Food safety leaders from around the world will descend on Atlanta, USA, from 24-27 April 2023 for the annual GFSI Conference.
Organised by The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF), the theme of this years conference will be Delivering Safe Food in Turbulent Times: The Need for Agility & Resilience.
The annual GFSI Conference offers the opportunity for those attending to hear about the latest trends and topics in food safety, while also establishing connections between stakeholders on the same journey.
The event attracts more than 1,000 delegates worldwide every year. It offers delegates the opportunity to network and attend expert sessions engaging the food industry, academia, intergovernmental agencies and the public sector – all gathered in one location to exchange valuable insights on food safety.
Brand Presence
The three day conference will include speakers from some of the world's best known brands such as The Coca-Cola Company, Starbucks, Musgrave Group, Mondelez International, Nestlé, Danone, Walmart Inc, and Pepsico.
Unlike in recent years, which were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2023 edition of the GFSI Conference will not have a virtual component. The GFSI says this is in line with its commitment to provide the quintessential networking event for food safety professionals worldwide, and to honour the commitment of its sponsors and exhibitors.
Advancing Food Safety
The GFSI, or Global Food Safety Initiative, works with international and regional partners who share the same aim for safer food and harmonisation, stating that these alliances are key to helping advance food safety globally.
It also aims to minimise duplication with regional bodies, while strengthening relationships critical to reaching its goals at a local and global level.
Global Markets Programme
In 2011, GFSI created capability building tools to provide a pathway towards GFSI-recognised certification for companies with less sophisticated food safety systems.
This set of guidance and implementation tools, known as the Global Markets Programme, sets out how companies who want to put in place or improve their food safety systems can meet the challenge of food safety, while also improving market access.
The GFSI Global Markets Programme is an inclusive and open-source programme developed by industry experts.
Benchmarking And Harmonisation
The GFSI provides an unaccredited entry point for companies with its step-by-step programme, which is designed to build capacity within primary production and manufacturing operations, while implementing a course of continuous improvement.
It says that its work in benchmarking and harmonisation fosters mutual acceptance of GFSI-recognised certification programmes across the industry, and enables a simplified 'once certified, recognised everywhere' approach.
The organisation claims this reduces inefficiencies from duplication of audits and helps reduce trade barriers. Its benchmarking process is now the most-widely recognised in the food industry worldwide.
Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration
The GFSI says multi-stakeholder collaboration is needed to make a difference across global supply chains in today’s interconnected world.
The organisation believes that partnerships between the private and public sectors are important to achieve its vision of 'safe food for consumers everywhere.'
It is leading a growing dialogue with regulators and governments to share the achievements of the private sector and to promote recognition by regulators of private sector food safety assessments. It has also started several projects for large-scale collaboration on food safety.
The organisation maintains it is the ability to act as a global convener for food safety collaboration, putting it at the forefront of public-private partnerships.
'Up For The Challenge'
"As we now get ready for the next edition of the GFSI Conference, which will be hosted a little later than usual from 25-27 April in Atlanta, Georgia, we are looking for ways to deliver even more in 2023," said Erica Sheward, GFSI director, The Consumer Goods Forum.
"Working with our global events team at the CGF, my team and I, together with our Steering Committee, will be fully focused on delivering the best edition of the Conference yet. After 22 successful editions, this is no small feat, but we are up for the challenge!"
#ClimateChange, geopolitical crisis and Food #SupplyChains disruption are significantly impacting access to #SafeFood across the globe. Join us in Atlanta for #GFSI23 as we will tackle the ongoing challenges and shape the future of #FoodSafety https://t.co/252kqW2Ssk pic.twitter.com/Dg0w8TBM66
— GFSI (@myGFSI) February 15, 2023
© 2023 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest A-brand news. Article by Robert McHugh. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
