GFSI - Global Food Safety Initiative

The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), designed to help ensure the safe delivery of food to consumers. In doing so, the GFSI recognizes specific food safety management standards and schemes acceptable for certification.
The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), coordinated by CIES – The Food Business Forum, was launched in May 2000.  Under the umbrella of the GFSI, seven major retailers, including Walmart and Tesco, have reached a common acceptance of four GFSI-benchmarked food safety schemes (BRC, IFS, Dutch HACCP and SQF).  To reduce redundancy in the supply chain, these seven retailers have agreed to common acceptance of certification to any of the four GFSI-accepted schemes.
The GFSI Foundation Board, a retailer driven group with manufacturer advisory members, provides the strategic direction and oversees the daily management of the Global Food Safety Initiative.
In September 2006, the GFSI Technical Committee was formed and is composed of retailers, manufacturers, standard owners, certification bodies, accreditation bodies, industry association and other technical experts.  It provides technical expertise and advice for the GFSI Board and replaces the previous GFSI retailer-only Task Force.
The GFSI aims to:
•    Provide a convergence between food safety standards through maintaining a benchmarking process for food safety management schemes.
•    Improve cost efficiency throughout the food supply chain through the common acceptance of GFSI recognized standards by retailers around the world.
•    Provide a unique international stakeholder platform for networking, knowledge exchange and sharing of best food safety practices and information.
With so many food safety and assurance schemes in place, it can be tough to determine which works best for your business. Let Oxford Cert help. 
Starting with an assessment of your existing food safety programs, Oxford Cert  can work with you to benchmark your processes and determine your most practical route to compliance and certification to one or more of the GFSI-accepted standards, depending on your requirements.