U.S. Foodservice Stresses Food Safety Standards

ROSEMONT, Ill. -- During its participation in the Global Food Safety Initiative's (GFSI) Global Food Safety Conference in London last week, U.S. Foodservice stressed that suppliers need to keep focused on food safety standards.

At the conference, Jorge Hernandez, senior vice president of food safety and quality assurance, U.S. Foodservice, presented "The Impact of Food Safety GFSI-Recognized Schemes to the Business - A Case Study." The study detailed the results of a recent survey of food processing safety, quality assurance and sales professions highlighting the challenges and benefits of achieving GFSI food safety certification.

"It's essential that suppliers recognize the important role they play in the safety of our food supply," Hernandez said. "At U.S. Foodservice, we require our private label food suppliers to apply the GFSI standards. The survey results helped us identify areas of concern or difficulty among suppliers in implementing the critical GFSI food safety guidelines in their day-to-day operations."

And the efforts are paying off. According to Hernandez, food processors that have begun working towards compliance with GFSI standards reported improved food safety, quality and a reduction in third-party audit requests from customers. "Today, food comes from all over the globe," he said. "It is essential to create standardized food safety practices to ensure the health and safety of our food supply. U.S. Foodservice is confident the GFSI certifications provide the framework for enhanced customer protection."