The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) is excited to welcome Erica Sheward as its new Director. GFSI has been gaining momentum around the world for nearly two decades, and Erica's vast and diverse experience in the food safety industry is expected to help further expand and strengthen GFSI's ability to lead food safety advancements globally. GFSI is powered by The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF), a global industry network working with its 400+ member companies to support Better Lives Through Better Business. Erica will be joining the CGF headquarters in Paris, where her responsibilities will include helping to set and manage the GFSI Board agenda, steering Technical Working Groups, and overseeing collaborations with global third-party organisations. She will also aim to further promote GFSI's key objectives, namely driving harmonisation of food safety standards, building food safety capability in the food supply chain, and forming public-private partnerships, all to create consistent and effective global food systems and provide a platform for knowledge exchange and harmonisation in the industry. "It is an absolute privilege and a pleasure to have been invited to take up such an incredible role. I cannot wait to get started and to meet as many members of the GFSI family as I can," says Erica. "Ensuring food safety is one of the most important issues facing the world today and it is only by working together that we can hope to achieve safe food for consumers everywhere." Erica is an internationally-renowned expert in food safety management. Immediately prior to joining GFSI, she worked as a senior executive at Leatherhead Food Research part of Science Group, a food and beverage consultancy business. Prior to that, Erica worked in both academia and the public sector, having spent six years at two UK universities as a food safety specialist, followed by five years at the UK Government's 'Office for Product Safety and Standards'. All in all, Erica brings over 20 years of experience in the food safety industry to her role at the GFSI. Peter Freedman, Managing Director at the CGF, commented: "I am delighted to welcome Erica as the new GFSI Director and as a member of the CGF's senior leadership team. GFSI is already one of the CGF's most important initiatives and it has the potential going forward to have an even bigger impact on the safety of the world's food. Erica's wide experience of food safety issues across both public and private sectors, in academia and business mean that she is superbly positioned to lead us on this journey." The Global Food Safety Initiative brings together key actors of the food industry to collaboratively drive continuous improvement in food safety management systems around the world with a vision of safe food for consumers everywhere. The GFSI community works on a volunteer basis and is composed of the world's leading food safety experts from retail, manufacturing and food service companies, as well as international organisations, governments, academia and service providers to the global food industry. www.mygfsi.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/697527/Global_Food_Safety_Initiative_Logo.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1008224/GFSI_Erica_Sheward.jpg Contact: l.prevert@theconsumergoodsforum.com SOURCE: Global Food Safety Initiative