much on references to primary sources . please improve this by adding secondary or tertiary sources . august 2012 learn how and when to remove this template message quality assurance international type private genre organic certification founded 1989 headquarters san diego california usa services organic gluten free non gmo natural personal care and social responsibility certifications . parent nsf international website http www.qai inc.com quality assurance international qai is a u.s. based international organic certification company that is authorized by the united states department of agriculture usda as a usda accredited certifying agent that operates globally to certify organic operations to national organic program standards . 1 it is a for profit corporation established in 1989 and headquartered in san diego california . it is one of the world s largest certifiers operating in the united states canada latin america european union and japan . 2 it is owned by public health and environmental organization nsf international . contents 1 organic certification 2 gluten free certification 3 personal care certification 4 kosher certification 5 international organic certification 6 food safety 7 environmental policy 8 accreditations 9 partnerships 10 community and industry advocacy 11 past controversy 12 see also 13 references 14 external links organic certification edit qai offers organic certification under the national organic program for agricultural producers food processing facilities integrated manufacturing operations contract packing operations traders distributors retailers and ultimately consumers . 3 gluten free certification edit qai in partnership with national foundation for celiac awareness nfca developed a science based gluten free certification program . 4 the stringent nature of the qai certification protocols ensures prevention of contamination and co mingling critically important for those with allergies to gluten and gluten intolerance . the qai and nfca gluten free certification program requires companies to produce products at less than 10 parts per million ppm of gluten to receive certification . 5 the program includes product review onsite inspection testing to ensure compliance to 10ppm or less ongoing compliance including random product testing personal care certification edit qai certifies personal care products to the national organic program guidelines . those products not meeting the nop guidelines can be certified to the nsf ansi 305 standard for personal care products contains organic ingredients . under this program products with a minimum organic content of 70 percent 070 that meet the requirements can make the organic label and marketing claim of contains organic ingredients . these products can bear the unique nsf ansi 305 contains organic ingredients mark as well as the qai choose quality mark . the organic trade association considers certification to this standard a best practice . it is required by some retailers for personal care products that do not meet the national organic program standard for food . 6 kosher certification edit qai in partnership with star k provides a joint kosher and organic auditing program . through rabbinical supervision products can be certified to both kosher certification requirements and to the usda national organic program standards for organic certification . international organic certification edit as an accredited certifying agent under the usda s national organic program qai is also accredited by the usda for iso 65 compliance the japan ministry of agriculture forestry for jas japanese agricultural standard compliance and le conseil des appellations reserv es et des termes valorisants cartv . 7 food safety edit qai is the only usda accredited organic certifying agency able to offer joint certification to the british retail consortium brc safe quality food sqf and fssc 22000 global food safety standards which is required by many retailers under the global food safety initiative gfsi . 8 environmental policy edit qai achieved iso 14001 environmental management systems accreditation in june 2010 . 9 the international organization for standardization iso 14001 standard provides guidance on how to manage the environmental aspects of an organization s activities products and services more efficiently . iso 14001 focuses on reducing the environmental footprint pollution and waste produced by businesses which is consistent with qai s mission to help support organic agriculture and protect the environment . iso 14001 registration verifies that qai has effective procedures in place to monitor and continuously improve its environmental performance . to obtain iso 14001 registration qai reduced energy and raw material use ; implemented a paperless documentation and billing management system ; developed a recycling program for paper plastic containers and bags electronics mercury containing light bulbs and batteries ; and instituted a composting program for coffee grounds tea bags and fruit vegetable food scraps . 10 accreditations edit qai holds the following accreditations united states department of agriculture usda national organic program nop iso guide 65 international organic accreditation service ioas european recognition programme eu iso guide 65 canadian organic regime cor conseil des appellations reserv es et des termes valorisants cartv canada kema iso 14001 jas through our japan based maff accredited partner ecocert 11 partnerships edit qai works with other leading food safety and quality organizations . as a result qai is able to provide additional services nsf ansi 305 contains organic ingredients personal care products natrue personal care certification british retail consortium brc safe quality foods sqf fssc 22000 certification haccp hazard analysis critical control point star k kosher certification ibd eco social certification dietary supplement gmp and certification sustainability claims verification non gmo project certification 12 community and industry advocacy edit qai sponsors the earth day fair in san diego to help educate the community on the benefits of going organic . qai is also active in the san diego school district serving on the board of directors for the terra nova academy a special educational curriculum engaging at risk secondary education students in urban san diego on careers in food and environmental science . nsf team members also judge science fairs and mentor teachers helping the community cultivate a commitment to the environment at all ages and stages of life . qai is also active in the organic trade association ota to help protect and promote organic practices . qai senior vice president joe smillie has served as ota president and as a member of the board of directors . qai president kristen holt currently serves on the board of directors as treasurer . 13 past controversy edit in july 2008 it was reported that organic powdered ginger that had been certified by qai was found when tested to be contaminated with the banned pesticide aldicarb . the organic ginger from which the qai certified organic powdered ginger originated had been certified organic by two other usda accredited certifying agents in china . 14 under chinese law foreigners may not inspect chinese farms . 15 also under usda national organic program rules qai as an accredited certifying agent must accept the certification decisions of other accredited certifying agents . qai was not the certifier in china . frozen vegetables certified organic by qai and originating in china that were also tested at the same time were found to be pesticide free . the contamination in the powdered ginger was not linked to the point in the product cycle at which it was certified by qai citation needed and the retailer of the product pulled the powdered ginger off their store shelves as soon as they became aware of the contamination . see also edit companies portal agriculture and agronomy portal organic farming organic food soil association united kingdom organic certification list of organic food topics references edit news release no. 0529.05 usda appoints organic board members . usda . 2005 12 06 . retrieved 2008 07 16 . quality assurance international fact sheet . quality assurance international . retrieved 25 august 2011 . qai organic certification . quality assurance international qai . retrieved 25 august 2011 . a new science based gluten free label consumers can trust . press release . quality assurance international qai . retrieved 25 august 2011 . qai services gluten free program . quality assurance international qai . retrieved 25 august 2011 . qai services personal care certification . quality assurance international qai . archived from the original on september 3 2011 . retrieved 25 august 2011 . qai services international certification . quality assurance international qai . retrieved 25 august 2011 . qai services gfsi certification . quality assurance international qai . retrieved 25 august 2011 . leading organic certifier earns environmental management systems registration . press release . quality assurance international qai . retrieved 25 august 2011 . qai environmental policy . quality assurance international qai . retrieved 25 august 2011 . qai accreditations . quality assurance international qai . qai partnerships . quality assurance international qai . qai community advocacy . quality assurance international qai . i team organic food contamination . wjla abc 7 news . 2008 07 24 . archived from the original on 4 january 2011 . retrieved 4 september 2014 . dr. lynn goldman johns hopkins university s school of public health ginger with aldicarb is not legal food . in fact the california health department warned consumers that this pesticide can cause nausea headache and blurred vision ... even at low levels . richardson jill august 6 2008 . is your organic food really organic . alternet . retrieved 4 september 2014 . external links edit homepage of quality assurance international usda national organic program the organic food database informational database of organic farms restaurants and organic food products . the organic trade association ota v t e food safety adulterants food contaminants 3 mcpd aldicarb cyanide formaldehyde lead poisoning melamine mercury in fish sudan i flavorings monosodium glutamate msg salt sugar high fructose corn syrup microorganisms botulism campylobacter jejuni clostridium perfringens escherichia coli o104 h4 escherichia coli o157 h7 hepatitis a hepatitis e listeria norovirus rotavirus salmonella parasitic infections through food anisakiasis amoebiasis amoebic dysentery cryptosporidiosis cyclosporiasis diphyllobothriasis enterobiasis fascioliasis fasciolopsiasis giardiasis gnathostomiasis paragonimiasis toxoplasmosis trichinosis trichuriasis pesticides chlorpyrifos ddt lindane malathion methamidophos preservatives benzoic acid ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid edta sodium benzoate sugar substitutes acesulfame potassium aspartame saccharin sodium cyclamate sorbitol sucralose toxins poisons environment pollution aflatoxin arsenic contamination of groundwater benzene in soft drinks bisphenol a mycotoxins shellfish poisoning dioxin dieldrin nonylphenol diethylstilbestrol food contamination incidents devon colic 1858 bradford sweets poisoning 1989 chilean grape scare 1993 jack in the box e. coli outbreak 1996 odwalla e. coli outbreak 1999 sun orchard salmonellosis outbreak 2005 indonesia food scare 2006 north american e. coli o157 h7 outbreaks 2007 vietnam food scare 2008 canada listeriosis outbreak 2008 chinese milk scandal 2008 irish pork crisis 2008 united states salmonellosis outbreak 2011 germany e. coli o104 h4 outbreak 2011 taiwan food scandal 2011 united states listeriosis outbreak food safety incidents in china foodborne illness outbreaks death toll united states ica meat repackaging controversy minamata disease starlink corn recall toxic oil syndrome 2013 meat adulteration scandal 2013 aflatoxin contamination 2013 taiwan food scandal 2014 taiwan food scandal 2015 united states e. coli outbreak regulation standards watchdogs acceptable daily intake e number food labeling regulations food libel laws international food safety network iso 22000 quality assurance international institutions international food safety network list of food safety organisations institute for food safety and health ministry of food and drug safety centre for food safety european food safety authority retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title quality assurance international & oldid 743675153 categories companies based in san diegocompanies established in 1989organic food certification organizationsprivately held companies based in californiakosher food certification organizationsgluten free diethidden categories articles lacking reliable references from august 2012all articles lacking reliable referencesall articles with unsourced 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