Renewed GFSI-CNCA Collaboration & Other Highlights from the 2019 China Focus Day

On 16th October at the GFSI China Focus Day in Chengdu, two momentous events cemented the renewed collaboration between GFSI and CNCA, the Certification and Accreditation Administration of China.

The two organisations, represented by Mr. Weijun Liu, CNCA and Mike Robach, Chair of the GFSI Board, signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding), renewing their commitment to work together to:

a) promote the adoption of best food safety practices globally;
b) drive food safety initiatives along the global supply chain;
c) promote the recognition of equivalence for relevant international certification activities where appropriate;
d) promote and share experiences on reducing food safety risks through third-party certification.

Later during the event, GFSI was delighted to announce the acknowledgement of China HACCP, a certification standard owned and maintained by CNCA, against Version 7 of the GFSI Technical Equivalence requirements. This comes as an important first step in this renewed collaboration supporting the GFSI vision of safe food for consumers everywhere.

The GFSI Technical Equivalence is a programme dedicated to government-owned standards; it is based on the content of the GFSI Benchmarking Requirements and acknowledges the robustness of national standards. GFSI congratulates CNCA on this achievement and looks forward to further collaborating on food safety in China.

The GFSI China Focus Day 2019 in Chengdu brought together more than 450 participants. It included plenary sessions around the theme Better Lives Through Better Food Safety as well as four parallel breakout sessions, which were the opportunity to explore both global and national achievements on key topics – capability building in food safety, collaboration and regulatory affairs, harmonisation and implementation of certification programmes and e-commerce food safety innovation.

The Focus Day was opened by Peter Freedman, Managing Director at The Consumer Goods Forum and Pingjiang Wang, Deputy Mayor of Sichuan City in Chengdu Province. Delegates heard from the top representatives of the Chinese State Administration for Market Regulation and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People’s Republic of China. The stage also welcomed CEOs and C-suite executives from the New Hope Group and COFCO Corporation along with other GFSI Board companies such as Danone, Costco, Mondelēz International and Walmart.

Now in its 8th edition, this Focus Day has proven a valuable tool for regional stakeholders from the private and public sector alike, who convene to explore the benefits of GFSI, share knowledge and strengthen their food safety networks.

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