Portola Packaging Is Awarded SQF Certification for Its Three U.S. Closure Manufacturing Facilities


Naperville, Ill. (April 26, 2011) -Portola Packaging, Inc. achieved Safe Quality Food (SQF) Institute certification recently for its three U.S. closure manufacturing facilities-Batavia, Ill; Kingsport, Tenn. and Tolleson, Ariz.

"Portola has an ongoing commitment to food safety. By pursuing SQF's stringent, independent auditing process, this was just one more way we could prove to brand owners that we hold ourselves to the highest possible standard," said Jason Bauer, director of corporate quality, Portola.

Portola was the first closure manufacturer to achieve the SQF 2000 Level 2 certification. This means that the company successfully demonstrated how its operations comply with federal food safety legislation, including certified Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points (HACCP), and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs). The certification process took six to eight months to complete and each facility received a rating of "excellent."

"Many of our primary customers--dairy, juice and water brand owners-are pursuing SQF certifications for their own facilities. As a result, these manufacturers are likely to mandate that their suppliers also be certified. We wanted to make sure we've already met that benchmark when the request comes in," Bauer said.

Additionally, all of Portola's U.S. facilities are ISO-9001 certified. Its Guadalajara, Mexico plant received its ISO-22000 re-certification in September 2010.

"Portola employees are also consumers. As such, we are heavily invested in the safety of our employees and their families outside of the workplace. So, we want to make sure that every closure that leaves our plant and ends up on a bottle or container supports those safety objectives," Bauer said.

About Portola Packaging

Portola Packaging, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of stock and custom tamper-evident plastic closures and containers for dairy, juice and other food segments. The company is known for its superior product integrity, technical capability, global manufacturing footprint and speed-to-market. For more info: www.portpack.com.

Media Contacts:

Roy Robinson

Portola Packaging

(630) 701-9443

rrobinson@portpack.com

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