Global Food Safety Firm NSF International and Euro Consultants Group Join Forces

Merger strengthens both organizations’ food safety services in EMEA market

ANN ARBOR, Mich. USA and WAVRE, Belgium – NSF International, a global organization with over 70 years of experience in food safety auditing, training and consulting, has completed the acquisition of  Euro Consultants Group (ECG), a leading food safety and quality service company based in Wavre, Belgium. 

Both NSF International and Euro Consultants Group share a similar commitment to food safety, training, auditing and consulting, earning them strong reputations within the food service industry. This merger with ECG expands NSF International’s footprint throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) as well as its technical capabilities in food safety and quality, which helps companies and institutions build and integrate effective food safety and quality management systems throughout the global supply chain.  Services offered include supply chain and retail food safety auditing, training in food safety and hygiene regulations, as well as in market and legal requirements, and grant-funded consulting projects for the EU Food Safety Authority.  Clients supported through these services include major EU retailers, and European food service and QSR sectors. ECG also helps small to medium-sized enterprises and institutions with obtaining financing and market access for their products.

Founder and ECG President Jean-Jacques Adam and ECG CEO Philippe Pierco remain in their roles. The organization will now be called NSF Euro Consultants and will become an important part of the NSF International Global Food Division’s Consulting and Technical Services group, which is led by Managing Director Serban Teodoresco.

ECG, founded in 1990, promotes the one-stop shopping concept and high values of flexibility and services across Europe, Africa and the Middle East, through 14 subsidiaries that span ten countries: Belgium, France, Tunisia, Bulgaria, Romania, Canada, Morocco, Poland, Rwanda and Ivory Coast.

Benefit of Merger to NSF International and NSF Euro Consultants Food Safety Clients

As a result of the merger, NSF International will have a wider geographic footprint for its food safety consulting, auditing, certification and training services, which are offered throughout the EMEA region in support of regional and global food service organizations and retailers. NSF Euro Consultants’ clients now will have access to NSF International’s extensive range of global food safety and quality services, which help food businesses protect their customers and their brands in every market in which they operate. These include accredited services and technical expertise across all supply chain sectors, including agriculture, animal feed and welfare, produce, processing, distribution, dairy, seafood, quality management software, retail and restaurants. Clients also will have the support of NSF International food safety auditors and consultants who operate in more than 160 countries.

Together, NSF International and NSF Euro Consultants provide global services including:

1.       Food fraud mitigation – In addition to ECG’s strong consulting expertise, NSF helps companies identify and minimize food fraud risk throughout their complex food supply network. NSF also provides forensic analysis and advanced testing capabilities such as DNA identity testing and chemical analysis to create a comprehensive, science-based approach to predicting and preventing fraud.

2.       Supply chain food safety – Together, NSF and ECG can deliver food safety certification services anywhere in the world, particularly to small and medium-sized enterprises seeking compliance to Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI)-benchmarked standards to gain access to local or international markets. NSF also brings innovative new technologies like TraQtion, an NSF-developed quality and compliance software that helps retailers, restaurants and manufacturers proactively manage their supply chain, sites and product quality all in one place.

3.       Retail food safety – ECG’s core competence in retail and foodservice consulting combined with NSF’s leadership in training and commercial food equipment certification delivers a comprehensive training, auditing and consulting approach to food safety, particularly for multinational retail, restaurant and catering companies requiring consistent brand protection measures across all markets.

4.       Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) – The addition of ECG’s European operations to NSF’s global auditing capabilities allows both organizations to provide consistent auditing and consulting services for companies producing food both in and outside of the U.S. to verify compliance with FSMA requirements. As Europe is a primary exporter to the United States, the food industry can count on our geographical footprint on both sides of the Atlantic.

5.       Consumer insights  – NSF clients gain access to ECG’s dedicated sensory analysis labs and market research team, providing clients with market research services related to strategic positioning, commercial potential, feasibility studies, competitive positioning, product benchmarking, customer satisfaction surveys and market research for virtually any consumer product category.

“We can now offer our clients services wherever they need them,” said Jean-Jacques Adam, founder and President of Euro Consultants Group. “This includes expanded testing, training and educational services, and leading-edge supply chain food safety and quality management software from NSF International’s Global Food Division. We are proud to be part of NSF International as we believe they share our values and our passion. This merger will greatly benefit our existing and new clients and it opens new career development opportunities for our employees.”

“Euro Consultants Group brings new and expanded consulting, auditing and training services to our multinational retail, food service and restaurant customers, particularly for our clients operating throughout the EMEA region,” said Tom Chestnut, Senior Vice President of NSF International’s Global Food Division. “Euro Consultants Group has a robust network of experienced consultants and has maintained a strong reputation within the food service industry and at a broader institutional level.  We appreciate the stalwart reputation, technical expertise and operational support that they bring to NSF International, along with their proficiency in research, training and supervision to improve food safety and quality.”

Client seeking more information can contact Serban Teodoresco, Global Managing Director of NSF International’s Consulting and Technical Group, at steodorescu@nsf.org  or +1-514-457-7029, or Dan Fone, Director of Global Business Development for Food Safety, at dfone@nsf.org or +1-734-214-6241.

Editor’s note: For questions, please contact Kelly Ingerly, Media Manager, at media@nsf.org or +1 734-827-6850  or Candice Adam, Communications Manager for Belgium and France, at c.adam@euroconsultants.be or +32-496-62-08-10.

About Euro Consultants Group   www.euroconsultants-group.com/en/

Euro Consultants Group was established in 1990 in Wavre (Belgium). ECG provides a full range of food safety, quality and consulting services. ECG is a one-stop shop that helps to improve the efficiency and competitiveness of a company through management consulting. ECG operates mainly in agri-food and agro-industrial fields and is active in developing business-to-business and business-to-institution activities with its clients. For business-to-business activities, ECG specializes in management consulting to improve the efficiencies for food industries, retailers and caterers. ECG is a fully integrated partner for all stages of development and aims to optimize the systems and processes of production, R&D, after-sales service and marketing. Other services include counseling, advice, training, auditing, operational assistance, laboratory investigations, complaint management and research. ECG offers a broad range of activities in technical and development assistance for business-to-institution activities. When working on development projects and providing technical assistance guidance, ECG is able to rely on its pool of internal specialist experts (e.g. vets, agricultural engineers, MDs) in addition to over 2,000 project management teams as well and specialists. Due to its comprehensive knowledge of both private and public management, ECG has significant experience in seeking institutional funding for organizations in the market. Since 2015, ECG has developed a strategic partnership with the Belgian Bankers Academy. 

About NSF International www.nsf.org

NSF International is a global independent organization that writes standards, and tests and certifies products for the food, water and consumer goods industries to minimize adverse health effects and protect the environment (nsf.org). Founded in 1944, NSF is committed to protecting human health and safety worldwide. NSF International is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Center on Food Safety, Water Quality and Indoor Environment.

The NSF Global Food Division provides expertise and accredited services across all supply chain sectors, including agriculture, animal feed and welfare, produce, processing, distribution, dairy, seafood, quality management software, retail and restaurants. Services include Global Food Safety Initiative, foodservice equipment and nonfood compounds certification, HACCP validation and inspection, label claims verification and certification, DNA and food package testing, product and process development, and organic and Certified Transitional certification through Quality Assurance International (QAI).  NSF also offers expert auditing, consulting and training. 

NSF India is organizing BRC Internal Auditor Training Course by BRC Approved Training Partner on 03 and 04 August 2016 in Gurgaon, Haryana.

Internal Auditor Training Program
Duration	: (02) Two Days
Training Dates	: 03rd  & 04th  August, 2016
Timing	: 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM
Training Fees	:  INR 12,000 + service tax as applicable per participant.
Location	: Gurgaon, India

Internal Auditor (Applicable to all Standards) - 2 day Course by BRC

Description: The course is delivered through a mixture of workshop led discussions, practical activities and PowerPoint presentations. On day two delegates are required to undertake a live audit (case study based) where delegates are required to apply the skills and techniques they acquired on day one. Delegates will be given feedback on how they performed during the case study and how they can improve on their auditing techniques.

Aimed At

• Quality and Technical Managers
• Personnel responsible for managing an internal auditing schedule
• Personnel responsible for undertaking internal audits as required by BRC Standards.

Main Points
Previous knowledge:

An understanding and working knowledge of Quality Management Systems within the relevant manufacturing/processing environment would be a distinct advantage, but is not essential

Benefits to your organization:

The course will give delegates a full understanding of how to undertake internal audits and prepare companies for Third Party Audits.

Tutors will focus on:

• BRC audit concepts
• The internal audit
• Auditor skills
• Audit report writing
• Interactive workshops with various case studies

Assessment methodology:

The method of assessment will be through:

• Ongoing assessment of delegates throughout the course
• Delegates undertake a work place audit and submitting an audit report for assessment

Event: BRC Internal Auditor Course (applicable to all Standards) - 2 day Course

Dates: 3^rd and 4^th August 2016

Location: Gurgaon, Haryana

Cost: 12,000/  + Taxes per participant

        

For more information and registration, please contact undersigned and share your details:

Name :

Designation :

Email :

Phone :

Company Name: 

Many Thanks,
Arpit Goel
+91-9650621118

NSF International Expands Dietary Supplement Testing and Certification Programs in Europe

NSF International laboratory in Germany to support growing demand for independently tested nutritional supplements in Europe

ANN ARBOR, Mich. and RHEDA-WIEDENBRÜCK, Germany – NSF International, the global leader in dietary supplement product testing and certification, is now offering these services in Europe, through its German laboratory, NSF Erdman Analytics.

The program includes GMP auditing, dietary supplement ingredient testing, next-Generation DNA sequencing, and finished product certification. The program’s flagship NSF Certified for Sport® program also screens supplements on a lot-by-lot basis for over 200 athletic banned substances from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), USADA, NSF Annex B, and many professional sports lists.

The NSF Certified for Sport® program is adhered to by major North American professional sports organizations such as the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), National Hockey League (NHL), Professional Golf Association (PGA) and Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), as well as the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES), all of whom seek help ensuring the supplements used by their athletes do not contain banned substances.

NSF International is the leading certifier of dietary supplements in the U.S. and globally, having developed the official American National Standard for dietary supplements (NSF/ANSI 173 – Dietary Supplements). More than 800 supplement products and ingredients are certified to the NSF/ANSI 173 dietary supplement standard.

NSF International operates a DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory in Germany and worldwide. It provides routine product monitoring and specialist requests through state-of-the-art laboratory equipment and skilled, continuously trained expert staff. Services at this laboratory continue to expand into sports nutrition and dietary supplement testing to meet increasingly specialized customer testing and accreditation needs across Europe.

As dietary supplements are produced from a complicated, global supply chain, manufacturers are testing their raw ingredients and certifying their finished product to ensure their safety and quality. NSF International also offers ingredient testing in China via its NSF Shanghai laboratory for companies sourcing ingredients from Asia.

European ingredient suppliers and manufacturers can save time and cost via the NSF International dietary supplement program, which includes NSF’s next-generation DNA sequence testing for dietary supplement ingredients and finished products.

The NSF International dietary supplement testing and certification program has three components: Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) registration, NSF dietary supplement certification and NSF Certified for Sport® certification.

Manufacturing facilities must pass twice annual audits to earn GMP registration before they can move on to earn NSF International’s dietary supplement certification. The dietary supplement certification process includes label claim, toxicology and contaminant reviews with ongoing monitoring to verify compliance through periodic auditing and testing.

The NSF Certified for Sport® Certification is the highest level of NSF certification for dietary supplements. In addition to the testing and auditing required for GMP and NSF dietary supplement certification, products are also tested on a lot-by-lot basis for over 200 athletic banned substances.

NSF Erdmann Analytics’ scientists have the expertise and instrumentation to evaluate the composition of dietary supplement ingredients including vitamins, minerals, herbs and botanicals, amino acids, sports supplements, concentrates, metabolites, constituents and extracts. The lab’s main testing services include qualitative or quantitative tests of functional components, nutrition labeling, and method development and testing for heavy metals, pesticide residues allergens, microbial contaminants and athletic banned substances.

The lab also provides next-generation DNA sequencing testing which can identify more than 10,000 species of botanicals, animals, fungi and bacteria in raw ingredients and finished products.

The official launch of the NSF International dietary supplement programs in Europe will take place May 10 – 12, 2016 at Vitafoods Europe in Geneva, Switzerland. Several NSF International experts will be available to discuss NSF International programs and will present at the conference:

• Robert Pietrowski, Ph.D., Vice President of NSF Global Health Sciences, NSF International, will present:
  • Assuring the Safety of Dietary Supplements Through a Combination of State-of-the-Art Analytical Techniques and Robust Good Manufacturing Practices. His presentation will focus on the key role of GMPs in ensuring dietary supplement safety and quality, the importance of a well-designed quality control system and the value of DNA-based analytical techniques in confirming supplement ingredient safety.
  • Toxic Weeks and Fraudulent Filler: Target Specific DNA Sequencing (TSDSTM). This presentation will focus on NSF AuthenTechnologies’ Target Specific DNA Sequencing (TSDSTM) as the leading technology for detection and identification of species in almost any natural product – from raw meats and seafood to highly processed botanical supplements containing extracts.
• David Trosin, Director of Business Development, Dietary Supplements, NSF International, will participate in the keynote panel discussion Raising the Bar: Driving Quality, Safety and Consumer Trust in Sports Nutrition. The conversation will focus on sport supplements and the next steps required to drive quality, safety and consumer trust within the industry.
• Steve Taormina, Business Development Manager – Consumer Values Verified, NSF International, will present Non-GMO Standards and Labeling: A Global Overview to update European companies on wider regulatory changes in the food category. Taormina will discuss North America’s two voluntary non-GMO certification programs: Non-GMO Project and NSF True North Non-GMO. He will also provide an update on U.S. regulations and requirements for finished products and ingredients.

“More than 800 supplement products and ingredients are certified to the NSF/ANSI 173 dietary supplement standard and to NSF Certified for Sport®,” said Dr. Robert Pietrowski, Vice President of NSF Global Health Sciences, NSF International. “Retailers and consumers want to know they can trust the safety and quality of supplements and now with NSF International’s dietary supplement testing and certification capabilities at our German laboratory, supplement manufacturers with facilities in and around Europe can save time and cost while they provide safer and high quality dietary and sport supplements.”

Editor’s Note: Media seeking additional information or to arrange interviews with NSF International experts before, during or after Vitafoods Europe can contact Heather Taylor, Marketing Director, Health Sciences, NSF International at +32-478-262192 or Elizabeth Jones, VP, Marketing, Communications, Business Development, NSF International at +1 734-799-1600

About NSF International: NSF International is an independent global organization that writes standards, and tests and certifies products for the health sciences, food, water and consumer goods industries to minimize adverse health effects and protect the environment (nsf.org). Founded in 1944, NSF is committed to protecting human health and safety worldwide. Operating in more than 165 countries, NSF International is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Center on Food Safety, Water Quality and Indoor Environment.

NSF International developed the only American National Standard for dietary supplements (NSF/ANSI 173) and tests and certifies supplements to this standard.

About NSF International Laboratories: NSF has an established network of laboratories throughout North America, Latin America, Europe and China, with a professional staff of engineers, microbiologists, toxicologists, chemists, public health experts and certification specialists. NSF labs worldwide are accredited to ISO/IEC 17025. Our labs provide a wide range of testing, certification and technical services across all industries, including include dietary supplement and nutritional ingredient certification; food safety testing for retail food, growers, processors and seafood; soil testing; environmental impact studies for the energy and agrochemical sectors; and toxicity studies for agribusiness.

NSF International and its family of companies hold a variety of European accreditations including: United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) and Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle (DAkkS).

NSF India is organizing the BRC Issue 7 - Third Party Auditor Training Program on 23 – 27 May 2016 in Bangalore.

BRC Issue 7 - Third Party Auditor Training Program
Duration	: (05) Five Days
Training Dates	: 23rd  -  27th May, 2016
Timing	: 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM
Training Fees	: INR 35,000 + service tax as applicable per participant.
Location	: Bangalore, India

Global Standard for Food Safety Issue 7 - Third Party Auditor 

Description: This new course for auditors has been extended to allow time for the inclusion of the soft skills that auditors will be tested for by GSFI. It will provide an understanding of the Standard in terms of the new protocol and requirements as well as how to apply them in audit situation. As well as providing an in-depth guide to the requirements of the Standard, delegates will also learn how to undertake a BRC audit including the planning and reporting of the audit. This course will provide delegates with an in-depth understanding of the revisions to the format and content of the Standard and includes particular reference to the changes in response to the issues and concerns of the food industry. The course is designed to equip delegates with the skills and knowledge to successfully implement the Standard on-site.

Delegates must have a working knowledge of quality management systems and auditing within the relevant manufacturing sector.

Delegates should also have completed a HACCP course of at least two days duration.

Aimed At:

•          Certification body auditors or new auditors seeking registration         
•          Technical and Quality Managers who wish to gain an in-depth understanding of the audit process        
•          Consultants and ATPs

Main Points:

 To provide an understanding of:    

•       The background and benefits of the Standard         
•          The details of the scheme         
•          Auditing Principles        
•          Effective auditing techniques
•          Food safety auditor competencies as defined by GFSI         
•          Compliance monitoring of certification bodies        
•          The BRC Director                

For more information please contact undersigned and share your details:

Navin Sharma

Senior Business Development Manager

Mobile: 91-9818880287 

Email: nsharma@nsf.org   

 

NSF INTERNATIONAL conducted FOUR HOUR GMP(Good Manufacturing Practice) TRAINING PROGRAME in BISLERI Ghaziabad on 30^th March 2016 for sharing knowledge about all aspects of production from the starting materials, premises and equipment to the training and personal hygiene of staff as well as workers. Training was delivered in our native language.It was full of animations, quiz, and lots of activities and all participants contributed enthusiastically. Some of the photos of the training are shared below :