By Jaan Koel
There are strong forces at play encouraging advancement of food safety on one hand, and sustainable packaging on the other.
On the food safety front, for instance, the inordinate rise of food borne illness and daily food recalls has compelled governments to pass new legislation to improve traceability and transparency in food manufacturing. The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) in the U.S.A., and the Safe Food for Canadians Act are examples.
Also, retailers wanting greater harmonization of existing food safety standards, and a way to reduce audit fatigue in verifying producer compliance, created a common benchmarking system with the launch of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) in 2000. Thousands of producers across the globe are now registered with GFSI.