JFSM Will Launch SSCAP, a Platform to Lower the Bar for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Initiatives, in the Fall of 2024.

Since its establishment in 2016, Japan Food Safety Management Association (JFSM) has been working to improve the reliability of food business operators and the food supply chain as certification program owner/scheme owner of JFS standard, a food safety management standard originating in Japan.

In the food industry, as in other industries, corporate social responsibility (CSR) must be addressed to ensure stable business. However, small and medium sized food business operators with limited staff and budget are unable to devote the people, time, and money to CSR due to their daily workload.

JFSM will establish a new social responsibility business by utilizing the know-how accumulated through the establishment of food safety standards and the operation of third-party certification. JFSM will support food business operators, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in both establishing food safety and fulfilling social responsibility, with the aim of improving food integrity*1 in the food industry.
*1: Food integrity refers to activities that comprehensively enhance the reliability of food businesses.

SSCAP is a Self-assessment Platform that Visualizes Activities Related to the Sustainable Development of Society.

Corporate social responsibility initiatives are not easy for many SMEs.
On the supplier side*2, some say, "I don't know how to address this issue in a concrete way".
On the procurement side*2, there are issues such as "we don't know how to evaluate the status of compliance", "we don't have enough people to evaluate and audit suppliers", "we don't have enough people with knowledge of supplier evaluation", and "it is difficult to collect data related to information disclosure such as integrated reports".

Based on a partnership agreement*3 with Total Quality Food Association (TQFA), the owner of food-safety certification program in Taiwan, both JFSM and TQFA will operate Sustainable Supply Chains Assessment Platform (SSCAP) in Japan and Taiwan. JFSM and TQFA will provide a self-assessment platform to visualize the activities related to sustainable social development that food business operators are engaged in, thereby solving problems on both procurement and supplier sides and lowering the bar for corporate social responsibility initiatives.

*2: In the food supply chain, suppliers refer to food business operators, and procurement companies refer to retailers, trading companies, wholesalers, and other food business operators purchasing from the suppliers.
*3: Please see also the press release from JFSM on June 27th, 2024. (Japanese)

SSCAP Features and Benefits

・Suppliers can respond to social responsibility initiatives online.

・Procurement can view and analyze supplier response results online.

・The following eight areas are covered by the questions, with reference to ISO 26000:2010 Guidance on Social Responsibility, as well as Japan-specific areas.

Organizational governance, human rights, labor practices, environment, fair operating practices, consumer issues, community involvement and development, and others.

・Procurement can customize the supplier evaluation questions according to their own corporate policies, as well as add their own specific requirements.

・You can deepen your understanding of CSR initiatives by browsing the explanations of the guideline on SSCAP. An e-learning feature with video lectures is also included.

・There are also plans to add functionality for entering ESG-related data, such as CO2 emission reductions.

・We plan to launch a third-party certification program using SSCAP.

・Paid consulting services are planned for the future.

Screen images are under development and may be subject to change in the future.

Future plans for SSCAP

Future updates on SSCAP will be reported on the JFSM website.
https://www.jfsm.or.jp/eng/

For questions or media requests, please contact us using the contact form.

Japan Food Safety Management Association (JFSM) SSC Team
https://www.jfsm.or.jp/eng/contact/
Tel: +81-3-6268-9691