US Certification Awarded to Turkish Company

Turkish Firm Receives U.S. Certification Golf Dondurma has qualified to receive the American Institute of Baking (AIB) certification, one of the world's most important standards in food safety. Golf Dondurma, one of Turkey's leading domestic ice cream manufacturers, announced that it has received the American Institute of Baking (AIB) certification, one of the world's most important standards in food safety. Golf Dondurma Chief Executive Officer Ergün Akkaya stated that in developing products, the company has been innovative and creative while listening to consumers and meeting their needs, and has also approached product sourcing and manufacturing processes with care. Akkaya noted that AIB standards correspond to Golf Dondurma's attention to detail in all these processes and continued as follows: "Standardization in manufacturing is no longer an option but has become a core principle. Over the last five years, we have made significant investments to improve our manufacturing processes. Our motivation here is to deliver the ice cream that Golf Dondurma lovers enjoy under the best conditions and hygiene standards. There are two ways to do this; first, to listen to the consumer and use the feedback we receive to support our research and development in developing innovative products. Second, to produce these products we have developed under hygienic conditions and deliver them to the consumer. There is a continuing shift toward value-added products worldwide. To produce value-added products, you need to use value-added inputs. Consumers are now more informed, more interested and more questioning about the food they eat than before. This trend appears to continue and increase in the periods ahead. To respond to this demand, you need to source the best raw materials from the best sources, produce with the latest technology, quickly bring products to market, and monitor them until they reach the consumer's palate. The AIB certification proved that we are following these processes correctly." Akkaya reminded that in the assessment conducted on five criteria in total under the headings "Personnel Practices," "Maintenance for Food Safety," "Pest Management," "Cleaning Practices," and "Prerequisite and Food Safety Program Proficiency," the company passed the inspection with a very high score. "The AIB standard is also an important Good Manufacturing Practice. Most companies participating in the program receive 15 or more non-conformities in their initial inspections and spend about 2 years closing these non-conformities. After receiving training in January 2022, we completed the two-day AIB inspection in June. There was no item rated as non-conforming in the closing meeting and we were declared qualified to receive the certification. I also thank all my colleagues who contributed to this success," he said.