In a statement posted on its website, the Canadian firm, which owns meat brands including Maple Leaf, Schneiders and Mina, said: “We committed to certifying our operations to GFSI-benchmarked standards five years ago and extending this commitment across our supply chain is an important and appropriate next step in our food safety leadership.”
According to Maple Leaf Foods, GFSI is an industry initiative providing information and guidance on food safety management systems necessary for safety along the supply chain.
Maple Leaf’s manufacturing facilities were certified to a GFSI recognised scheme by 2011 and all of its manufacturing partners were required to achieve this by 2012. In 2016, the company will begin to expect all new meat and ingredient suppliers to meet this standard, with all existing meat and ingredient suppliers reaching this standard, starting in 2017.