NSF India organizes BRC Implementation Training in Visakhapatnam, India

NSF India organized two day training on BRC standards Issue 7 at Visakhapatnam on 23 & 24th Feb 2016. The aim of the training programme was to familiarize the participants on changes on Issue 7 standard for achieving better implementation.
 

NSF India invited as knowledge partner at "Panacea 2016-7th Natural Products Expo India" held on 24th Feb 2016 at World Trade Centre,Mumbai

NSF India shared dais with other panel experts at "Panacea 2016-7th Natural Products Expo India" held in Mumbai on 24th Feb 2016. The highly interactive conference involved presentations and discussions on the latest trends and development in emerging natural products market of South Asia.Jyoti Bhasin, Regional Director, spoke on innovation and consumer awareness for growth of natural products and how NSF has progressed to offer innovative assurance solutions to natural product industry in response of growing consumer awareness.

Welcome to NSF International - India Food Safety Blog

Welcome !
If you're in the food industry and have operations or suppliers in India, China or SE Asia then we hope you'll find this blog of value.
Asia
With a regional office in Bangkok, Thailand and test labs in Shanghai, China, NSF offers many services throughout Asia. This includes food safety testing, certification and auditing (including GFSI and seafood), as well as certification of foodservice equipment, consumer products, dietary supplements and drinking water treatment, distribution, filtration and plumbing products and components. In Japan, we audit and certify gas appliances and supply facilities. Management systems certification is also available.

NSF Safety and Certifications India Pvt limited is a subsidiary of NSF International a leading Public Health and Safety Company .

India operations help meet the growing international and in country demands for independent certification and auditing , It offers third-party services to the food, water, and consumer goods industries across India. The focus is on food and water safety.

Our services in India:

• Supplier auditing and development 
• Training for food standards, food security, product labeling, food safety and management system 
• Auditing and certification for HACCP, BRC, FSSC 22000, IFS, ISO 22000, Global GAP etc 
• Development of standards and codes of practice 
• Incident investigation and crisis management 
• Drinking water quality and component certification 
• Food equipment certification

NSF International Recognizes 2012 NSF Food Safety Leadership Award Winners

Annual program recognizes outstanding people and organizations helping to advance food safety


ANN ARBOR, Mich. (April 23, 2012) – NSF International, an independent global organization that writes public health standards, tests and certifies products for the food, water and consumer goods industries, is honored to announce the winners of the 2012 NSF Food Safety Leadership Awards. The awards were presented last week during the 2012 Food Safety Summit held at the Washington, D.C. Convention Center.
The NSF International Food Safety Leadership Awards program recognizes individuals and organizations that have made a real and lasting impact on food safety. NSF International created the awards program in 2004 to encourage the development of educational programs, processes or technologies that help advance global food safety. 
Each year, NSF International seeks nominations from leaders throughout the food safety community and convenes an independent panel of food safety experts from academia, industry and the regulatory community to select the winners. Nominations are evaluated based on creativity, innovation, design and the contributions made to the advancement of food safety. 
This year, three winners were recognized for their outstanding commitment to food safety: 

• 2012 NSF Food Safety Leadership Award for Research Advances
  Vijay K. Juneja, D.V.M., M.S., Ph.D., Lead Scientist, Predictive Microbiology for Food Safety, Eastern Regional Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
• 2012 NSF Food Safety Leadership Award Winner for Systems ImprovementEarthbound Farm, one of the nation’s largest producers of gourmet salad greens
• 2012 NSF Food Safety Leadership Lifetime Achievement Award WinnerEwen C.D. Todd, Ph.D., President, Ewen Todd Consulting and Former Director of Food Safety Policy Center, Michigan State University

“The work of Dr. Vijay Juneja, Will Daniels’ team at Earthbound Farm, and Dr. Ewen Todd has contributed to incredible and important discoveries and advances in food safety. Their leadership in applying science-based methods and research to solve important food safety issues embodies the spirit of NSF International’s Food Safety Leadership Awards. In presenting them with this award, we are also thanking them for their contributions to food safety and the protection of public health,” said Tom Chestnut, Vice President of Global Food Safety, NSF International.
The 2012 NSF Food Safety Leadership Award Winners:

Vijay K. Juneja, D.V.M., M.S., Ph.D., Lead Scientist, Predictive Microbiology for Food Safety, Eastern Regional Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of AgricultureDr. Vijay K. Juneja is a world renowned scientist and leading authority on microbiological safety of processed foods. He has devoted his career to conducting important applied research on pathogenic bacteria, which regulatory agencies and food companies throughout the supply chain utilize to solve problems and develop improved foods safety systems and standards.

His research has led to exceptional contributions in the areas of assessing and minimizing risks from emerging technologies, developing strategies for performing risk assessments on cooked and ready-to-eat foods, and diagnostic food microbiology. Because of the impact of his research accomplishments, Dr. Juneja was honored with Early Career (1998) and Senior Research Scientist (2002) awards from the USDA Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS); the Maurice Weber Laboratorian Award (2005) from the International Association for Food Protection; the Research and Development Award (2012) from the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT); and was elected Fellow of the IFT (2008). 
Dr. Juneja is highly regarded for his ability to develop and implement research programs that respond rapidly to changing industry and regulatory needs. His research has helped establish guidelines and performance standards for safe time-temperature parameters for cooking and cooling product in foodservice and food processing settings, ensuring that deadly pathogens are eliminated while maintaining the quality of the product. The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) routinely uses Dr. Juneja’s predictive models to evaluate the safety of cooked products after cooling. His models were also incorporated into the USDA Pathogen Modeling Program (PMP) and contributed to the development of ComBase, an international microbial modeling database. The PMP is used by 40 percent of FSIS-inspected food companies to determine compliance with stabilization (cooling) performance standards and is downloaded 8,000 times annually in over 35 countries. Regulatory agencies and Health and Human Services have applied Dr. Juneja’s research to help develop strategies to protect the public from a threatened or actual terrorist attack on the US food supply. 
“Dr. Juneja has established himself as a leader in microbial food safety at the national and international level. His research has been at the forefront in addressing important food safety issues, challenges, and concerns of the industry, regulators and consumers,” said John N. Sofos, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Meat Safety & Quality at Colorado State University.

Earthbound FarmDetecting and eliminating foodborne pathogens such as E. coli andSalmonella continues to be one of the greatest food safety challenges in the global food supply chain. In 2006, Earthbound Farm was at the center of a spinach E. coli outbreak, despite the fact that their food safety program at the time followed industry best practices and standards.

With the ultimate goal of improving the safety of their fresh-cut salad and other ready-to-eat produce, Earthbound Farm launched a first-of-its kind, robust testing and safety program just two weeks after the spinach outbreak was discovered. Earthbound Farm’s Multi-Hurdle Food Safety Program now tests each lot of fresh produce twice for pathogens of public health concern (e. coli O157:H7, non-O157 EHECs, Salmonella, Shigella) – upon arrival from a farm, and again when packaged products roll off processing lines. All lots are held until test results release them; any lots that test positive are destroyed. Earthbound also implemented pathogen prevention measures in the fields and plants, including pathogen testing of all inputs and water, inspections of harvest equipment, and additional food safety audits of workers.
As a result of Earthbound’s Multi-Hurdle Food Safety Program, 3,000 pounds of contaminated salad is prevented from reaching supermarkets each week (out of 2 million pounds processed). The rapid testing program also allows Earthbound to trace the source of contamination back to the farm within 24 hours. To help ensure the program utilizes the latest technology and information, Earthbound Farm’s Multi-Hurdle Food Safety program is also continuously re-evaluated by a Scientific Advisory Panel that consists of the nation’s leading scientists and food safety experts.
Led by one of the leading architects behind the program - Will Daniels, Senior Vice President of Quality, Food Safety and Organic Integrity - Earthbound’s Multi-Hurdle Food Safety Program serves as a model for the fresh produce industry to emulate. 
“Any meaningful advancement to provide the safest foods possible to the consumer results from a committed team effort championed by one key person. At Earthbound Farm, Will Daniels is that person. He had the vision to do what was necessary to assure that fresh and fresh-cut salads produced by Earthbound have the highest possible level of safety,” said Larry R. Beuchat, Distinguished Research Professor at The University of Georgia Center for Food Safety. 

Ewen C.D. Todd, Ph.D., President, Ewen Todd Consulting and Former Director of Food Safety Policy Center, Michigan State UniversityOver his 45-year career, Dr. Ewen Todd has made outstanding contributions in the areas of microbiology and public health. Dr. Todd has applied his research to help solve some of the world’s foremost food safety issues by developing methods to detect foodborne pathogens and establishing standards to conduct foodborne outbreak investigations. As a result, he has inspired multiple food safety professionals to do the same.

Dr. Todd is recognized internationally for his work on foodborne disease and its surveillance and costs, assessing the impact of seafood toxins on disease, and for developing microbial risk assessments and methods for detecting pathogens in foods. Global agencies such as The World Health Organization have sought out his expertise to help establish surveillance programs for the control of foodborne disease in Europe and Asia. 
He has also advocated for foodborne disease prevention and control strategies by promoting Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) systems, educating the public, and developing risk assessments for raw meat, eggs and fish. All of these initiatives have influenced research programs and regulatory approaches taken by the Health Protection Branch of Health Canada. Based on the excellence of Dr. Todd’s research, he earned Health Canada’s first ever Excellence in Science Award and achieved the highest possible level for a Research Scientists in Canada.
As a member of the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP), Dr. Todd helped design and write four internationally recognized manuals on how to investigate foodborne disease, waterborne, rodent-borne and arthropod-borne disease, and how to implement HACCP. In 2001, he was elected Fellow of the IAFP and awarded the Professional Institute of the Public Service in Canada’s 2001 Gold Medal in Pure or Applied Science. As a member of the NSF International Council of Public Health Consultants for more than four years, he has provided expertise and guidance to NSF in developing standards that help protect public health.
Dr. Todd has provided more than 400 national and international presentations on his research at industry conferences and regulatory meetings, written more than 120 peer-reviewed papers and 52 book chapters, contributed to 62 national and international reports, and developed 11 laboratory methods. Dr. Todd’s work has laid the foundation for today’s food safety professionals to help solve new and emerging food safety issues. 
“Dr. Todd exemplifies what the NSF Food Safety Leadership Lifetime Achievement Award represents with 45 years of outstanding service to improving food safety and reducing foodborne illnesses. He has not only greatly advanced the science in this area, he has also passed on his knowledge through his numerous publications, contributions to journals and professional organizations,” said Ernest Julian, Ph.D., Chief, Office of Food Protection, Rhode Island Department of Health.
The 2012 NSF Food Safety Leadership Award independent panel of jurors included: 

• Mary M. Adolf, M.S., R.D., Executive Director, International Pizza Hut Franchise Holders Association
• Shelley Feist, Executive Director, Partnership for Food Safety Education (PFSE)
• Donna Garren, Ph.D., Vice President, Regulatory and Technical Affairs, American Frozen Food Institute
• Jack Guzewich, formerly of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (retired)
• Ernest Julian, Ph.D., Chief of the Office of Food Protection, Rhode Island Department of Health
• Ronald S. Klein, formerly of the Food Safety and Sanitation program at the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (retired)
• Jim Mann, Founder and Executive Director, The Handwashing For Life Institute
• Donald Schaffner, Ph.D., Extension Specialist in Food Science, Rutgers University
• Katherine Swanson, President-Elect, IAFP, and Vice President of Food Safety, Ecolab Inc.
• David Theno, Ph.D., CEO, Gray Dog Partners Inc., Food Consulting
• Ewen C.D. Todd, Ph.D., President, Ewen Todd Consulting, and former Director of Food Safety Policy Center, Michigan State University*

For more information on the NSF Food Safety Leadership Awards, contact Kim Van Kirk at 734-913-5749 or vankirk@nsf.org. Click here to view photos of past NSF Food Safety Leadership Award winners.
Editor’s note: To schedule an interview with a NSF International food safety expert, contact Greta Houlahan at houlahan@nsf.org or 734-913-5723.
About NSF International:NSF International is an independent organization that writes standards, 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 and operates in more than 150 countries. NSF is a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Food and Water Safety and Indoor Environment.
The NSF Global Food Safety Division includes NSF Foodservice Equipment and Nonfood Compounds certification; food safety and quality auditing and certification through NSF Agriculture, NSF Consulting & Technical services and NSF-CMi; Global Food Safety Standards Certification (SQF, BRC, GlobalGAP, FSSC22000, IFS, Dutch HACCP); NSF Restaurant and Retail Food Safety programs; Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), Global Aquaculture Alliance Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP), HACCP validation and inspection through NSF Surefish Seafood Safety; bottled water/flavored beverage quality certification; and organic and gluten-free certification through Quality Assurance International (QAI).
Additional NSF International services include dietary supplement and nutritional ingredient certification, drinking water certification and safety audits, and management systems registrations (e.g. ISO 9001, 22000, 14001). 
* Ewen C.D. Todd, Ph.D., did not participate in selecting this year’s NSF Food Safety Leadership Lifetime Achievement Award. 

NSF Strengthens Food Safety and Quality Services in New Zealand and Australia with Acquisition

                                                                      

Expansion allows NSF International to grow capacity of services in New Zealand and Australia 

ANN ARBOR, Mich. and AUCKLAND, New Zealand – NSF International, a global organization with over 70 years experience in food safety auditing, training and consulting, has acquired the Burwater Pacific Group, a leading food safety training, auditing and consulting business based in New Zealand.

Through this acquisition, NSF International will expand food safety and quality services to a wider New Zealand and Australia food manufacturer and retail market. The Burwater Pacific Group has worked closely with NSF International for several years, providing food safety auditing and training services for NSF International clients in New Zealand.

The Burwater Pacific Group, led by Nigel Burrows, will be renamed NSF Burwater and become part of NSF International’s Food Safety and Quality Division, reporting to Peter Bracher, Managing Director, NSF International Asia Pacific. NSF Burwater will continue to run the New Zealand School of Hygiene Ltd, the Food Auditor Ltd, and Shoppers Anon Ltd., a leading mystery shopping service.

Both NSF International and the Burwater Pacific Group share a similar commitment to food safety, training and auditing services. With over 100 years of combined food safety experience, the NSF Burwater team will continue to lead food safety operations throughout New Zealand and Australia, supported by the added strength of NSF International’s technical experts in the US, Asia, Europe and Latin America.

Benefit of acquisition to NSF International food safety clients

As a result of the acquisition, multinational food businesses will have their food safety auditing, certification, training and consulting needs supported throughout New Zealand and Australia.

Services offered via NSF Burwater include:

·         Technical consulting – Services for new product launches including product development, label review and development, food control plans and HACCP development, micro and chemical sampling, internal auditing, training and product development.

·         Auditing services Franchise compliance and operational standards review and audits as well as global standards and third-party regulatory audits including high risk food categories.

·         Training and development Consultation, coaching and formal training in all areas from basic food handling to food safety program development and allergen management.

Benefit of acquisition to NSF Burwater clients

Existing NSF Burwater clients will now have access to NSF International’s extensive suite of services, helping food businesses to protect their customers and their brands.

“The addition of the Burwater Pacific Group to the NSF International Global Food Safety and Quality Division enables us to provide global auditing, certification, training and consulting services to the New Zealand and Australian food industry for our multinational retail customers and complements our current operations in the Asia-Pacific region, where we have offices in Korea, China, Thailand and India,” said Tom Chestnut, Senior Vice President, Food Safety and Quality, NSF International. “We welcome the expertise, strong reputation and shared commitment to food safety that the Burwater Pacific Group brings to NSF International’s food safety and quality business.”

“Burwater has already forged a strong working relationship with NSF International,” said Nigel Burrows, now Regional Director for NSF International in New Zealand and Australia. “The opportunity to have access to the technical expertise of NSF’s Food Safety and Quality services will benefit New Zealand and Australian Food businesses on a local and global level. We are extremely excited to be part of NSF International as their global leadership in Food Safety and Quality will benefit our existing and new clients.”

The highly experienced team in New Zealand will remain with NSF Burwater. Co-founder Nigel Burrows has over 30 years of food safety experience including an extensive background in all aspects of food safety implementation, communications, training and program design for the manufacturing, retail and the hospitality industries, as well as compliance and internal auditing. Upon earning qualifications in Environmental Health and Education in the U.K., Burrows moved to New Zealand where he held a number of environmental health and food safety roles for the local and central government and in private industry.

Tracey Burrows, Burwater co-founder, also has significant food industry experience. She will continue lead the NSF Burwater Shoppers Anon service for and provide other key management support, including the high level customer service, for which they are known.

For more information about the NSF International Food Safety and Quality Program, please contact Peter Bracher at pbracher@nsf.org or +0066 2650 3080101 or Dan Fone, Director of Global Business Development for Food Safety at dfone@nsf.org or +1-734-214-6241.

Editor’s note: To schedule an interview with an NSF International expert, please contact Liz Nowland-Margolis at media@nsf.org or +1 734-418-6624.

About the Burwater Pacific Group

The Burwater Pacific Group (burwater.co.nz) was founded in 1985 and is comprised of a number of complimentary businesses involved in training, food safety and video production. More recently, Burwater Pacific incorporated regulatory auditing and covert assessment as a part of the suite of services. The team is passionate about food safety and has worked throughout the food chain in New Zealand and Australia including agriculture, manufacture and transport as well as in retail and hospitality. The company was acquired by NSF International in January, 2016. As NSF Burwater, the company continues to follow its original tenet of “making a difference.”

About NSF International

NSF International (nsf.org) 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 (GFSI) certification (SQF, BRC, GLOBALG.A.P., IFS, FSSC 22000, BAP and CanadaGAP), HACCP validation and inspection, label claims verification and certification (including GMO transparency, gluten-free, honey traceability and kosher), and organic food certification through Quality Assurance International (QAI). We also offer expert auditing, consulting, technical services and DNA testing. NSF is also the leading certifier of foodservice equipment and nonfood compounds.

 Publish on January 18,2016 on  below link

http://www.nsf.org/newsroom/nsf-international-strengthens-food-safety-and-quality-services-in-new-zeala

NSF International Publishes Consumer Guide to Certified Water Filtration Devices for Lead Reduction

The easy-to-use guide is provided in response to the Flint water issue and lists water filters that are certified by NSF International to reduce lead in drinking water

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - NSF International has published an easy-to-use consumer guide to water filters that have been tested and certified by NSF International to reduce lead in drinking water. This guide also explains the NSF standards and the process by which NSF International verifies a filter’s ability to reduce lead in drinking water.

The guide lists the water filters certified by NSF International for lead reduction along with the proper replacement cartridge (element) that should be used with each system. It includes information about the different types of NSF certified water filtration systems to help consumers know which system best fits their home or business. Additionally, the guide includes information about the importance of replacing filter cartridges (elements) and NSF International’s robust testing and certification process. The guide will be updated when new products have been certified. The link to the guide can be found here:http://www.nsf.org/info/leadfiltrationguide.

NSF certified product listings can be found at this link as a pdf to view or print:http://www.nsf.org/newsroom_pdf/water_lead_water_guide_listings-only.pdf.

IMPORTANT: NSF International would like to remind everyone using NSF certified water filters that it is important to change the filter regularly, according to the manufacturer’s recommended filter capacity, in order for the filters to continue to reduce lead and other contaminants for which they are certified.

Consumers can email info@nsf.org with any questions about water filters NSF certified for the reduction of lead.

Editor’s Note: Media seeking additional information or to arrange interviews can contact Liz Nowland-Margolis at media@nsf.org or +1 734-418-6624.

About NSF International: NSF International is an independent global organization that writes standards, and tests and certifies products for the food, drinking water, health sciences 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.

We @ NSF: Imagine + Believe + Achieve

                                                   

             

Five Steps to Manage a Food Safety Crisis

This is continuation of our earlier post on Food Traceability

Part 2 – The Five Steps

1. Don’t Panic – you need to act quickly to demonstrate that you care about your customers, but there’s no point taking action before you know the facts. Call your team together for a crisis meeting. Include the technical and operations people who will know the details. Get all the facts out into the open in at atmosphere of ‘no blame’. Keep records of the meeting to demonstrate that you took immediate and effective action.

2. Quantify the Risk – use your traceability system to identify the defective batches and the geographical spread. How far down the supply chain has the product gone? The risk assessment needs to be quick - minutes not days.

3. Take prompt action to control the risks – any delay now will send a clear message to your customers that you do not care about their health. If appropriate, take immediate action to stop production. Quarantine products from the defective batch in your stores and goods-out bays. Inform the businesses you have supplied to and ask them to hold all products pending collection.

4. Consider a Public Recall – if the effected products have reached the retail outlets and have been sold to customers, then you need to do a public recall. There are currently very few recalls in India, but this will change as more major food brands develop. Prepare a Press Release that states the key facts and is written in a factual way that does not create alarm. Most recall press releases start with a phrase along the following lines; ‘We strive to ensure that all our products are perfectly safe and the health of our customers is our primary concern, however .... ‘. Provide clear details of product description, code numbers and dates. Provide a phone number so people can call for more details.
Inform the FSSAI. Send the press release to the local papers in the relevant areas and also to your retail outlets. Ask retail outlets to display the release in a prominent place.

5. Carry out a Review - have you taken action to prevent a recurrence? Did your traceability system and communication plan work? What was the response of your customers? Use the results of the review to develop your plans and improve your systems.


The first time a company does a public recall there may be a hit on reputation, but this is nothing compared to the damage caused by not doing a recall until you are found out. In time, the public will realise that it is the responsible companies who do recalls and that they are part of an effective process to protect their health.

NSF-GIZ Workshop on Food Export to Europe and Germany @ Le Meridian on 21st & 22nd Dec 2015

BRC GLOBAL STANDARDS AND NSF INTERNATIONAL DELIVERED SUCCESSFUL JOINT ROADSHOWS IN INDIA