THE IMPACT OF COVID 19 PANDEMIC ON THE GFSI FOOD SAFETY STANDARDS SCHEMES AUDITS

Alina Narcisa Postolache, Cecilia Pop, Adina Mirela Ariton, M. Ciorpac, Ioana Cristina Crivei, Cătălina Sănduleanu, Șt. Creangă

Abstract
    The global COVID-19 outbreak has a major effect on food safety management and assurance of food safety in all retailers and manufacturers. The industry understood that COVID-19 outbreak has created and continues to create audit restrictions, which already have severe impact on the certification status of certain sites. As a result, Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) released numerous statements focusing on business continuity, while Certification Programme Owner (CPO) and Certification Body’s (CB) would have to comply with requirements of the national regulations applicable to the management of the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, as part of the ongoing support for food businesses facing certification obstacles / inconvenients, GFSI made available the harmonized risk assessment, although till now there are no scientific evidence that the virus is transmitted by food in the context of last months.