Food Safety
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Food Safety
  • NEWS
    • Latest News
    • White Papers
  • PRODUCTS
  • TOPICS
    • Contamination Control
    • Food Types
    • Management
    • Process Control
    • Regulatory
    • Sanitation
    • Supply Chain
    • Testing and Analysis
  • PODCAST
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Food Safety Five Newsreel
    • eBooks
    • FSM Distinguished Service Award
    • Interactive Product Spotlights
    • Videos
  • BUYER'S GUIDE
  • MORE
    • ENEWSLETTER >
      • Archive Issues
      • Subscribe to eNews
    • Store
    • Sponsor Insights
  • WEBINARS
  • FOOD SAFETY SUMMIT
  • EMAG
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issues
    • Editorial Advisory Board
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!
News

GFSI Adds Storage, Distribution Reqs to Scope of Guidance Document

October 8, 2013

The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) has reissued its Guidance Document Sixth Edition1 under version 6.3 to include key requirements related to the storage and distribution sector. As a result, food safety management schemes that cover the storage and distribution scope can now come forward to GFSI for recognition through its benchmarking process. If the scheme’s requirements are considered to be equivalent to those specified within the GFSI Guidance Document Sixth Edition version 6.3, the scheme will achieve formal recognition by GFSI2.

The GFSI Storage and Distribution Technical Working Group began its work in December 2011 to define the key requirements for Storage and Distribution, for incorporation into "Part III – Scheme Scope and Key Elements" of the GFSI Guidance Document Sixth Edition. A global stakeholder consultation was held in January of this year, providing the Working Groups with additional feedback on these key requirements before submission to the GFSI Board for approval.

The Working Group was mandated to draft benchmarking criteria that shall be in place in a storage and distribution scheme’s standard covering:

  • Food safety management systems
  • Good distribution practices
  • HACCP?based requirements

The Working Group also defined the auditor competency requirements for their scope, and submitted scope definitions for inclusion in the GFSI Guidance Document "Part IV ? Glossary of Terms." The Working Group was also asked to consider whether multi?site certification based on sampling is relevant to their scope, and worked with the GFSI Guidance Document Working Group to finalize these criteria for inclusion in the GFSI Guidance Document, "Part III – Scheme Scope and Key Elements."

Storage and Distribution is the fourth scope added to the GFSI Guidance Document Sixth Edition since January 2011, after the incorporation of benchmarking criteria for Feed Production in May 2012 and Packaging Production and Animal Conversion in August 2011. Five further scopes will be included in the GFSI Guidance Document Sixth Edition in the future in order to provide a seamless and harmonized approach to food safety management from farm to fork. Future GFSI Technical Working Groups will continue developing the remaining scopes in accordance with the mandate given by the GFSI Board of Directors.

The Working Group co?chairs, Jorge Hernandez, senior vice president, Food Safety and Quality, US Foods, and Rena Pierami, division vice president, Silliker, commented, "Over the past months we have been approached by food storage, distribution and logistics companies seeking certification against a GFSI recognized scheme for their scope of activity. We look forward to seeing a number of food safety management schemes covering the scope of food storage, distribution and logistics come forward for benchmarking against the criteria that our Working Group developed, so that there is a solution for such companies and also for buying companies requesting certification against GFSI-certified schemes of their supply chain."

Payton Pruett, vice president, Corporate Food Technology, The Kroger Co. and Cenk Gurol, chief SCM officer, AEON CO., LTD, the GFSI Board liaisons to the Working Group, said, “The GFSI Board prioritized this sector as storage and distribution activities are an integral part of the food supply chain, and a service that is relied on for activities taking place from farm to fork. Food and feed need to be stored and distributed in a manner that helps assure food safety across the entire supply chain. We look forward to seeing the first schemes come forward for benchmarking against this scope of recognition. We would like to thank the industry experts that contributed to this effort and gave of their time at meetings and over calls to finalize this important piece of work.”


1 GFSI Guidance Document Version 6.3 as well as a tracked changes version in Word are available on www.mygfsi.com by clicking on the "Guidance Document" icon on the homepage.

2 Any interested parties should contact gfsinfo@theconsumergoodsforum.com for a GFSI Benchmarking Application Form.


GFSI GUIDANCE DOCUMENT SCOPES OF RECOGNITION

Current Scopes
The Guidance Document Sixth Edition will be enhanced to ultimately cover the whole of the food and feed supply chain and associated services. The current version of the GFSI Guidance Document covers the following scopes of recognition:

  • A.I. Farming of Animals
  • A.II. Farming of Fish
  • B.I. Farming of Plants
  • B.II. Farming of Grains and Pulses
  • C. Animal Conversion (included in August 2011 under version 6.1)
  • D. Pre Processing Handling of Plant Products
  • E.I. Processing of Animal Perishable Products
  • E.II. Processing of Plant Perishable Products
  • E.III. Processing of Animal and Plant Perishable Products (Mixed Products)
  • E.IV. Processing of Ambient Stable Products
  • F. Production of Feed (included in May 2012 under version 6.2)
  • J. Storage and Distribution (Perishable & Ambient Food and Feed) (included in October 2013 under version 6.3)
  • L. Production of (Bio) Chemicals
  • M. Production of Food Packaging (included in August 2011 under version 6.1)

Future Scopes
Key elements will be drafted for the following scopes of recognition over the course of 2013 and 2014:

  • G. Catering
  • H. Retail / Wholesale (Working Group launched in June 2013)
  • I. Provision of Food Safety Services
  • K. Manufacture of Food Processing Equipment
  • N. Food Broker / Agents (Working Group launched in March 2013)

Author(s): Staff

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • people holding baby chicks

    Serovar Differences Matter: Utility of Deep Serotyping in Broiler Production and Processing

    This article discusses the significance of Salmonella in...
    Meat/Poultry
    By: Nikki Shariat Ph.D.
  • woman washing hands

    Building a Culture of Hygiene in the Food Processing Plant

    Everyone entering a food processing facility needs to...
    Training
    By: Richard F. Stier, M.S.
  • graphical representation of earth over dirt

    Climate Change and Emerging Risks to Food Safety: Building Climate Resilience

    This article examines the multifaceted threats to food...
    Management
    By: Maria Cristina Tirado Ph.D., D.V.M. and Shamini Albert Raj M.A.
Subscribe For Free!
  • eMagazine Subscription
  • Subscribe to eNewsletter
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Website Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Food Safety Magazine audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Food Safety Magazine or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • Deli Salads
    Sponsored byCorbion

    How Food Safety is Becoming the Ultimate Differentiator in Refrigerated and Prepared Foods

Popular Stories

Image of Tyson Foods logo and the logos of Tyson Foods brands

Tyson Foods is Reformulating Food Products to Eliminate Petroleum-Based Synthetic Dyes

USDA building.jpg

More Than 15,000 USDA Employees Take Trump Administration's Resignation Offer

Woman reading the warning label on a bottle of wine

A 40-Year Hangover: Efforts to Revive 1980s Advocacy About the Potential Negative Effects of Alcohol Consumption

Events

May 12, 2025

The Food Safety Summit

Stay informed on the latest food safety trends, innovations, emerging challenges, and expert analysis. Leave the Summit with actionable insights ready to drive measurable improvements in your organization. Do not miss this opportunity to learn from experts about contamination control, food safety culture, regulations, sanitation, supply chain traceability, and so much more.

May 13, 2025

Traceability Next Steps—Supply Chain Implementation

Live Streaming from the Food Safety Summit: Join us for this engaging and highly practical workshop focused on building and sustaining traceability efforts across the food supply chain. 

May 13, 2025

Effective Sanitation Basics

Live Streaming from the Food Safety Summit: This dynamic workshop will help participants understand the sanitation process, effective monitoring, use of data streams, and root cause analysis basics.

View All

Products

Global Food Safety Microbial Interventions and Molecular Advancements

Global Food Safety Microbial Interventions and Molecular Advancements

See More Products
Environmental Monitoring Excellence eBook

Related Articles

  • New FDA Guidance Document Clarifies FSMA’s Sanitary Transportation Rule

    See More
  • FDA Guide Aims to Help Small Businesses Comply with Gluten-Free Labeling Reqs

    See More
  • USDA FSIS logo

    USDA-FSIS Expands Scope of Accredited Laboratory Program

    See More
×

Never miss the latest news and trends driving the food safety industry

eNewsletter | Website | eMagazine

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing