Welcome message from the IAB Chairman Geoff Spriegel
The start of 2020 provides an ideal opportunity to reflect on the topics of discussion at the International Advisory Boards over the last year.
2019 saw the creation of the Advisory Board for the Asia Pacific. An excellent group of Senior Technical Executives have been appointed which has already made a significant contribution to identifying how BRCGS can support businesses to assure food safety for their customers and consumers and protect their brand reputation, with a network of contacts established covering China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam and beyond that the BRCGS team are busily building upon.
Discussions among the European and North American Board have focused on the need to support small businesses and the potential role of the BRCGS START! program. In addition there is growing recognition that the consistent achievement of high levels of food safety requires not only a thorough technical understand of how food safety is achieved but this must be aligned to a strong and supportive culture within an organisation. The BRCGS Professional qualification and the Food Safety Excellence module are therefore gaining significant interest in helping to achieve a sustainable food safety operation.
As ever the issues of quality and consistency of audits and auditors is a recurring theme during all Board discussions. Trust in the Schemes is obviously central to BRCGS’s core mission and ideas and suggestion to enhance the BRCGS Compliance Program will be welcome to help establish a clear point of difference over competitor Schemes - and support the considerable investment made by BRCGS in this vital area.
Thank you all for your support in 2019 - my best wishes to all for 2020