GFSI scheme owners are extending coverage to animal feeds and packaging while processors see GFSI accreditation as a stepping stone to FSMA compliance.
A couple of years ago, you may have drawn a blank when one of your customers demanded GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative) certification if you wanted to continue as a supplier. Now, there’s a good chance you not only know what GFSI is, you may already have a GFSI certification or are earnestly pursuing it—because it’s no longer just Walmart that demands the certification. Now, retailers like Costco, A&P, Carrefour Group, Harris-Teeter, Jack in the Box, McDonald’s, Pathmark Stores, Publix Super Markets, Safeway, Subway, Stop & Shop Supermarkets, Wawa, Wegmans and Wendy’s represent a small number of the chains that ask for GFSI certification.
While Walmart was instrumental in kicking off GFSI, support for the initiative and its schema (standards held by maintaining organizations or owners, such as the Safe Quality Food Institute [SQFI], British Retail Consortium [BRC], Food Safety System Certification 22000 [FSSC 22000] and others), has taken off. (For more details on the way GFSI works, see “GFSI Update: Creating a Safe and Effective Worldwide Food System,” FE, March 2012.)