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What are good manufacturing practices (GMPs)?

According to Sonia Akbarzadeh, Founder and Partner of Food Industry Consulting, who recently hosted a webinar (Intro to cGMPs: The Building Blocks to GFSI Compliance), GMPs ensure products are consistently produced and controlled according to quality standards and are considered the foundation of any food safety program, as they provide the necessary environmental and operating conditions for the production of high quality and safe foods. 

GMPs are required before any advanced programs like HACCP can be implemented. They are designed in the form of detailed programs and procedures that include guidelines to instruct employees on proper practices to prevent, eliminate, or reduce food safety hazards. But why are GMPs so important? 

Despite the positive influence and guidance set forth by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), one-third of all food manufacturers have yet to start on the GFSI journey and another third are still in the beginning stages - that's two-thirds of the whole industry! 

Why should food manufacturers care about GFSI? How does GFSI relate to FSMA? We asked respected journalist Heather Angus-Lee to share her insight into these questions and others.