Guelph Food Technology Centre, NSF International Merge

ANN ARBOR, Mich. and GUELPH, OntarioThe Guelph Food Technology Centre (GFTC) and NSF International have merged. Under its new name, NSF-GFTC offers expanded food-safety services and a wider global footprint.

NSF-GFTC will be part of the NSF Global Food Division, which provides expertise and accredited services across all supply chain sectors, from agriculture, produce, processing, distribution and dairy, to seafood, retail and restaurants. The NSF-GFTC team and location will remain in Guelph, as will its dedication to helping Canadian farmers, processors and manufacturers remain competitive with innovative solutions to help improve their products and processes.

As a result, GFTCs current members and clients will benefit from a broad array of NSF food-safety training, auditing and certification services that include seafood, organic and global food-safety certifications, as well as support from NSF International, the largest food-safety certifier in the agriculture sector with a global network of auditors and testing laboratories.

Both organizations are leaders in food safety, training, quality and technical solutions in their own right and, collectively, NSF-GFTC can now export Canadian food-safety expertise to other countries utilizing NSFs global infrastructure. NSF-GFTC clients will now have access to a wider range of technical resources to develop new products and meet global food-safety standards, which incorporate sustainable practices. Clients will also have the support of a global network of associated laboratories in Europe, China, the United States and Latin America.

Currently, NSF-GFTC offers more than 180 training courses, with a focus on food safety, regulatory and HACCP, including its Global Food Safety and Quality Benchmarked Standards series. These courses support NSF-GFTCs designation as a Licensed Training Center for SQF (Safe Quality Food) and its Approved Training Establishment status for BRC (British Retail Consortium). The combined food-safety certification expertise includes NSF as the North American leader in certifications to Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) benchmarked standards, and NSF-GFTC, the largest Canadian certifier to SQF that also certifies to CanadaGAP, further expanding NSFs agriculture services.

Proceeds from the merger will establish GFTC Legacy, Inc., which will provide for University of Guelph undergraduate scholarships, cooperative education and internship opportunities; programs to help improve innovation for food processors; scholarship trusts for future Canadian food technologists; and GFTC member training reinvestment support.