NSF-CMi Africa and Genesis QA recently launched the Genesis Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) standard for food safety in Johannesburg and Cape Town. Developed specifically for small to medium enterprise, it is designed to assess entry-level food processors abilities to comply with food-safety requirements.
NSF-CMi Africa, part of NSF International, provides technical and risk services, assurance, certification and consultation in the global food supply chain and has been appointed by Genesis QA to administer their GMP certification scheme in South Africa.
With the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) changing the landscape of consumer protection, its impact will be felt across areas from product safety to responsible marketing practices. As consumers can claim compensation if they are sold inferior-quality products or treated unjustly, it is critical to ensure that all safety, quality and legal requirements stipulated by the retail industry are complied with.
With so many standards available, how would retailers and manufacturers know which is the best standard of choice?
“We identified a need in the South African food industry for an entry-level food-manufacturing standard and developed this specifically to help smaller concerns pinpoint vulnerable areas and highlight opportunities to gain a competitive edge. As the CPA expects the supply chain to demonstrate compliance with legal requirements, food manufacturers need to be confident that they will be able to defend due diligence in their supply chain. Genesis is a practical tool that covers all food sectors and food-manufacturing sites and we are confident it is a very good standard that will add value,” says Wouter Conradie, MD of NSF-CMi Africa.
Genesis has been benchmarked against local and international accredited standards and ensures legal compliance. Its scope covers areas of quality, hygiene and product safety. In terms of the hierarchy of food standards, Genesis GMP consists of the minimum legal requirements of R918, SANS 10049, CODEX GMP with some elements of HACCP and management commitment. According to Conradie, it also fulfils a useful role as there is no national entry-level standard, aimed at the small food market, which is independent from any particular retailer.
“The audits for this new standard are designed to be compatible with more demanding food-safety standards such as BRC, IFS Food, ISO 22 000 or FS 22000, with upgrading to a higher standard becoming a logical, progressive step,” he adds.
HACCP would inherently follow Genesis GMP, followed by the GFSI benchmarked standards, BRC Global Food Standard, IFS Food and FSSC 22000.
In July, NSF-CMi Africa will launch Genesis GAP to help small farmers develop their agricultural standards.
