News Room

Safe Quality Food Institute and Global Food Safety Forum Forge Agreement to Provide Food Safety Certification in China

September 27, 2010
ARLINGTON, VA — September 27, 2010 — The Safe Quality Food Institute (SQFI) and the Global Food Safety Forum (GFSF) are pleased to announce their first collaborative effort will be a food safety training program held in conjunction with the China International Food Safety and Quality Conference and Expo in Shanghai on November 8. GFSF will host a one-day workshop for Chinese companies, focusing on the Chinese livestock and meat processing industries. SQFI will host a detailed class on implementing the SQF 1000 and 2000 standards.

SQFI, a division of the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), is now a member of the GFSF Steering Committee and plays a leading role on its Technical Subcommittee.

“We are pleased to work with the Global Food Safety Forum to promote food safety certification in China. Achieving SQF certification provides verification that a supplier’s food safety and quality management system complies with international and domestic food safety regulations,” said Dr. Jill Hollingsworth, group vice president of food safety programs at the Food Marketing Institute. “This enables suppliers to assure their customers that food has been produced, processed, prepared and handled according to the highest possible standards, at all levels of the supply chain.”

GFSF, a not-for-profit industry association promoting food safety for all companies operating in China, is committed to finding practical solutions to minimize risk and widen compliance through private sector initiatives, operations training, and harmonizing of regional, national, and international standards. GFSF is jointly managed by the GIC Group and its partner, Bric Global Agricultural Consultants, with offices in Washington, DC and Beijing.

SQFI offers a leading, global food safety and quality certification program and management system, designed to meet the needs of buyers and suppliers worldwide.

SQF certification is supported by an increasing number of U.S. and international retailers and foodservice providers who express a preference for suppliers who implement HACCP-based (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) food safety and quality management systems.

For additional information about the Safe Quality Food Institute, please visit SQFI.


About GFSF

The Global Food Safety Forum is a not-for-profit organization with a diverse but interrelated industry membership: producers, processors, merchandisers/ shippers/distributors and retailers. It is jointly managed by the GIC Group and its partner, Bric Global Agricultural Consultants, with offices in Washington, DC and Beijing. Chinese officials from ministries and regulatory agencies welcomed and endorsed GFSF during a successful launch in April 2010.

Food Marketing Institute (FMI) conducts programs in public affairs, food safety, research, education and industry relations on behalf of its nearly 1,250 food retail and wholesale member companies in the United States and around the world. FMI’s U.S. members operate more than 25,000 retail food stores and almost 22,000 pharmacies with a combined annual sales volume of nearly $650 billion.  FMI’s retail membership is composed of large multi-store chains, regional firms and independent operators. Its international membership includes 126 companies from more than 65 countries. FMI’s nearly 330 associate members include the supplier partners of its retail and wholesale members. 

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