The leading New Zealand salt manufacturer has just received internationally recognised Food Safety System Certification 22000 and become the sole accredited manufacturer of pure dried vacuum sodium chloride (salt) in the Southern Hemisphere.Dominion Salt chief executive Shane Dufaur explains the accreditation is a quality standard recognising food safety management systems.“This certification puts Dominion Salt’s food safety standards at the highest level, enabling world-wide credibility. It officially endorses what our global customers have recognised in terms of the quality of our product.“Giving the world such assurance of our product quality is in line with our company’s strategic direction. We are a leader in the field,” Shane says.Dominion Salt sales and marketing manager Brett Hobson says the fact the company manufactures pharmaceutical grade product means that many systems in place exceeded what was required.“Our food business has now reached the same international quality pinnacles as the pharmaceutical and medical manufacturing side of the business.”Dominion Salt group quality manager Royce Downes says nearly a year was dedicated to achieving FSSC 22000, as an extension of what had already been achieved in terms of quality and food safety systems. Other companies starting from scratch may need to dedicate years, he says.“It’s a great certification to have. It verifies what we are doing, demonstrating how robust our food safety systems are. It’s something you have to have if you are serious about trading with the world.”Dominion Salt does exactly that, exporting to more than 25 countries. About 200,000 tonnes of salt are processed per annum, with export sales accounting for approximately 25 per cent of total sales. Pharmaceutical sodium chloride is 99 per cent exported, and equates to the largest volume of product exported.The company’s core business is producing refined and unrefined salt as well as specialised products such as pharmaceutical salt, flaky salt, mineralised salt blocks and loose licks for animals. Salt is supplied, for example, to the dairy industry in Chile, Australia and New Zealand. All the salt is sourced from the Southern Ocean, and Dominion Salt has two sites – Mount Maunganui, and Lake Grassmere, near Blenheim.This iconic manufacturing business has been the recipient of many awards since its refinery expansion was commissioned in 2010. The awards recognise the company’s innovation and energy efficiencies and include international recognition at the annual ICheme awards. At that event, in 2012, the company won the food and drink award, which recognises “innovation to optimise manufacturing operations and contribute to safe, nutritious and affordable food to an international market”. This award followed the company’s vacuum plant upgrade project.

Source: A Dominion Salt Press Release