Amsterdam, the Netherlands, 20 June 2024
Together with its partner Certification Bodies, Accreditation Bodies, members of the independent Board of Stakeholders, and Advisory Committees, Foundation FSSC celebrated its 15th anniversary at the annual FSSC Insights Event in Amsterdam on 19 and 20 June 2024. It was a discovery tour from the beginning of the Foundation’s journey in 2009 to today, celebrating 15 years and beyond, along with three hundred industry professionals from all over the globe attending the event.
Foundation FSSC organizes its annual Insights Event to engage with licensed Certification Bodies (CBs) and recognized Accreditation Bodies (ABs). All recognized ABs have signed an agreement with the Foundation to mutually ensure and facilitate trust in the integrity of FSSC certificates against the FSSC 22000 Scheme for Food Safety Management Systems and the FSSC 24000 Scheme for Social Management Systems. Therefore, Licensed and accredited CBs are the only bodies allowed to promote or sell FSSC services.
Over the years, the Insights Event has developed into a global meeting to connect, exchange knowledge, and explore strategic themes with our partners. This year’s edition was particularly festive due to the Foundation’s 15th anniversary celebration. Since 2009, FSSC has provided trust and delivered impact to the consumer goods industry as a non-profit and independent certification Scheme owner of ISO-aligned management systems in food safety and social sustainability. The food safety certification Scheme, FSSC 22000, and the social management certification Scheme, FSSC 24000, support the consumer goods industry and related supply chain in reaching food safety targets and sustainability objectives. Foundation FSSC also took the opportunity to illustrate its dedication to providing trust and delivering impact in a new corporate video launched during the event.
This year’s FSSC Insights Event revolved around the theme Inspiring Beyond Certification to explore how the Foundation can deliver, in partnership with its stakeholders, an impact that exceeds the certificate on the wall. In this quest, FSSC is committed to helping its Certificated Organizations make an impact that contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and creates a better world.
Inspiring Beyond Certification also extends to the value of data. The secured sharing of data from more than 35,000 certification audit reports allows for improved supply chain transparency, which assists the consumer goods industry in making informed decisions.
Moreover, the FSSC Insights Events 2024 addressed capacity building for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and how FSSC and its partners can support SMEs to enhance food safety and social sustainability. Interactive workshops, presentations from external speakers and FSSC team members, certification Scheme updates, and a panel discussion explored exemplary questions as part of the event program, framed by the opening and closing remarks of the FSSC Management Board.
A notable program element was the live on-stage celebration of the first two certificates for the FSSC 24000 Scheme for Social Management Systems.
Global Standards S.C. in Mexico issued the first accredited certificate to Banco Diocesano de Alimentos Guadalajara, A.C. (Mexico). On behalf of the Foundation, FSSC CEO Aldin Hilbrands congratulated and thanked Roberth Augusto Gaitán Martínez, Global Standards S.C. Commercial Director, and Diego Ayala Leon Global Standards S.C., Certification Director, for this significant achievement. He emphasized the importance of the Accreditation Bodies in adding trust to the certification process. Global Standards is the first Certification Body accredited to the FSSC 24000 Version 1.0 Scheme in Social Responsibility. The Mexican Accreditation Body EMA provided the accreditation, making it the first Accreditation Body to offer accreditation to the FSSC 24000 Scheme. Aldin expressed his appreciation to Oscar Aguilar from EMA for their commitment to boosting the adoption of the FSSC 24000 Scheme.
Refresco Bodegraven received its FSSC 24000 certificate from the Certification Body SGS. Ollivier Bellet, SGS Global Responsible Business Services Director, and Swapnil Shinde, SGS Global Accreditation Manager Social Certification, handed over the FSSC 24000 certificate to Rowdy van Raalten, Plant Manager Refresco Bodegraven and Marjon Sluis, QESH Manager Refresco Bodegraven. Minna Lyijynen, Head of Group Sustainability at Refresco, addressed the relevance of social sustainability during her presentation at the Insights Event. “ESG is integral to how we run our operations, serve our customers, and help our people develop. We implement ISO-aligned management systems to fulfill our ESG. FSSC 24000 is the certification Scheme that covers the social component of ESG. Bodegraven is the first Refresco plant that opted for certification to the FSSC 24000 Scheme.”
Foundation FSSC expresses its appreciation to all attendees for their valuable contributions during the event’s numerous interactions. We will use the shared input to continuously improve our processes and further develop beyond certification alongside our partners.
About FSSC
Foundation FSSC is a global non-profit and independent Scheme owner based in the Netherlands. The FSSC vision is to contribute to creating a better world through ISO Management System-aligned certification schemes for the consumer goods industry and its related supply chain. FSSC’s mission is to provide trust and deliver impact with Schemes that support Certificated Organizations to help implement the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
