The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), a global collaborative platform and business-driven initiative to ensure confidence in the delivery of safe food to consumers worldwide, is supporting its global expansion through the appointment of a GFSI representative in North America. The GFSI Board is delighted to announce that Karil Kochenderfer will be working in the region to enhance awareness of the GFSI recognized schemes and expand knowledge of GFSI’s work streams among food industry executives in North America, and to closely monitor developments in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Latin America, particularly at a regulatory level.

Karil Kochenderfer is well-known within the U.S. food industry from her many years with the Grocery Manufacturers of America (GMA) where she drove the creation of GMA’s international program as well as led GMA’s high-profile and multi-faceted efforts on biotechnology in both the U.S. and abroad. At GMA, Karil worked closely with government officials at the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, U.S. Dept. of Agricultures, Office of the U.S. Trade Representatives, the U.S. Department of State and embassies abroad, with industry executives and with association counterparts to eliminate trade barriers in key markets abroad, strengthen the industry’s NGO and successfully advance policy initiatives within the WHO, WTO, Codex, UNEP, NAFTA and APEC. Currently, Karil is a member of the U.S. Dept. of Commerce Advisory Committee on Supply-chain Competitiveness and regularly participates in Foreign Service Institute embassy training programs.

Yves Rey, Chair of the GFSI Board and Corporate Quality General Manager, Danone, France commented that “Karil’s appointment in North America is an important step in reinforcing GFSI’s presence in the region. She willbe a key point of contact for the Initiative and will strengthen GFSI’s link to the numerous regulatory developments that are taking place. We look forward to working with her as she integrates the GFSI team.”

Karil will be based out of Washington, D.C.