Beyond GFSI: Why Retailer Addendums Are Shaping the Future of Food Safety Assurance
Most food suppliers are familiar with the leading GFSI certification programs, BRCGS, SQF, and FSSC 22000. These frameworks set the global benchmark for food safety, and for many years they were considered enough to demonstrate compliance and win customer trust. But increasingly, large companies are asking for more.
Costco, McDonald’s, and McCormick are among the companies requiring their suppliers to complete their own-specific addendums alongside GFSI certification. These addendums go beyond the basics, giving greater assurance that their unique brand standards are being met. For suppliers, this marks a shift in what it means to be “audit ready.”
Why Addendums Are Emerging
Every company has its own risks, brand commitments, and customer expectations. GFSI standards create a strong foundation, but leading companies in the industry often want a sharper focus on issues they consider critical.
- Costco emphasizes audit transparency, corrective action timelines, and operational readiness at all times.
- McDonald’s focuses heavily on supply chain consistency and global alignment of practices across suppliers.
- McCormick places strong emphasis on ingredient controls, allergen management, and flavor integrity.
These priorities reflect not just food safety, but brand protection. A single product recall can damage consumer trust overnight. By requiring addendums, they reduce the chance of gaps and reinforce their reputation for safety and quality.
The Supplier Challenge
For suppliers, these additional requirements often mean:
- More audits in the calendar year.
- More time spent preparing documentation, training staff, and walking auditors through facilities.
- Higher costs from duplicate travel, auditor fees, and administrative overhead.
- A feeling of “audit fatigue,” where teams are constantly preparing for the next visit rather than focusing on continuous improvement.
One bakery that supplies both Costco and McDonald’s shared that before bundling audits, they faced nearly back-to-back inspections. “We were tying up production managers for weeks at a time,” a quality manager explained, “and it felt like we were always chasing audit reports instead of fixing root causes.”
The Industry Trend
Retailer-specific food safety requirements are not a regional trend, they’re a global shift. In addition to North America, retailers across Europe and Asia are now developing addendums or proprietary audit requirements to ensure consistency, transparency, and control within their supply chains.
As noted by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), “Retailers and other buyers around the world trust GFSI-recognised certification as a mark of the highest standards in food safety.” Yet, many of these same retailers are taking the next step by building on GFSI frameworks, adding their own brand-specific expectations to further protect consumers and strengthen supplier accountability.
For suppliers, this growing network of retailer-driven addendums introduces both opportunity and complexity.
While GFSI certification remains the foundation for market access, additional requirements can create overlapping audits, duplicated efforts, and increased administrative work, especially when managed through multiple certification partners.
That’s where DNV plays a key role. As one of the few certification bodies approved to deliver the Costco, McDonald’s, and McCormick addendums alongside GFSI-recognised standards such as BRCGS, SQF, and FSSC 22000, DNV helps suppliers integrate these expectations into a single, efficient audit process.
Looking Ahead
Addendums reflect a broader movement in food safety: customers are seeking not just compliance, but assurance. Future addendums may expand to cover sustainability, ethical sourcing, or digital traceability, areas where consumer expectations are growing rapidly.
Suppliers who adapt early and work with certification partners already approved for addendums will be better positioned to manage this evolution. Instead of scrambling to add audits one by one, they’ll have a trusted partner who can integrate requirements into a cohesive process.
Addendums are shaping the future of food safety. They’re not a passing trend, but a signal that major brands expect suppliers to align with their unique standards as well as global frameworks.
By choosing a certification body like DNV, approved for both GFSI certifications and key addendums, suppliers can simplify compliance, reduce audit fatigue, and build stronger relationships with their most important customers.
Contact DNV to explore how they can help you prepare for your next certification and addendum cycle.
About the Author:
With more than 30 years in the Food & Beverage industry, Kathleen Wybourn shares practical insights shaped by her experience in food safety, quality, supplier management, and operations at Monsanto. She has led initiatives at the association level as Director of GMA-SAFE and through her work with GFSI Technical Working Groups. As Director of Food & Beverage, North America, for DNV, Kathleen continues to champion safer, more resilient food systems.
10/27/2025 2:00:00 PM
