The Consumer Goods Forum’s Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) has selected its new Benchmarking and Harmonization Working Group to develop and maintain GFSI Benchmarking Requirements (BMR). Co-chaired by Andrew Clarke, M.Sc., Senior Director of Quality Assurance at Loblaw Companies Ltd., and Leda Touliatou, M.Sc., M.S., Head of Quality and Food Safety at Nestlé, the group will integrate updates from international standards including ISO 22003 and relevant Codex Codes of Practice, aiming to deliver a new set of BMR by the end of 2024.

The working group will focus on a specific list of priorities defined by the GFSI Technical Subcommittee, which includes clarifying and refining the intent of specific BMR elements, with an emphasis on transparency and inclusivity in its process. Details of the upcoming work plan are expected in the coming weeks, with work beginning May 21, 2024.

GFSI will engage with an array of stakeholders, including certification program owners, certification bodies, accreditation bodies, and regulatory agencies, and will open consultations for stakeholder comments starting as early as July 2024.