GMA Applauds Establishment of Partnership Training Institute Network (PTIN) for Food Safety

"The Grocery Manufacturers Association has been the leading voice on behalf of the food and beverage industry in calling for reforms that will help improve food safety of our global food supply.

03 Aug 2009 At the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Conference being held this week in Singapore, Dr. Robert Brackett, Chief Science Officer of the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), applauded the founding of the Partnership Training Institute Network (PTIN) for Food Safety established under the APEC Sub-Committee on Standards and Conformance under the authority of the Food Safety Cooperation Forum.

"The Grocery Manufacturers Association has been the leading voice on behalf of the food and beverage industry in calling for reforms that will help improve food safety of our global food supply. And that is why GMA and our member companies are very pleased to be playing an active role in the Partnership Training Institute Network (PTIN)," said Dr. Brackett. "The Partnership Training Institute Network (PTIN) for Food Safety will help improve the safety and security of the food supply by providing growers, manufacturers and regulators in the Asia-Pacific region with education and training that is consistent with International best practices."

The PTIN is not intended to be an actual "bricks and mortar" facility, but instead will build upon existing resources in the region to create a network of institutes with the capacity to conduct training in international best practices in food safety. PTIN activities could include training in the follow areas: Supply Chain Management, Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), Good Aquacultural Practices (GAqP), Commercially-Sterile Packaged Foods, WTO Sanitary/Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures, Food Safety Risk Analysis, and Good Manufacturing Practices (basic training as needed). Training through PTIN programs would be provided by expert faculty from academia, industry, and government agencies.

"The PTIN is another example of how the food industry is fully committed to working cooperatively with government and other stakeholders to enhance and modernize the global food safety system," continued Dr. Brackett. "Combined with food safety legislation just passed by the U.S. House of Representatives that places prevention as the cornerstone of our food safety system and increased industry vigilance, the PTIN will help modernize our food safety system and bolster consumer confidence in the safety and security of the food supply globally."