CanadaGAP

CanadaGAP (Good Agricultural Practices) is a food safety program for companies that grow and handle fresh produce. The program consists of a standard and a certification program owned and administered by CanAgPlus, a Canadian not-for-profit corporation.  CanadaGAP Participates in the federal Food Safety Recognition Program, which involves comprehensive reviews by federal and provincial governments to ensure the technical soundness of the CanadaGAP standard.

Although the industry-developed standard is considered voluntary, many food retailers, processors and food service operators will not source products without the assurance provided by supplier certification to a specific standard—CanadaGAP is one of the standards for fresh produce accepted by many major buyers and is recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI).

The program is HACCP-based, and divided up into two manuals, one for Fresh Fruit and Vegetables, and one for Greenhouse Products. Each category is tailored with up-to-date GAP requirements that have been developed by industry in conjunction with the members of government. It provides producers, packers, re-packers, storage operators, wholesalers and brokers with detailed best practices to avoid contamination, while providing assurance to customers that these practices are third-party verified (a growing demand among global businesses).

How CanadaGAP Works

CanadaGAP standards are contained in to Food Safety manuals modeled on the internationally recognized HACCP approach. A complete hazard analysis for each crop grouping underpins all of the program’s technical requirements. Rigorous third party audits are performed to ensure certified companies continue to meet the standards through their production practices.

Auditing and certification services are delivered by independent, internationally accredited certification bodies, who are responsible for conducting audits, reviewing results and making certification decisions.

For more information, visit www.canadagap.ca.

To have more articles like this emailed to your inbox, become a GFSR Member today!