Canadian meat products producer Maple Leaf Foods has announced all its protein, ingredient and packaging suppliers must comply with a Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) by 2017.
"We committed to certifying our operations to GFSI-benchmarked standards five years ago and extending this commitment across our supply chain is an important and appropriate next step in our food safety leadership," said Michael McCain, Maple Leaf's president and CEO.
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Maple Leaf's manufacturing plants were certified to a GFSI-recognised scheme by 2011 and all of its manufacturing partners were required to achieve this by 2012. As from 2016 all of the company’s new meat and ingredients suppliers will be expected to meet this standard, while existing suppliers have until 2017 to meet the grade.
"We commend Maple Leaf for extending this requirement across its supply chain," said Karil Kochenderfer, GFSI's North American representative. "Given the company's prominence in the market, we see this as an important move to raise the bar even higher and give consumers greater confidence in the safety of the food they enjoy."
The company made the announcement at its 7th Annual Maple Leaf Food Safety Symposium, which was co-hosted by GFSI.
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