Series, presented by SafetyChain with media partner FoodSafetyTech, featured North American leaders of SQF, BRC and FSSC 22000 discussing how GFSI schemes prepare companies for FSMA compliance
SafetyChain Software, leaders in food safety and quality assurance (FSQA) management solutions that automate, streamline & improve FSQA, is pleased to announce the successful wrap-up of its 2015 GFSI Leadership Webcast Series: GFSI in the Age of FSMA – How GFSI Schemes Align With and Get You Ready for FSMA – presented with media partner FoodSafetyTech, a leading global eMagazine serving the food industry.
The three-part series attracted more than 2,000 registrants from the food safety community, who registered to gain insight on how leading GFSI schemes align with, and help companies prepare for, compliance with FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). Archived recordings of “SQF in the Age of FSMA” featuring Robert Garfield, Senior VP, SQF; “BRC in the Age of FSMA” featuring John Kukoly, Director, BRC Americas; and “FSSC 22000 in the Age of FSMA” featuring Jacqueline Southee, U.S. Liaison, FSSC 22000, are complimentary.
Key Series Themes Include Focus on Food Safety Prevention and Supply Chain Controls
Each GFSI scheme leader discussed how their schemes aligned with FSMA in several key areas, including Supply Chain Controls, migrating Food Safety Plans from HACCP to HARPC, audit readiness and more. Some of the key themes that were highlighted across all three series events include:
- FSMA – like GFSI – is focused on preventing food safety events vs. reacting to them; certification to SQF, BRC and FSSC 22000 helps a company focus on assessing risks and putting preventive measures in place to mitigate those risks
- GFSI takes a more global look at a company’s food safety program – focusing not only internally, but upstream and downstream to ensure better supply chain controls; this prepares companies to manage FSMA’s increased focus on both domestic and foreign supplier compliance
- GFSI stringent documentation and recordkeeping requirements – along with unannounced audit protocols – are a strong foundation to help food and beverage companies prepare for FSMA’s “if it isn’t documented you didn’t do it” mantra
Technology Will Be an Important Tool for FSMA Compliance
The GFSI scheme leaders also spoke to the importance of leveraging technology as a tool to manage both GFSI and FSMA. Participants interested in learning more about these type of tools stayed on for a post-session demonstration of SafetyChain’s Regulatory & GFSI Compliance / Audit Readiness solutions.
Commented Jill Bender, SafetyChain SVP Marketing, “Food safety and quality automation technologies are providing companies the essential tools they need to more effectively manage the complexities surrounding GFSI compliance and FSMA’s new requirements. With SafetyChain Software’s dedicated food safety and quality automation platform, companies are able to better manage a robust food safety and quality program, helping ensure GFSI and FSMA compliance plus audit readiness.”
Continued Bender, “SafetyChain thanks our media sponsor FoodSafetyTech for co-sponsoring this important series, and our participating GFSI leaders for sharing how their insights on FSMA/GFSI alignment. SafetyChain looks forward to continuing the dialog surrounding GFSI and FSMA with the food industry in 2016.”
For timely monthly FSMA updates, SafetyChain Software hosts monthly sessions with Dr. David Acheson and The Acheson Group. More information at: https://safetychain.flywheelstaging.com/resources/fsma-fridays/
About SafetyChain Software
SafetyChain Software solutions help automate, streamline and continuously improve food safety and quality programs at all points along a company’s supply chain. SafetyChain’s integrated platform – SafetyChain for Food – helps save time and money while creating operational efficiencies that help deliver safe, quality food within KPIs. SafetyChain for Food modules include Supplier Compliance, FoodSafety & Quality Management, Regulatory/GFSI Compliance & Audit Readiness, along with SafetyChain Mobile apps. SafetyChain for Food is an affordable, Software-as-a-Service solution that delivers hard-dollar ROI, and is used by leading companies across all food industry verticals, including suppliers/growers, manufacturers, distributors and food service/retail.
SafetyChain Software, SafetyChain for Food and FSMA Fridays are registered trademarks of SafetyChain Software Inc. All rights reserved.
About Food Safety Tech
Food Safety Tech is an industry-specific eMagazine and Conference series serving the global food industry. Built on the platform of the next generation model for B2B publishing, Food Safety Tech delivers top quality content in a proactive manner through a weekly eNewsletter while maintaining a website, the eMagazine that stores the content providing easy accessibility. This hybrid model provides a two way street of digital communication to the global food industry. www.foodsafetytech.com