, our plants in Canton, Ohio, and Constantine and Ovid, Michigan, all received Excellent scores with Canton receiving 100% for food safety and 98% for food quality; Constantine receiving 100% in both categories; and Ovid receiving 99% for food safety and 100% for food quality.
This success did not happen by chance. It was a result of the hard work of our people. We are fortunate to have smart, dedicated individuals working across all our facilities. Intelligence alone isn’t enough though, we must empower our teams with the right resources, tools and knowledge. When we enable our people to excel, we elevate the entire organization. Training, mentorship and access to cutting-edge technology are all part of our strategy to build a culture of continuous improvement. Examples of this are our investment in upgrading our plants’ infrastructure and investment in technology.
Teamwork is the key to any success and nowhere is that more evident than in our approach to the SQF audit. Collaboration across various departments in Canton, Ohio, and with teams across the organization ensured that best practices are shared, and challenges are addressed collectively. We streamlined decision making and provided the required resources to teams. We used collaboration tools to streamline communication, organize data and manage workstreams efficiently.
From sanitation crews to the plant manager, quality assurance to customer service, and from finance to the dispatch team, everyone plays a vital role in delivering safe, high-quality food to our customers. Their dedication was very visible during the audit and approved in the form of a good score by the independent auditor.
We are proud of this team and the culture we’ve built together. And with the right people, tools and mindset, we’re confident in our ability to uphold that mission every single day. We are replicating this successful model in our other facilities as they prepare for their audits. Afterall, at MMPA, food safety and quality aren’t just a requirement, it’s a shared commitment to excellence.
This article was originally published in the July/August 2025 issue of the Milk Messenger. Subscribe »