Canadian on-farm food safety standard for produce now internationally recognized

Fresh Plaza
Publication date: 6/2/2010

After a thorough and intensive comparison process spanning almost a year, CanadaGAP – an on-farm food safety program for fresh fruit and vegetable producers and packers – has been successfully benchmarked against the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) requirements. 

GFSI approval means CanadaGAP is recognized as equivalent to other GFSI-benchmarked programs for the primary production sector, such as SQF 1000, GlobalGAP and PrimusGFS, which many buyers require, both in Canada and abroad. The CanadaGAP scheme has been recognized by GFSI for certification options B and C and the recognition covers the common food safety requirements that run through the six different commodity specific modules.

This recognition will allow farmers who are certified to CanadaGAP to remain competitive and have continued access to markets, which are increasingly demanding that companies implement a recognized food safety program. 

The benchmarking process was completed using an internationally accepted set of food safety requirements, based on industry best practice and sound science, which are developed through a consensus building process by key stakeholders in the food supply chain. These requirements can be found in the GFSI Guidance Document Version 5, which is available for download at www.mygfsi.com.

“The current widespread use of this scheme in Canada...will contribute significantly to driving the enhancement of food safety in the supply chain,” said Jürgen Matern, chairman of the GFSI Board and vice president of strategic quality management for Metro AG.

About CanadaGAP

The CanadaGAP (On-Farm Food Safety) Program consists of national food safety standards and a certification system for the safe production, storage and packing of fresh fruits and vegetables. Six commodity-specific manuals, developed by the horticultural industry and reviewed for technical soundness by Canadian government officials, are designed for growers and packers implementing Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs). The manuals contain comprehensive guidance based on a rigorous hazard analysis using HACCP principles. CanadaGAP is managed by the Canadian Horticultural Council, an industry association representing over 20,000 fruit and vegetable farmers. For more information visit www.canadagap.ca.

About GFSI

GFSI, based in Paris, was established in 2000 to pursue continuous improvement in food safety management systems and cost efficiency in the supply chain. Visit www.mygfsi.com for more information. 

Contact:
CanadaGAP 
Heather Gale
T: (613) 226-4880 
E:hgale@hortcouncil.ca