In 2000, the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) was founded with the goal of continuous improvement in food safety management systems to ensure the delivery of safe food to consumers. Today, most major retailers require their suppliers to be certified to a GFSI benchmarked standard. This has sparked an influx of suppliers seeking GFSI certification, which cascaded down the supply chain to include the food storage and distribution sector. Today, forward-thinking food storage and distribution companies are undertaking GFSI certification to help ensure food safety and brand protection as well as to secure new business opportunities for customers specifying GFSI-certified supply chain partners. Due to the complex challenges in today’s food supply chain, many of the world's largest food retailers are mandating certification to Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) schemes at all levels of the supply chain.