The 2024 General Assembly of the Open Food Facts association
About the association
As many of you know, Open Food Facts is a non-profit association, with an open and collective governance. As such, it meets at a General Assembly every year.
During these few hours, the members of the association are updated on the project’s progress, its news, changes, financial accounts, etc. As members, they also discuss and vote on the important evolutions of the association.
What’s new this year?
Because historically most of the Open Food Facts members have been French, this meeting was held in French. However, this year, we’ve run a small campaign inviting our subscribers to become members of the association, because we’d like the association to be more representative of our international community. And … 35 new members have joined as a result!
The General Assembly voted on the association’s annual report and accounts (French only).
It also passed two motions to appoint a statutory auditor to the association. The latter carries out a critical review of the accounts every year. Their mission is to ensure that the legal framework governing operations and funding have been complied with by the accounting department that drew up the accounts. This strengthens the association’s operational solidity, and is an element of confidence for Open Food Facts’ backers.
Two new members join the board
Not only did we have new members join, but we’ve also had new members elected to the Board of Directors during our General Assembly that took place on the 5th of December 2024 online.
This Board, composed of 10 people, has several functions:
- Responsibility for the legal personality of the association
- Implementation of policies decided by the General Assembly
- Decisions on legal action to protect the interests of the association
- Responsibility for hiring the association’s employees.
- Ensuring transparent moral and financial management of the Association by regularly publishing the Association’s accounts and reporting on its activities to the General Assembly.
Members vote in the new directors each year.
This year, through an anonymous ballot, 2 new members were elected: April & Marius.
April
- April has been an Open Food Facts ambassador in Belgium for the past year or so.
“Hello!
I am passionate about Open Food Facts’ mission to bring transparency to food (and other products) worldwide with accessible and open data. I am currently a member of the Open Food Facts groups focusing on Open Prices, Partnerships, and Going Global-Belgium. I hold an MBA and my professional background includes scaling innovative programs and tools, UX and user-centered design, fostering partnerships, and global technical sales management. In my current role as academic researcher for sustainable entrepreneurship and digitization, I am deeply committed to making food systems more inclusive and equitable through collective action. I believe my international experience and interdisciplinary approach can contribute to a representative and innovative Board like that of Open Food Facts. I am eager to help strengthen our global presence and amplify our community’s collective reach in ensuring a transparent food future.”
Marius
- Marius is the Open Food Facts Project Grantee (learn more about Community Grants here) for the Nordics. Originally from Germany, he lives in Denmark and aims to create some meaningful connections with potential allies (contributors, reusers, NGOs or producers).
“I am motivated to join the Open Food Facts board to further contribute to the project’s international success, amplify its impact, and support the development of a strong, well-functioning association that stays committed to achieving its visionary goals.”
They join Anca, the association’s President, and Sébastien, Open Food Facts #1 Contributor since the launch of our project, and who have been reelected this year.
We are thankful for the advice & motivation of our previous members of the board, Eloïse (who volunteered with Open Food Facts for 6 months during a Google.org sponsorship) & Marie, a regular contributor & one of this year’s Contributors of the Year.
More information about Open Food Facts Association
If you’d like further information about the association’s activity, you can find it here:
Association wiki category: https://wiki.openfoodfacts.org/Category:Association
and in our Annual Report 2023
Become a member too !
As a member, you can:
- 💬 Participate actively
- 🗳️ Vote on and discuss the project’s main directions at General Assemblies,
- 💼 Apply to join the Board of Directors to play a key role in the governance of the association.
If you’d like to become a member of the Open Food Facts association, all you need to do is fill out a short form and pay a 10€ annual registration fee.
FR (for French tax-payers, 66% of this 10€ is deductible from your taxes): https://www.helloasso.com/associations/open-food-facts/adhesions/adherez-a-l-association-open-food-facts-2024