Food industry must change mindset ahead of GFSI Conference
Lloyd’s Register’s Kimberly Carey Coffin
The food and beverage industry must use the upcoming GFSI Conference to revisit its approach to change, according to leading global assurance provide, LRQA.
With consumer expectations, investor demands, and global events, accelerating the rate of change, LRQA is calling on the industry to focus on ‘how’ rather than ‘what’ they do to meet evolving goals. As such, LRQA’s global technical director for supply chain assurance, Kimberly Carey Coffin, will be speaking on the evolving risk landscape at the GFSI Conference 2023.
Taking place from 24 – 27 April in Atlanta, USA, the three-day event brings together food safety professionals from all over the world to discuss ongoing challenges and the future of food safety. Kimberly will lead discussions linked to GFSI’s theme for 2023 – Delivering Safe Food in Turbulent Times: The Need for Agility & Resilience – on the opening day of the conference.
Kimberly said: “The past three years have shown us that change in the risk landscape is inherent. It’s therefore crucial that food and beverage businesses have agile and resilient supply chains. Put simply, being agile and resilient is all about having the ability to move quickly, adapt and recover easily. In a food industry context, managing risk in a changing environment is essential so that delivery of safe food is not compromised.”
Kimberly’s talk will cover why now is the right time to extend views of risk as well as the processes and systems needed to mitigate it. She will also explore the critical role that data plays in establishing risk appetite and how it can drive organisational focus of resource on what really matters.
She adds: “Establishing a resilient business model requires a process-driven approach that evaluates threats and allows you to establish a framework or plan on how to respond to potential incidents.
“Organisations should take a step back to assess the suitability of current systems, processes and procedures. Key gaps must be identified to achieve a more harmonised risk-based approach to supply chain management. It’s a balancing act which takes into consideration your regulatory requirements and customer expectations, as well as internal commitments and objectives. At GFSI, I’ll explore the key areas that are really important in respect to maintaining food safety and quality during times of change. This is crucial as change is now the only constant for businesses, and perhaps the new greatest threat.”
Kimberly and the wider LRQA team will be available on stand 15-16 for any questions or further discussions.
For more information on the GFSI Conference 2023, click here. Or to find out more about LRQA, please visit: www.lrqa.com
