SM Seafood Gets Key Food Safety Certification

has reeled in a big accomplishment: It recently became the first seafood company in the U.S. to receive the Food Safety System Certification.

"The FSSC 22000 system is our 'roadmap' to managing the food safety aspects of our daily operations to ensure high quality as well as safe and wholesome product delivery to our customers based on international standards and requirements," Santa Monica Seafood Food Safety Manager Betty Cordero said in a statement.

"FSSC 22000 certification reinforces our commitment to our customers' safety and confirms our position as a leader in the seafood industry," Santa Monica Seafood Executive Vice President Michael Cigliano said.

The certification has been approved by the Global Food Safety Initiative. It is given by Det Norske Veritas, a leading, internationally recognized certifying body that is part of the International Organization for Standardization.

According to a statement from Santa Monica Seafood, the company fosters a culture of food safety in its communication, service and everyday operations. Through its policies and training procedures, Santa Monica Seafood also promotes safe product handling.

Santa Monica Seafood has been around for 72 years, and is family-owned and -operated. Earlier this year, it , with Santa Monica Seafood assuming control of its corporate name, inventory and customer base, among other assets.

Santa Monica Seafood now has "the largest seafood sales, customer service, purchasing and delivery teams servicing Southern California and the greater Las Vegas and Phoenix areas," the distributor said.

Santa Monica Seafood also has a retail outlet in Costa Mesa.