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GFSF serves as an industry platform to help improve food safety in the Asian market. This blog offers the most up-to-date news on Asia's food safety events.

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

GFSF at Workshop in Vietnam

Foodonline features article about participation of Global Food Safety Forum in International Workshop on Global Food Safety Trends -- Solutions to Expand the Export Markets for Vietnamese Enterprises.  http://tinyurl.com/lqq3nza

In the context of growing concerns about food safety in the world, the USA’s FSMA (Food Safety Modernization Act) and EFSA of the European Union have had the dramatic impacts to the export markets of Vietnamese enterprises. Recently, the Business Association of Vietnamese High Quality Products has collaborated with AmCham Vietnam to conduct the Delegation of Experts to the United States to study about FSMA. On the occasion of Mr. Rick Gilmore’s, Chairman of GFSF (Global Food Safety Forum), business trip to Vietnam, the International Workshop on “GLOBAL FOOD SAFETY TRENDS - SOLUTIONS TO EXPAND THE EXPORT MARKETS FOR VIETNAMESE ENTERPRISES” will be organized.
Organizers:  Business Association of Vietnamese High Quality Products in collaboration with AmCham Vietnam and GFSF.
Main topics: Reviews on the Global Food Safety, its impacts to Vietnam, and how to sustain the export markets for Vietnamese food and agricultural products in the context of world economic integration?
Time and Venue: 8:30 AM, Wednesday 26 April 2017 at Caravelle Hotel’s Hall, District 1, HCMC
Proposed agenda:
(1) Mr. Rick Gilmore's presentation on the results of global food safety trends and the impacts of these trends on Vietnam's food and agricultural exports.
(2) Presentation from Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) on solutions for Vietnamese seafood exporters to technical barriers from the US - Experience in business cooperation between large Vietnamese enterprises and farmers to supply the clean products that meet market’s demands.
(3) Experience in supporting small businesses and farmers to promote organic farming and introduction of the new criteria "Vietnamese High Quality Products - Integration Standard" in the direction of positive support for Vietnamese businesses and farmers to increase the exports to United States and EU’s markets.
We would like to invite you to attend this International Workshop and we do hope that you can share your valuable ideas and experience so that 200 food enterprises nationwide will find useful and appropriate solutions for their issues.
Yours sincerely,
On behalf of Organization Board
VU KIM HANH
Chair-woman of Business Association of Vietnamese High Quality Products

Op Ed by Hannah Kyle of GFSF's FOCUS


Featured in foodonline.com:
Opinion editorial by Hannah Kyle, contributor to the Global Food Safety Forum (GFSF) FOCUS newsletter. In this article, Kyle discusses how U.S. president Donald Trump has signed an executive order mandating that two regulations be eliminated for each new regulation proposed. The two regulations eliminated must have the same net impact on the U.S. economy as the proposed regulation.
http://tinyurl.com/mswfenp

Friday, April 21, 2017

FOCUS: Big Focus on Vietnam!

FOCUS:  April-May 2017 ISSUE

FOCUS this month spotlights Vietnam.  The kick-off for GFSF Vietnam will be the upcoming Workshop in Ho Chi Minh City on April 26.

Rick Gilmore, GFSF Chairman, writes “We’re extremely proud to be joined by AmCham Vietnam and High Quality Vietnamese Goods Business Association”  He added that “our joint mission is to develop a comprehensive food safety program in collaboration with leaders from the private and public sectors in Vietnam.”

Highlights of this issue include an analysis of the seafood safety challenges facing Vietnam, as well as interviews with Vu Kim Hanh, Chairperson of the High Quality Vietnamese Goods Business Association (HQVPBA) and Herb Cochran, Executive Director of AmCham Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City Chapter. HQVPBA and AmCham Vietnam will be co-hosting our FSMA  workshop on April 26.  In her interview, Ms. Hanh paints a stark picture of the consequences for Vietnamese suppliers in ignoring FSMA (Food Safety Modernization Act) or EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) requirements: “Failing to fulfill requirement of FSMA and EFSA, it is certain that our export will diminish, weaken and, ultimately, perish.”

In this issue of GFSF, Hannah Kyle, GIC Group, provides an analysis of the food safety compliance impacts of the Trump administration’s recent executive order pledging to revoke two regulations for every new one put forward. GFSF Director, Vince Paez, cautions Vietnamese shrimp growers about cross contamination in their ponds, a critical concern given the strategic importance of Vietnam’s seafood exports. 

For further information, please refer to GFSF blog: gfsfasia.blogspot.com or contact GFSF Director, Vince Paez:  vincent.paez.gfsf@gicgroup.com