Farm certification standards organisation GlobalGAP and the United Fresh Produce Association are coming together to host a one-day conference on 11 June in Chicago, the day after the closing of the United Fresh trade show (8-10 June).
The 'Tour 2015' event will take place at the McCormick Place Convention Center, welcoming leading agricultural industry and government representatives and featuring a keynote address by the US Food and Drug Administration’s deputy commissioner Michael Taylor on the FDA’s view of the role of on-farm audits in the coming era of the landmark FSMA legislation.
Sessions examine topics including food safety harmonisation and audit fatigue reduction, the rising trend of going 'Beyond Food Safety' with a look into sustainability and worker welfare concerns, and the future role of third-party audits in the changing landscape of farm certification.
“These are critical issues for our industry, so I encourage you to consider extending your stay through Thursday’s conference,” said United Fresh CEO Tom Stenzel.
GlobalGAP president Kristian Moeller noted: “We greatly value our partnership with United Fresh and are pleased to offer our first North American Tour event in conjunction with their convention.”
GlobalGAP offers North American producers cost-effective, pre-farmgate certification standards through a network of 16 independently accredited auditing companies, with solutions ranging from basic and advanced GFSI-level food safety, to options including environmental sustainability and worker health/safety coverage, as well as customised packages.
“We are pleased to introduce to the US market our new Harmonized Produce Safety Standard (HPSS) solution,' said vice-president of operations Jonathan Needham. 'HPSS is an innovation in audit standards which includes the entire pre- and post-farmgate Harmonized Standards in a single combined checklist. Augmented with additional GlobalGAP control points, it offers the market the first GFSI-level interpretation of the Harmonized Standards, providing an excellent food safety solution for American producers.
'HPSS is an evolutionary step in audit fatigue reduction for farmers, and a simple, effective tool for retailers/distributors to protect their consumers, industry partners and brands,' he added.
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