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When it comes to packaging materials management, food safety certifications play a fundamental role and are a prerequisite for obtaining supplier qualification in large-scale retail trade. Therefore, although voluntary, they are now mandatory for operating in these sectors. Giulio Battistella, Technical Manager of CSQA , the agri-food safety and quality certification body, emphasized Italy's European leadership in certification quality and capacity for innovation in food-related issues. The main certifications are GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative), which establishes global standards for food safety throughout the supply chain at the international level.
The three best-known and most established are IFS Food, BRCGS Food, and FSSC 2200. What they have in common is their approach, which focuses not only on food safety but also on defining management requirements that provide guarantees of quality, performance, authenticity against fraud, and even support for complying with legal and regulatory obligations. It's worth remembering, as Battistella points out, that while these certifications are sometimes adopted instrumentally to enable operations in large-scale retail trade, their adoption and implementation creates a virtuous cycle, a working method that brings real benefits, not only in terms of reducing accidents and costs, but also in improving the culture of food safety within the company and its employees.
This is the most widely used certification; it is a private standard developed in the European large-scale retail sector under German influence and focuses on food safety and the quality of processes and products. It is applicable to all industries that process or package food products, with careful attention to the specifics of private labels.
This is another private certification, also developed in the large-scale retail sector, but of the "English school." Its objective is food safety, process and product control, with an approach based on risk assessment throughout the entire supply chain. It is applicable to all industries that process or package food products.
It is an independent standard (from the non-profit FSSC Foundation) and is based on ISO standards. It allows for the adoption of a systematic PRP management protocol, focusing on the real critical issues in the sector. It takes a supply chain approach and is therefore suitable for various contexts: livestock farming, feed, food, packaging, etc.).
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Source: Food Production & Hygiene