USA – A public review draft has stated that one of the primary objectives for the new 3-A Sanitary Standards (3-A) organisation is to enhance and upgrade the process for developing and maintaining its sanitary standards and accepted practices.

The 3-A standards are designed to help manufacturers, processors and public health officials t advance hygienic design throughout the food industry.

Specifically, the founding members of 3-A recognised the need to assure that procedures provide for openness, balance of interest, due process, an appeals process and a level of consensus to ensure its high standards are maintained.

The proposed draft procedures represent the framework 3-A will use to create and maintain American National Standards (ANS). The designation as ANS will enhance the recognition of new 3-A consensus documents, and help promote 3-A’s position as a standards development organisation.

Earlier this year, 3-A attained accreditation by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as a standards developer organisation (SDO).