GFSI Recognizes PrimusGFS Standard

The GFSI Board of Directors announced that the PrimusGFS Standard (v2.1 – December 2011) has been successfully benchmarked by GFSI and has achieved recognition against the GFSI Guidance Document Sixth Edition. The PrimusGFS Standard has been recognised against the following scopes:

BI - Farming of Plants
BII - Farming of Grains and Pulses
D - Pre-Process/Handling of Plant Prods
EII - Process Plant Perishable Products
EIII - Processing of Animal and Plant Perishable Products (Mixed Products)
EIV-Processing of Ambient Stable Products

The GFSI Benchmark Committee was led by Jill Hollingsworth, DVM, Food Safety Consultant who was joined by Gillian Kelleher - VP of Food Safety and QA, Wegmans and Gys Greeff, Supplier Quality Manager, The Coca-Cola Company (standing in for Nancy Shouppe, Food Safety Manager, The Coca-Cola Company).

The benchmarking process against the Sixth Edition is significantly different from the Fifth Edition, with strengthened requirements for the management of schemes and an expanded document that covers primary production, processing and supporting activities in a more robust way, taking a scope specific approach to eventually cover all parts of the food supply chain. The GFSI Benchmark Committee compared the updated requirements for food safety scheme ownership, management and supporting systems outlined in the GFSI Guidance Document Sixth Edition against the detailed documentation and objective evidence provided by PrimusGFS for each requirement. Once reviewed by the Benchmark Committee, the application was released to over 9000 GFSI stakeholders for a one-month global consultation, in line with the transparent approach to benchmarking that is embedded in the GFSI Guidance Document Sixth Edition. GFSI has responded directly to each and every stakeholder who commented during the consultation.

Yves Rey, Corporate Quality Manager, Danone and Chair of the GFSI Board commented that “GFSI is committed to providing a healthy selection of effective food safety management schemes extending across the food supply chain, and this is an example of another scheme that covers both the primary production and manufacturing sectors. The widespread global acceptance of the GFSI recognised schemes means that our benchmarking process is critical to building confidence in third party certification and reassuring buying companies that consistent audit results are achieved across all schemes.”

Kerry Bridges, PrimusGFS Scheme Director with Azzule Systems, the owner and manager of the PrimusGFS scheme commented “We are excited that the PrimusGFS scheme has been successfully re-benchmarked and recognized against the GFSI Guidance Document Sixth Edition.  We look forward to the transition and implementation of PrimusGFS version 2.1 with the help of our certification bodies to provide ongoing support and service to the broad spectrum of current and future users of PrimusGFS.”