Foundation FSSC played an active role in the second global World Packaging Organisation (WPO) gathering for 2024, held from 18 – 22 November in Buenos Aires, Argentina. This impactful week of activities brought together industry leaders, policymakers, and technical experts to address the challenges and opportunities in sustainable packaging and food safety.
Food Safety Training: Laying the Foundation for Change
FSSC’s contribution began by participating in the two-day training session for packaging companies, where Technical Officer Antoinette Maake led a module of the training and was supported by LatAm Representative Juliani Arimura. The module presented by Antoinette during the training focused on essential hygiene management practices for packaging, including HACCP principles, prerequisite programs (PRPs), and the FSSC 22000 V6 certification Scheme. Delivered in English with Spanish translation, the training enabled meaningful knowledge transfer to the 40 participants.
Packaging materials play a pivotal role in ensuring food safety as they provide excellent properties such as barrier protection between potential food safety hazards and food products. Therefore, food packaging must be manufactured in a hygienic environment by following food packaging prerequisite programs such as ISO/TS 22002-4:2013.Antoinette Maake, FSSC Technical Officer
This training, co-organized with WPO, UNIDO, and Instituto Argentino del Envase, highlighted the need to strengthen food safety systems in Latin America, where food loss and waste reach alarming levels.
Roundtable on Sustainable Packaging
Juliani Arimura represented FSSC on the second day at the WPO-UNIDO roundtable, discussing sustainable food systems and packaging. This session brought together participants from eight countries, including six WPO members in the region, to explore challenges and expectations related to sustainable food packaging. Discussions validated the critical role of sustainable packaging in addressing food loss and waste while aligning regional efforts with global sustainability goals in anticipation of COP30.
Education and Certification Initiatives
FSSC participated in WPO’s Education Working Group on the third day, where discussions centered on WPO’s packaging technology training course specifically designed for FSSC 22000 packaging auditors. WPO plans to offer this course twice annually in 2025, furthering capacity building in packaging safety standards worldwide.
Celebrating Excellence in Packaging
On the fourth day, FSSC participated in the hybrid 112th WPO Board Meeting, with FSSC CEO Aldin Hilbrands and FSSC Technical Manager Quality & Safety Kelly Mulholland contributing remotely to discussions involving over 30 WPO LatAm members. Later, FSSC attended the Estrella del Sur Awards ceremony, organized by Instituto Argentino del Envase, to recognize excellence in packaging design and celebrate the association’s 55th anniversary.
FSSC’s Commitment to Global Food Safety
FSSC’s active participation throughout the global WPO assembly reflects its ongoing commitment to advancing food safety and sustainability within the packaging sector. Through initiatives like training programs, collaborative roundtables, webinars, and strategic partnerships, Foundation FSSC continues to drive impactful solutions that address global challenges beyond food safety, such as food loss and waste.
