What Food Safety Means at Kiolbassa

What HACCP, SQF and USDA Inspection Mean for Your Sausage

When you pick up a pack of smoked sausage for dinner, food safety probably isn’t the first thing on your mind. That’s how it should be. Thinking about it is our job, and it has been part of how our family runs Kiolbassa since 1949.

You may have seen terms like HACCP, SQF and USDA inspected on food labels or company websites. Here’s what they actually mean, and where each one fits into how we make our sausage in San Antonio.

What “USDA inspected” means for meat

The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, or FSIS, is the federal agency responsible for the safety of meat, poultry and egg products in the United States. Its inspectors work inside meat facilities to verify that companies meet federal food safety standards.

At Kiolbassa, USDA FSIS inspectors are on site at our facilities. We work alongside them to make sure we meet all federal food safety standards.

HACCP, explained in plain English

HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points. It’s a system built to prevent food safety problems rather than catch them at the end.

The idea is simple. Look at every step of production, identify where something could go wrong and put controls in place at the points that matter most. Those points are monitored, and if something falls outside its limits, there’s a plan to correct it.

We use HACCP to identify and control potential food safety risks at every stage of production, so we can stay ahead of issues before they reach your kitchen.

Good Manufacturing Practices and team training

Good Manufacturing Practices, often called GMPs, are the everyday basics of safe food production: clean equipment, sanitary facilities, proper hygiene and careful handling. They’re industry best practices, and we follow them in everything we produce.

Practices only work when people know them well. Our team receives regular training on food safety and quality, so everyone stays current on our policies and procedures.

What SQF certification means

SQF stands for Safe Quality Food. It’s a food safety certification recognized around the world, and earning it means passing audits by an independent third party. In other words, it isn’t a standard we set for ourselves. Someone outside our company checks our work.

Kiolbassa is SQF certified, which means our food safety program meets some of the most demanding standards in the food industry.

What the USDA Organic seal tells you

The USDA Organic seal means a product meets the standards of the USDA National Organic Program. For beef, that includes cattle raised on organic feed without antibiotics or added growth hormones. Certified operations are checked regularly to confirm they follow the rules for both production and handling.

Kiolbassa is certified under the National Organic Program. Our Organic Beef Smoked Sausage and Organic Jalapeño Beef Smoked Sausage are USDA Organic, and you can find them at retailers including Costco, H-E-B and Publix.

Storing and heating smoked sausage safely at home

Our part of food safety ends when the package leaves our facility. Here’s how to handle yours at home:

• – Keep it refrigerated and use it by the date stamped on the package.
• – Once the package is open, enjoy it within three days.
• – For the best flavor and quality, freeze it no longer than two months, and enjoy it right after thawing.
• – Follow the heating instructions on your package. For our Premium Grillers, that’s 6 to 8 minutes on a grill preheated to medium heat, turning often. In the air fryer, it’s 6 to 8 minutes at 375°F in a single layer, shaking the basket halfway through. Times can vary by equipment.

Food safety has always been part of our family business

We’ve been family owned for more than 75 years, and food safety has been part of our culture from the very beginning. You can read more about our practices and certifications on our Food Safety page. If you have questions, reach out to our team. We’re glad to help.