Food Quality Magazine
ISSUE 03 | JULY 2015
GFSI Introduces the Online Tool Supporting
the Global Markets Programme for SMEs
Miroslav Šuška, QUALIFOOD s.r.o.
The Global Food Safety Initiative
(GFSI) together with the International
Trade Centre (ITC) created an online tool for small and medium size
enterprises to help them pass the
requirements of the Global Markets
Programme.
The GFSI Global Markets Programme
Online Tool
Simply referred to as the GFSI Global
Markets Programme online tool,
the software aims to help educate
the public especially manufacturers
regarding best food safety practices.
The tool also helps manufacturers
by creating online diagnostic profiles so they would be able to assess
themselves.
One of the program’s objective is
to make it easier for businesses
to access global markets. The tool
enables these businesses to share
their diagnostic profiles to auditing
organizations and other businesses.
Features of the GFSI Global Markets
Programme Online Tool
• As part of the self-assessment
feature, the online tool provides
a comparative snapshot of a
manufacturer’s / a
business’ existing arrangement
versus the requirements of the
GFSI Global Markets Programme.
• Access to the International Trade
Centre’s (ITC) standards map. The
standards map contain comparative
and detailed information regarding
food safety standards, codes of conduct and standards for sustainability.
With this information on hand, small
and medium sized enterprises would
be able to formulate their own standards and sustainability plan for trade and production.
• Streamlined access web tools. The
ITC Standards Map website contain
the GFSI Global Markets Programme
online tool. Users can easily register
as manufacturers or primary producers for self-assessment purposes.
Moreover, the site also provides a
link to the GFSI website so users
can freely access documents such
as the GFSI checklist, protocol as
well as the Training and Competency
Framework.
GFSI Global Markets Programme
Flow
Manufacturers and primary food
producers can access the GFSI Global
Markets Programme online tool
through the ITC Standards Map website. Users undergo self-assessment
in order to determine their point
of entry. They can choose between
Basic and Intermediate levels depending on the set criteria. The online
tool provides a training and competency framework to help manufacturers and primary food producers
improve their system and approaches. Since the tool provides self-assessment, they can always re-assess
themselves until such time that they
find themselves ready for the actual
accreditation.
If the manufacturer’s / primary food
producer’s approaches match the
key elements of the GFSI Guidance
Document by 35%, then they can
identify themselves as Basic Level.
Intermediate level, on the other
hand, should have 65% of the key
elements of the GFSI Guidance
Document matched.
If the user identifies Basic Level,
then they have to undergo re-assessment after making some adjustments to their approaches. Once
they are able to identify themselves
as Intermediate level, they can proceed to the last step, which is the
actual accredited certification against a GFSI recognised scheme.
Overview of the GFSI Global Markets
Programme
GFSI launched the Global Markets
Programme in 2008 mainly to help
developing companies and small
businesses earn GFSI certifications,
and consequently, enter the market. GFSI created the online tool
in support of these objectives. The
subsequent information shows an
overview of the GFSI Global Markets
Programme.
10