GFSF Holiday Promotion!

Holiday Promotion!

 

Happy Holidays!

 

Do not forget about Food Safety during the holiday season.

 

Join Global Food Safety Forum Now!

 

Global Food Safety Forum (GFSF) is a non-profit, public-private organization that seeks to advance food safety in Asian markets.  We have an office and a large membership base in China and are now expanding our franchise to other Asian countries.

 

We’re also pleased to serve as a strategic partner with the World Bank’s Global Food Safety Partnership (GFSP).

 

Our services:  Workshops, Training, Certification programs, Technical assistance and troubleshooting, 24/7 Liaison with regulatory agencies, and

special events in the US and Asia. 

 

Current focus and new activities:

v  Food safety technologies

v  Food safety product liability and recall insurance

v  E-courses on pesticide residues, pathogen controls, VQIP (Voluntary Qualified Importer Program) guidelines, testing procedures/ requirements in principal regulatory systems, documentary certification procedures, inspection requirements

 

More than 400 members: producers, processors, merchandisers, shippers, distributors, and retailers

 

Join now and get:

$ 250 off basic membership

$ 500 off silver membership

$ 750 off gold membership

 

 

Contact us for additional information:

+1 (703) 684-1366

asansbury@gicgroup.com

 

 

 

Asian Countries Driving Market Expansion for E-commerce Groceries

Asian countries innovation in e-commerce grocery shopping has set the market’s estimated value to US$180bn by 2020. Four trends emerging in Asian online grocery models.

https://foodindustry.asia/selling-online-in-asia-four-emerging-online-grocery-models

FIA Daily News Bulletin Features Brexit Article from FOCUS

Food Safety And Brexit: What Lessons Are Being Learned?

By Maxwell J. Heston, analyst, GIC Group/GFSF

UK: Brexit - A hard landing for UK food safety?
Source: Global Food Safety Forum Newsletter (coverage as attached)
• Opinion editorial by Maxwell J. Heston, analyst, GIC Group/Global Food Safety Forum. In this article, Heston notes that Brexit may cause implications, such as the issue of food safety, with the ambivalence over the UK's legislation framework.
• Heston highlights that although the UK has been a great contributor to food safety in the EU, there are doubts to whether it has taken food safety seriously on a national level. He notes cuts in funding for food safety and the closing of 24 out of 30 total public food analysis laboratories over the past 20 years.
• The author concludes by saying that it is crucial for the Food Safety Authority (FSA) to take steps so that food safety regulation and standards do not retrograde, in view of huge challenges ahead for FSA and the food industry in the UK, in line with whether Brexit will lead to a “hard” or “soft” landing.

Food Online Features GFSF Newsletter Article: Food Safety And Brexit

Food Online features article by Maxwell J. Heston of the GIC Group.

http://www.foodonline.com/doc/food-safety-and-brexit-what-lessons-are-being-learned-0001

Food Safety And Brexit: What Lessons Are Being Learned?
By Maxwell J. Heston, analyst, GIC Group/GFSF

Earlier this year, the U.K. voted to leave the EU. Ensuing events of the Brexit vote have been characterized by frustration and uncertainty in the near and far future as the U.K. will now go at it on their own after 43 years in the EU. This represents a distinct turning point in European history and the implications on the U.K. are expected to be radical. One particular issue, food safety, did not receive much consideration during the Brexit campaign. What will be done to fill in where the EU left off? Ambivalence over what the U.K.’s legislative framework will resemble has caused more than a little anxiety, but along with the bigger political issues there is still opportunity for the U.K. to enhance food safety regulation and re-instill confidence in its food system.

For the time being — and until Article 50 is enacted — things will remain status quo. As the Food Standards Agency (FSA), the U.K.’s authority on food safety from farm to fork, reflected in a newsletter published on June 30 regarding the EU Referendum, “It is clear that the process of leaving the EU will take some time, a date has to be determined and, until the time of exit, EU legislation remains in place. FSA officials will continue to provide guidance and support to food businesses and competent food authorities that reflect the requirements of EU legislation.” Food business operators (FBO) are also expected to conduct business within existing EU and U.K. food hygiene legislation.

Letter from GFSF Chairman

Letter from GFSF Chairman

It just gets better and better! 2016 has been a good year for GFSF. We are grateful to GFSF China staff and Director, Mr. Yuan Yao, for all their creative energies in organizing a series of successful events culminating in the annual June Summit. This year, the Summit was held at the Banji Yanqi Lake International Convention Center outside Beijing, followed by a half day of presentation and discussions at Tootoo Organic Farm, Beijing. On the third day, several registrants joined an official delegation visit to Yantai in the northeastern province of Shandong, China, for a follow-on session with local businesses and visits to local farms, beverage facilities, and agro-software industries.

Our partnership with the World Bank’s Global Food Safety Partnership (GFSP) has been productive in terms of shaping new forms of collaboration. The program now has a new CEO, Ms. Lystra Antoine, and is planning a new program and activity agenda for CY 2017. GFSF publications and social media have gained increasing attention for GFSF and outreach opportunities.

We are continuing our efforts to offer a curriculum of e-courses in collaboration with the University of Maryland, JIFSAN (Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition) and MOOCS in conjunction with GFSP. We now have a few courses available in Chinese and are hopeful that we will secure a formal co-host for these courses in China.

Food safety liability insurance products are another high priority for us. We hosted workshops during the year and will be offering more in CY 2017 to give our members the opportunity to learn of the multiple advantages to these products as suppliers for international buyers. The amended Basic Food Safety Law encourages insurance and we are working with China government counterpart agencies and international buyers to raise participation levels. We hope to educate Chinese companies on the benefits of these products to achieve compliance with national and international standards as well as to satisfy new requirements of international buyers.

As China has advanced in regulatory oversight of food safety in China, we are placing more emphasis on food safety technologies as a complementary effort to help regulators and companies comply with food safety requirements in the global supply chain. We are encouraged by the widening participation of technology providers in GFSF activities. We’re also reviewing options for training in the use of blockchain applications in food safety and are evaluating our own direct participation in offering new blockchain software for food tracing systems technologies.

On the brick and mortar side, we welcome all the support we receive from our strategic partners, including AmCham Vietnam, Food Industry Asia, and the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. With the help of AmCham, we are preparing to expand our franchise to Vietnam which promises to be a major event for 2017.

We have a robust agenda for new projects and activities in 2017, but the building blocks are much the same as this year. We are grateful for the support we receive from industry and the close collaboration with official China government agencies. GFSF has become a platform to solve problems and create opportunities for collaborative risk mitigation strategies.

As we enter the final quarter of the year, we ask you to join us in our full range of activities and programs that will position your company as a leader in food safety in the China market. For further information on our end-of-the-year special membership rates, please contact us at GIC Group or myself directly at rickgilmore@gicgroup.com

Best regards,

Rick Gilmore
Chairman
GFSF
www.globalfoodsafetyforum.org

FOCUS, Holiday Edition of GFSF Newsletter

The November-December edition of FOCUS, GFSF’s newsletter, has just been released. Included are a letter from the Chairman, Richard Gilmore; an article about the effects of Brexit on food safety; an update on the Food Safety Project of Beijing Technology Innovation Action Plan; an update on blockchain applications to enhance food safety compliance; and the GFSF Calendar of upcoming events.
The Chairman’s letter highlights our key successes in the course of the year, including a successful Summit starting in Yanqi Lake, followed by a half-day session at an e-platform organic food company auditorium. Some registrants then joined a delegation visit to Yantai, Shandong province, to meet with local food industry representatives and new ag tech companies. The letter points to fruitful collaborations with the World Bank’s Global Food Safety Partnership, with JIFSAN (U. of Maryland, Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition), the Food Industry Association in Singapore, and Food Protection and Defense Institute. As noted in the letter, GFSF will be hosting workshops for food safety liability insurance and offering e-courses on food safety in Chinese.
The holiday issue of FOCUS invites new members to take advantage of holiday membership rates. For further information, please contact Anne Sansbury, GIC Group: asansbury@gicgroup.com