Name:
GFSI

Description:
The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) was launched in May 2000 by a group of retailers with the purpose of establishing product-linked standards for food safety covering the whole food chain: supplier, agriculture, distribution. These standards can then be used by the retailers as reference standards which must be met by suppliers.
Priorities for the GFSI are:

• The establishment of the criteria for the "key elements" of the standards. These "key elements" comprise:
  
  
  • Quality management systems
    
    
  • Good Practices:
    
    
    • Agriculture (GAP)
      
      
    • Manufacture (GMP)
      
      
    • Distribution (GDP)
      
      
  • HACCP
    
    
• The development of an "early warning system"
  
  
• The stimulation of co-operation between the food sector worldwide and national and pan-national governments and authorities
  
  
• Communication of the GFSI to all parties involved and the stimulation of consumer education
  
  

In the GFSI Guidance Document the specifications for the "key elements" are developed. These specifications are a compilation of the CODEX ALIMENTARIUS, the legal requirements, the ISO standards and the relevant Codes for Good Practices, and this within the current context of concern among consumers about health and safety. This document also contains the requirements to be met by the certification of suppliers. The GFSI Guidance Document is intended as a benchmarking system, with which new or existing food safety assurance systems can be checked. Food safety systems meeting all the criteria can be considered by the GSFI as standards. At present four standards have already been accepted:

• BRC- Food technical standard
• HACCP certification (the Netherlands)
• EFSIS Standard
• IFS

The third version of GFSI Guidance Document has been finalised and is available on the web site.
Organisations disposing of a food safety standard can present this for approval to GFSI. Ratified standards can then be used by producers and suppliers throughout the whole food chain.

Management:
GFSI is coordinated by CIES - The Food Business Forum in Paris, in cooperation with the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) in Washington.

References:
Management: CIES-The Food Business Forum
Address:
7 rue de Madrid
75008 Paris
France
Tel: +33 1 44 69 99 21
Fax: +33 1 44 69 99 39
E-mail: globalfoodsafety@ciesnet.com
The web: www.ciesnet.com
www.globalfoodsafety.com

Contact person Belgium: Mr Hugo Byrnes
Woluwedal 56 bus 6
B-1200 Brussels
Tel.: +32 (0) 2 775 02 15
Fax: +32 (0) 2 775 02 18
E-mail: h.byrnes@ciesnet.com