On 27 February during the 2019 GFSI Conference, the four winners of the Global Markets Programme were announced. The Global Markets Awards are sponsored by Greenfence and this is the third year of what has become a key fixture during the conference week.
The Awards are designed to encourage smaller companies to overcome the challenge of food safety and are now widely seen as the hallmark of success in the food industry around the world. They are designed to help reduce hazards in global food supply chains and improve market access through certification against one of the GFSI-recognised certification programmes.
An integral part of Greenfence’s mission is to bring both consumers and suppliers further on the path to safer food worldwide and Mitch Chait, CEO and Founder of Greenfence spoke at the awards ceremony about what the programme and awards mean in terms of recognition and driving safe food for consumers everywhere.
“This is an amazing initiative and I would like to speak about the human side of the Global Markets Programme. Sometimes, you don’t get to physically see what goes on in deeper parts of the world where people are waking up at the crack of dawn and going to sleep at the end of a hard day. We applaud and recognise these suppliers that are working hard in supporting the major food manufacturers and retailers; it is not an easy job and often for them to approach the market is a big deal.
I have to give credit to GFSI for giving back; it is really a big deal to reach out to the community and recognise those smaller communities for the work that they do. It means a lot; yes, it is nice to be a sponsor, it is easy to write the cheque but we recognise that for those smaller suppliers out there, it is hard to do the work.
Three years ago, we were welcomed to a committee and we were throwing ideas around the table with the committee that develops these events that we see today. I have to give credit to the GFSI team for their open mindedness and inclusivity in recognising the importance of social responsibility and giving back to the community.
It was at one of those meetings that we came up with the idea of ‘wouldn’t it be great to reach out into these communities and identify these hard-working people that produce these products and to give them some recognition?’ In addition, we want to create a whole new culture and to merge them into the bigger community.
It really is a wonderful thing that they do and again, and I say to all of you in the audience, it is really important to drive awareness around what the GFSI does; to bring your colleagues to the next GFSI event and the one after and to speak about what it is like to participate in these programmes. Safe, quality food and nutrition for everyone in the world is a big mission, it’s a huge undertaking and the more people that show up every year, the more contribution the GFSI makes socially and I think that is really important.
So to Mike Robach and the rest of the GFSI team, Greenfence is honoured and delighted to be part of this programme and we thank you very much.”
Winners from Africa, Asia, France and LATAM took centre stage in their journey towards a world-class food safety system and the 2019 winners were announced as follows:
- Patisserie Ballion (France): the French patisserie completely reviewed their quality management system to be able to apply for certification through the integration of hygiene training and modernisation of its packaging line.
- Alfa Argentina (LATAM): the ingredients specialists made their food safety management system completely transparent. This used to be an internal activity but became a more interactive process involving suppliers, clients and even competitors.
- Golden Sugar Company (Africa): The sugar company boosted its client base beyond direct consumers to multinational industrial clients and reduced food safety related complaints.
- Ashfaq Brothers Eggs (Asia): To achieve the certification, work included advancing food and quality-related policies.
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