The GFSI Conference

This plenary returns to the topic of GFSI’s current agenda, breaking down its priorities into actionable steps. The spotlight will first turn to the Global Markets Programme, which is being reshaped in preparation for the launch of a new strategic capability building framework. The presentation will include the debut of a set of proposed pilot projects to support this launch. Speakers will also discuss GFSI’s vision for a new model of auditor training and professional development, with input from experienced auditors, professional recognition bodies and certification programme owners.

Main Plenary Hall

Exhibition Area

A Trusted Way to Food Safety & Sustainability – How Certification 4.0 and Product Passports Bridge Gaps

 Trust is the basis of everything. Whether with our own operations and supply chains, corporate or product claims, as humans we seek confidence in everything we do and eat.

Standards and certification have been an undeniable, main pillar in our quest to ensure safe food supplies. With the wider use of data, certification is taking on a hybrid form based on human and digital capital.  Digitalization has enabled quality remote audits and digital benchmarking tools.  Certification is now evolving further to include predictive data platforms.  Imagine if you could confidently predict your operational pitfalls or governments could support business based on forecasted needs.

Transparency toward consumers is another dimension greatly enabled by digitalization.  But can we ensure that the information shared is 100% correct? The way data is collected, using sensors and blockchain, verified and bundled in passports enables traceable sharing of quality, safety, social and environmental product claims.

Join Luca Crisciotti, CEO of Supply Chain & Product Assurance in DNV, in a discussion on how to build trust and bridge traceability gaps as Certification 4.0 and digital product passport solutions come together to generate more value for the industry, consumers and society.

Presentation Theatre (Exhibition Area)

Launched more than two decades ago, the GFSI Benchmarking Requirements remain the world’s most widely accepted benchmark for food safety certification programmes. This breakout will focus on the future look, review these science-based requirements, how they are developed and their utility in ever more complex global food supply chains. The session will also serve as a refresher course on the concept of benchmarking, the different types of requirements developed by GFSI, and their applications beyond food safety, including for environmental sustainability.

Breakout Room

The more trust a brand like GFSI acquires, the more carefully that brand must be protected and reinforced. This breakout will examine the forces that can erode confidence in GFSI beyond audit outcomes, including a lack of transparency, inadequate governance, and forms of fraud such as cybersquatting (registering website domain names with the intent to masquerade as a company or organisation) and certificate fraud. The latter issue is a special concern for GFSI and is being addressed through a targeted certificate platform project, which will be introduced in this session.

Plenary Room

Exhibition Area

Demystifying Food Risk Predictions

Emerging risks have become more frequent in the last few years, reducing consumers’ confidence in the food supply chain. The recent ETO case caused the recall of more than 1,800 different food products in 50 countries.

To prevent food recalls and safeguard consumer health, it is essential to be able to predict emerging food risks, especially the unknown ones, and adopt preventive measures accordingly.

This is one of the greatest challenges ahead. There are several aspects that food safety experts should understand to deploy an efficient prediction approach.

This Tech Talk will shed light on the value of food risk predictions for the food industry and how emerging risks can be predicted by combining expert knowledge, data on the global supply chain, and AI.

A real use case on predicting fraud in meat products will be presented, along with the benefits of using a predictive approach.

This is addressed to food safety experts from:

1. Food companies that need to know of emerging risks to inform their food risk prevention, audit and testing plans.
2. Organizations that need to know of emerging risks to implement controls and measures to minimize the risk of jeopardizing public health.

Presentation Theatre (Exhibition Area)

As food businesses innovate their product offerings and delivery models to anticipate consumers’ changing demands, food safety systems must evolve in step. This plenary will introduce a food safety leader from a pioneering company that has been disrupting the grocery sector for more than a decade — all while maintaining safe food throughout the supply chain. Delegates will also hear from governmental agencies that are redefining attitudes towards inspection and enforcement and from a retailer developing new technological tools to foster effective food safety messages.

Main Plenary Hall

Exhibition Area

Transforming Food Safety & Quality with Unified QA / QC solutions

Food & Beverage companies are facing increased regulatory requirements to demonstrate they execute food safety in accordance with their food safety plans. With data often stored across multiple systems, recorded against disconnected master data, companies are struggling to demonstrate this in an effective and efficient way.

Cloud-based systems that integrate QA with QC, collecting all data in the same context, will not only address these issues, but also drive insights across the supply chain; relating food safety & quality data from the front-end of the supply chain (e.g. suppliers, raw materials), across manufacturing, to data concerning finished goods, customers and consumers.

In this session we will showcase:

1. The Veeva solution and how it addresses many of the challenges faced by organizations in the F&B industry, especially when it comes to using disjointed QA and QC systems.
2. Share key learnings and best practices gathered from our customers and industry.
3. The benefits of having a unified QA and QC systems, to improve the quality of information in Quality systems, whilst enabling a transformation towards predictive Quality.

Presentation Theatre (Exhibition Area)

How Sustainability Can Build Resilience into the Food Supply Chain

A focus on sustainability can improve operational efficiencies, drive growth, increase brand equity, and secure a resilient food supply chain. NSF is hosting a panel discussion with clients and industry experts from the global food supply chain to discuss how Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) efforts in their organizations have led to increased food quality and safety, a more secure supply, and improved triple bottom lines (people-planet-profit).

Moderated by Lisa Spicka, Sustainability Director of NSF International, topics will cover ESG aspects such as climate action planning, ESG audits, strategic planning and how food safety programs complement sustainability to build a resilient food supply.

Participants will walk away with practical examples from our panelists of food supply chain and sustainability experts: engagement tools for organizations at any stage of their sustainability journey.

Please visit the NSF booth after this session to obtain a new NSF whitepaper – exclusively released at GFSI — about how you can adopt supply chain sustainability and resilience programs to achieve your organization’s objectives.

Plenary Room

Rethinking the Future of Food Safety: Driving Sustainability, Visibility and Transparency through Digitalisation

This session will focus on the imperatives to modernise and usher in the next era of food safety. With compelling conversation spanning upstream to ingredient sourcing all the way downstream to distribution, hear from global industry leaders how the implementation of GS1 Standards has provided unparalleled supply chain visibility in the food space.

Attendees ranging from food safety professionals to those involved in cross-border exports will learn items to consider as they develop safety programs with their company, including how unique identification and data sharing will make their communities poised to deliver on demands of today’s pandemic influenced consumer and industry requirements of tomorrow.

From the Food Safety Modernization Act (Rule 204) in the U.S., Natasha’s Law in the UK, and The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive in the EU to the next generation of data carriers with Sunrise 2027 in the U.S., understand what steps need to be taken to deliver on heightened expectations for food safety and transparency.

Breakout Room

GFSI launched the Science and Technology Advisory Group in July 2021 as part of a broader commitment to demonstrate the organisation’s dedication to science-based decisions and enhanced oversight. In this breakout, members of the group will present findings from their first report, focusing on the value of science in food safety management. The session will allow delegates to become acquainted with initial members of the new group, understand its purpose and consider how scientific developments impact the food safety ecosystem as a whole.

Breakout Room

This breakout focuses on the critical elements that result in recruiting and training great food safety professionals, key priorities in GFSI’s current agenda. The speakers will include food safety educators, recruiters and employers, who will discuss the skills and competencies individuals must develop in order to become exemplary professionals in the field of food safety. The discussion will pay special attention to the challenges involved in training food safety professionals in developing markets, who are the frontline of the global food supply chain.

Plenary Room

Exhibition Area

Featuring special guest Sam Quy, Flamenco dancer on BBC Strictly Come Dancing!