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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 17, 2010
CONTACT: Greta Houlahan
NSF International
Phone: 734.913.5723
Email: houlahan@nsf.org
Costa Rica Office Expands NSF’s Presence in Latin America to Meet Growing Demand for Food Safety Services
SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica – NSF International has opened an office in Costa Rica to provide food safety auditing, certification, consulting and training services to growers, manufacturers, suppliers, and retailers. Strategically located in San José, the capital city, NSF Costa Rica will help businesses meet new global food safety regulatory requirements, food safety certification services and sustainability solutions.
Food exports from Latin America and the Caribbean comprise $66 billion or 12 percent of the world’s total food trade. This figure could increase rapidly over the coming decades if food safety and quality standards are improved, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).* Safeguarding the world’s food supply requires collaboration among the government and the entire food industry, including retailers and manufacturers and third-party auditing bodies.
“With offices throughout North and South America, Europe and the Asia Pacific and now Central America, we are well positioned to help international clients as they source food products from Latin America. We look forward to expanding our services in this area to the produce, organic, seafood, manufacturing, distribution and retail sectors,” said Tom Chestnut, NSF International Vice President of Food Safety and Quality.
Included among NSF International’s services is certification to the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI)**-benchmarked standards. This is essential as several of the world’s largest food companies have chosen to mandate compliance with one of the GFSI-benchmarked standards, including British Retail Consortium (BRC), Safe Quality Food (SQF), GlobalGAP (Good Agricultural Practices), International Food Standard (IFS) and Food Safety System Certification (FSSC). NSF’s sustainability services, such as greenhouse gas verification, carbon footprinting and environmental management systems registration, will also be offered.
“Our NSF Costa Rica office will enable NSF to better serve the growing number of processors and manufacturers in Latin America who are exporting their products to the United States," said Kevan P. Lawlor, NSF International President and CEO. “The new office will also help businesses in Central America and the Caribbean meet the increasing demand for food safety and certification services in this region.”
Special Event for Media and Clients
On Thursday, April 15th at 3PM UTC, NSF Costa Rica will be hosting a special celebration at the Intercontinental Hotel in San Jose, Costa Rica. The event will feature conferences on:
For more information on this event or NSF Costa Rica’s service offerings, visit www.nsf.org/info/costarica, email costarica@nsf.org or call +506 8919 8650.
* Improving food safety in Latin America and the Caribbean
** The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), an independent non-profit foundation managed by The Consumer Goods Forum, was founded in 2000.
About NSF International: NSF International, an independent, not-for-profit organization, certifies products and writes standards for food, water and consumer goods to minimize adverse health effects (www.nsf.org). Founded in 1944, NSF is committed to protecting human health and safety worldwide and operates in more than 120 countries. NSF is a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Food and Water Safety and Indoor Environment.
NSF International’s Food Safety Services deliver assistance to companies in meeting federal requirements and improving their food safety systems beyond what is required by regulation. NSF services include training and education, certification, product approval and registration services. NSF’s sustainable business solutions include carbon footprinting, greenhouse gas verification, as well as standards development and certification for sustainable products. Additional services include safety audits for the food and water industries, management systems registrations delivered through NSF International Strategic Registrations and organic certification provided by QAI (Quality Assurance International).
