White House Reorganization Proposal -- Good News/Bad News

Yesterday’s White House reorganization proposal may be a good news/ bad news story. In the abstract, it may make sense to have a single Food Safety Agency within USDA. The potential drawbacks, however, could compound regulatory confusion more than resolve it. "We’ll be monitoring the issue," said Nick Herrmann, GIC Director of Business Development, “but our biggest concern is the impact—short and longer term—on the global supply chain.” These concerns plus Congressional oversight considerations were raised before when the Obama Administration floated the idea of a separate Food Safety Agency, only within FDA, not USDA. This time around, there may be even less traction for the idea.

The Transparency Alliance

GFSF and GIC partnering in a new European food safety tracing alliance, The Transparency Alliance.  Rick Gilmore, Chairman of GFSF and President/ CEO of GIC, indicated that, "the focus of the Alliance will be on data collection and distribution applications for product marketing, the introduction and verification of e-commerce standards and food safety compliance, and integrated supply chain management in the swine and other livestock sectors."  GIC joining its partner, Simplum GmbH,  developer of a widely used digitalized food safety swine tracing software system for the European swine industry, in the Alliance and working with other European partners to expand the platform’s blockchain capabilities.