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Electronic Catalogue Notification
Electronic Catalogue Notification
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Find out more about the Canadian Horticultural Council (CHC) On-Farm Food Safety Program (OFFS):
Electronic Catalogue Notification
Electronic Catalogue Notification

Benchmarking (Annual Audit) Certification

Option C was designed to meet the needs of Canadian suppliers with international customers, who may require them to implement food safety systems that are equivalent to international programs such as Safe Quality Food (SQF 1000), British Retail Consortium (BRC) standards, GlobalGAP or other international food safety standards recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GSFI).

To allow Canadian suppliers to continue using the CHC OFFS Program while also satisfying the demands of international customers, Option C certification includes an Annual Audit on-site. Some domestic customers may also require their suppliers to be certified under Option C, or may require it only for identified "high-risk" suppliers. This option is equally available to producers, storage intermediaries or packers who would simply prefer an annual on-site visit.

What is Benchmarking?

Official processes are available under the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) and GlobalGAP programs to obtain formal recognitions of equivalency. During the benchmarking process, the CHC OFFS Program would be rigorously reviewed by a group of experts to ensure that the food safety requirements as well as program delivery, certification and management systems were comparable to other recognized programs.

Early in 2009, the CHC plans to pursue benchmarking of its program to Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) and GlobalGAP standards, in order to obtain a formal recognition of equivalency and satisfy foreign customers who are requiring GlobalGAP, SQF 1000 or other GFSI-benchmarked programs. Once equivalency is recognized, those enrolled in the Program will have the benefit of using a made-in-Canada program to meet the food safety requirements of the international marketplace.

For an overview of the cost of Option C, visit CHC's Web site.

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