What is GFSI and how to get certified?

The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) is a private organization established under Belgian law in May 2000. GFSI is managed by the international trade association of the Consumer Goods Forum (CGF). The initiative’s main objective is to help address the global food safety crises that lead to consumers’ loss of confidence in the safety of the food they buy, the brands they love and even the food industry in general.
GFSI aims to improve food safety while also increasing business efficiency and their efforts seeking a unified approach to benchmarking has helped foster broad acceptance of GFSI-recognized certification programs across the industry, enabling a simplified “once certified, recognized everywhere” approach.

The Benchmarking Requirements are built through the consensus of experts and members and based on internationally-recognized standards such as ISO and Codex Alimentarius. 

GFSI does not directly provide food safety certification but does recognize many certification programs that do meet the GFSI Benchmarking Requirements. Retailers and other buyers around the world today trust GFSI-recognized certification as a mark of the highest standards in food safety, giving food related businesses holding these certificates a broader reach to global markets.

To achieve GFSI-recognized certification, companies must successfully undergo third-party audits, choosing from one of several programs operated by a GFSI-recognized Certification Body that best fits their operations. Factors affecting that choice will include their core activity (manufacturing, transport, farming, distribution) as well as location or certification body they wish to work with.

The GFSI objectives are:

• Reduce food safety risks by promoting standardization and unification between effective food safety management systems
• Manage costs in the global food system by eliminating redundancy and improving operational efficiency
• Develop methods to improve proficieny and qualification in food safety to create consistent and effective global food systems
• Provide a unique, international food industry platform for collaboration, knowledge exchange and networking

GFSI-recognized certifications

The following is a list of GFSI-recognized programs and the industries they cover. When looking for a GFSI certification, you should choose the program that best fits your operations and scope.  

So how do we get certified?

The certification process need not be complicated and/or time-consuming if using the proper resources and tools. The following is a step by step guide to be GFSI compliant.

Scope.

Go to the GFSI website to determine the appropriate industry category for your facility and process and the scope of GFSI that would be used to evaluate your facility. The list above may help you to select the best certification program.
 

Contact.

Contact the GFSI-recognized certification bodies that cover the scope of your facility and request a copy of their requirements. Familiarize yourself with the requirements for certification and determine which certification program is best aligned with your food business scope.
 

GoHACCP has a team of scientists who are able to provide expert advice on the different certifications available to help you decide on the right choice for your company by performing a GAP analysis of your facilities and processes, guiding you through the decision-making process. GoHACCP also maintains strategic partnerships with several certification programs, saving you time and simplifying your certification process by dealing with only one company that is able to guide you through each and every step.

Write.

Perform a GAP analysis of the food safety management practices at your facility, focusing on those required by your certification program. Then, write your HACCP plan by conducting a hazard analysis, establishing control points along with monitoring and verification activities as well as the procedures and prerequisites that guarantee food safety that align with the requirements of the chosen certification.

 

GoHACCP has a team of scientists dedicated to writing comprehensive food safety management systems for all types of industries. GoHACCP's experienced scientific team understands the different GFSI recognized schemes and their requirements, working hand in hand with you to create a custom system that will meet all of your needs, specific and suitable for your unique operations.

Train.

Two crucial training steps to consider when creating a food safety plan:

• Before writing your food safety plan, the person in charge of the system must receive training in HACCP, Preventive Controls, Food Defense and Food Fraud, Internal Audits and implementation of the specific GFSI certification of interest. GoHACCP partners with certified trainers who can provide the required courses according to FDA and GFSI approved curricula. GoHACCP and its partners will advise you on the proper training needed and package a training strategy proposal that is cost-effective and efficient.
• Once your plan is written, all your employees and team members will need to learn and apply the concepts. GoHACCP has developed a video-training platform with gamified courses called Touch Recipe that will include the required training modules for your food safety plan, starting with HACCP basics and include all of the prerequisites outlined in your HACCP plan. The lessons in Touch Recipe are organized by role and include videos and quizzes, allowing your employees to take the required training on their own time, from their cell phones or computers and you will keep a record of all training activities and test scores.

Implement.

Once the food safety plan is completed and all employees have been trained, it is time to begin conducting and monitoring activities outlined in the HACCP plan. The HACCP plan will describe daily, weekly, monthly and annual activities that involve the HACCP team along with other members of the organization. The plan’s monitoring of activities and their frequencies are mandatory.

During an audit, a company will be required to demonstrate that all activities that could affect food safety are controlled and the plan’s record-keeping will prove it Accordingly, a robust record-keeping system is essential to ensure and prove regulatory compliance, maintain consistency in activities and - most importantly - be capable of tracing each product, one step back and one step forward. In addition, a good traceability program guarantees an efficient response in the case of a product recall.

One role of the GoHACCP implementation team is to help guide companies through this process. The implementation team will support you in scheduling your activities, reviewing records, conducting internal audits and establishing traceability systems as well as recall exercises that you must complete annually and present evidence of during an audit. The implementation team has two powerful tools to help you accomplish these tasks: GoHACCP Compliance Software and Odoo. GoHACCP compliance software keeps all your food safety records in one place and accessible from the cloud when requested by the inspector. The operator is able to access the forms through an application that organizes and creates daily task assignments. GoHACCP compliance software incorporates a bulletproof approval path for all records, guiding your HACCP team to ensure food safety and plan consistency involving all your process activities.

GoHACCP partners with Odoo, the most powerful inventory tool available, for tracking ingredients, materials and finished products, making the implementation and monitoring of your food safety system simple, efficient and profitable.

Audit.

A well-implemented system can be successfully audited by one accredited certification body which will provide application forms to schedule the audit. During their audit, your HACCP plan will be reviewed and the facility inspected to verify that your process steps and activities follow the GFSI expectations and complies with the applicable regulations.
 

The GoHACCP implementation team supports you during and after the audit, helping you manage any detected non-conformities to achieve your GFSI certificate according to the selected program.
 

Maintenance.

After obtaining certification, you must ensure that your facility continues to meet the requirements in your ongoing, day to day activities. GoHACCP tools will help you maintain your food safety system compliant and our GoHACCP teams will support you in making needed modifications to your food safety system due to new products or processes developed in your facility or changes in regulations or GFSI codes.

Finally, you should arrange another audit visit before the expiration date of your certificate.

To know more about GoHACCP tools and services, contact us.

Links of interest

GFSI: https://mygfsi.com/

GFSI-recognized programs, March 2020 http://recognition.mygfsi.com/

Jennifer Medina, Ph.D. in Biotechnology.

"I am in charge of implementing food safety systems such as HACCP and PC plans in both food production facilities and restaurants. In addition, I have been working with several companies in the creation, implementation, training, and audit of their Food Safety Plans to be able to pass USDA/FSIS, FDA, CFIA, and SQF audits."