GFSI Gains Ground In North America

By Laurel Maloy, contributing writer, Food Online

The Global Food Safety Initiative formally appoints a North American representative, based in Washington D.C., as liaison between FSMA and GFSI

Karil Kochenderfer, a well-known presence within the U.S. food industry, will continue to work closely with the FDA, the USDA, and the World Health Organization (WHO) in her new role. The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) formerly appointed Kochenderfer as its North American representative last June. A current member of the U.S. Department of Commerce Advisory Committee on Supply-Chain Competitiveness, it stands to reason she will closely monitor the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP).

An unbiased, independent, non-profit organization, GFSI is committed to helping make the world’s food supply safer, across all borders and oceans. Managed by The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF), GFSI was launched in 2000 when European consumer confidence was at its lowest, the result of a number of food safety crises.  As part of its charter, GFSI’s activities include defining food safety requirements along the entire food supply chain. Organized into Technical Working Groups, experts around the world tackle the most current food safety issues as identified by GFSI stakeholders.

One such working group is bringing big names, such as Coca-Cola, Sysco, Land o’ Lakes, Walmart, Kraft Foods, and McDonald’s, just to name-drop a few, together. They, along with a group of global peers, are assessing the skills and knowledge food safety auditors must have. Food safety auditors, according to the FSMA’s Proposed Rule on Accreditation of Third-Party Auditors, will be the experts issuing certifications of foreign facilities. GFSI and CGF, serving almost 400 members in over 150 countries, is currently the only autonomous worldwide network for consumer goods retailers and manufacturers globally. These food auditors will play a key role in implementing the imports standards under FSMA.

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Food safety is a global issue. Kochenderfer will be closely monitoring developments in the U.S., Canada, Latin American, and Mexico and then reporting back to GFSI, as FSMA is implemented. This liaison is a positive step towards a globally safe food supply and encourages a dialogue beneficial to all who work to bring our food safely from the farm to the fork.