SQFI Asia Pacific News
SQF Partnership | Regional Office | Technical Advisory Committee | Local Involvement | SQFI International Conference | Thinking Globally | Personal Commitment
Our Commitment to a Strong SQF Partnership
The relationship between the Safe Quality Food Institute and the Australian retail, food manufacturing, production and certification communities dates back to the early 1990's and to the inception of the country's food safety standard itself. The standard was developed by the West Australian Department of Agriculture with input and guidance from community stakeholders, many of which continue to be involved to this day.
Like similar programs, the SQF Institute has evolved and expanded to meet the increasing food safety needs of a developing and diverse market. At the SQF Institute, we are committed to continuously protecting the international food supply, especially within the Australian marketplace. We would like to take this opportunity to highlight a few current and future initiatives that will continue to strengthen the SQF Institute program, reinforce our partnership with Australian stakeholders, and provide strong customer support within both the Australia and the Asia-Pacific regions.
The Australian Regional Office - Here to Serve You
In early 2009, our Australian stakeholders communicated the need for a stronger SQF Institute presence and increased customer support within Australia. In response, we established an SQF Institute office in Sydney and hired additional staff to assist with customer inquiries. Spearheaded by Bill McBride, your local SQF Institute office reinforces our commitment to the Australian marketplace. Working alongside Bill is Hayley Gray, an SQF Institute professional who supports our customers by responding to client inquiries regarding our systems.
Since the SQF Institute Australian regional office was established to respond to your needs and requests, we encourage you to contact them freely with any questions or concerns:
| Bill McBride | bmcbride@sqfi.com.au | Phone: 02 9638 0098 |
| Hayley Gray | hgray@sqfi.com.au | Phone: 02 9638 0098 |
The Australian team is supported by additional SQF Institute technical and administrative staff in Washington, DC (USA).
The Australian Technical Advisory Committee
SQF Institute has established a Technical Advisory Committee specific to the Australian and Asia-Pacific regions. This committee is comprised of key professionals from a variety of disciplines within the food supply, auditing and retail communities, including Coles, Woolworth, Sara Lee, HJ Heinz, Simplot, JAS-ANZ and many of the Australian-based certification bodies.
The committee provides direction and guidance regarding SQF Institute operations within the Asia-Pacific region. It also provides valuable feedback on program improvements, auditor consistency, stakeholder communication and supplier support initiatives. To see a complete list of the Technical Advisory Committee members click here.
Continued Growth and Local Involvement
The SQF program continues to grow within the Australian marketplace, both in primary production and manufacturing. SQF is a prominent food safety leader that is globally accepted, Global Food Safety Initiative recognized and third-party accredited. Despite the ever-growing list of auditing schemes available to suppliers, SQF remains the pre-eminent scheme in both the Australian and US markets.
Partnering with Australian-based organizations such as JAS-ANZ and RABQSA enables the SQF Institute to utilize local expertise to provide strong oversight to the accreditation of Australian certification bodies as well as the credentialing and registration of auditors. These two organizations are securely embedded in the global food safety community and can readily monitor the concerns of various markets, allowing our organization to react quickly and effectively to meet the needs of all SQF stakeholders. We also receive counsel and guidance from some of the leading Australian universities and government agencies.
Fifth Annual SQF Institute International Conference Day - August 26, 2010
The SQF Institute is partnering with Advancing Food Safety (AFS), a Sydney-based organization, to offer you a full day of SQF Institute programs and educational information as part of the 17th Annual Australian HACCP conference. The conference will be held August 24-26 in Melbourne.
The program includes speakers from Australia and around the globe, covering topics specific to the SQF Institute program and beneficial to both the Asia-Pacific market and global SQF Institute community. Conference details are available at the following websites:
Advancing Food Safety
5th Annual SQFI International Conference
Thinking Globally, Acting Locally
The SQF Institute program continues to expand across the globe and has been implemented in over 31 different counties. We are committed to maintaining a strong presence within the Australian region by utilizing state-of-the-art technology and face-to-face programs.
The SQF Institute website, www.sqfi.com, features sections specifically designed for the Australian and Asia-Pacific markets. These online resources provide ongoing communication and information regarding auditor training seminars, conferences, road shows and general information important to our Australian stakeholders. To improve our communication even more, we recently launched a blog, located at www.sqfinews.com.
In addition, Washington, DC-based SQF Institute team members have been traveling to Australia twice a year to meet with key SQF stakeholders to develop and foster ongoing business relationships. It is important to our organization to hear directly from the users and supporters of the SQF program. These relationships are strengthened by discussing important topics and collecting feedback in an open and honest forum. For this reason, we will continue to support outreach activities with our stakeholders in Australia and throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
Our Personal Commitment to You
As the SQF Institute program continues to grow and expand globally, we remain committed to those communities that were instrumental in developing the roots of our program and providing all SQF Institute stakeholders with a standard that is of the highest integrity.
We will ensure that SQF auditors have the necessary expertise and training so that they provide customers with an objective and rigorous audit review. We will only license certification bodies that respect and support the values of the SQF Institute and adhere to our requirements. We will hold certification and accreditation bodies accountable for their actions and when necessary, take the steps needed to maintain our reputation for integrity and responsibility to our stakeholders. We want you, our valued stakeholders and supporters, to know that the audits performed under the SQF Institute standard remain thorough, valid and the best available in our industry.