GLOBALGAP

GLOBALGAP is an internationally recognized set of farm standards dedicated to Good Agricultural Practices (GAP).

Through certification, agricultural producers demonstrate adherence to accepted levels of safety and quality. And consumers can rest assured that the food has been produced sustainably-respecting the health, safety, and welfare of workers, the environment, and in consideration of animal welfare issues.

The GLOBALGAP standard is primarily designed to reassure consumers about how food is produced on the farm by minimizing detrimental environmental impacts of farming operations, reducing the use of chemical inputs and ensuring a responsible approach to worker health and safety as well as animal welfare.

GLOBALGAP is a pre-farm-gate standard, which means that the certificate covers the process of the certified product from farm inputs like feed or seedlings and all the farming activities until the product leaves the farm.

Certification to the Standard ensures a level playing field in terms of food safety and quality, and proves that growers are prepared to constantly improve systems to raise standards.

GLOBALGAP includes annual inspections of the producers and additional unannounced inspections. GLOBALGAP consists of a set of normative documents. These documents cover the GLOBALGAP General Regulations, the GLOBALGAP Control Points and Compliance Criteria and the GLOBALGAP Checklist.

GLOBALGAP certification is supported by an increasing number of international retailers and foodservice providers, and is recognized by the Global Food Safe Initiative (GFSI).

• It is an On-Farm Food Safety standard globally recognized and accepted by the most important retailers around the world.
• GLOBALGAP has established itself as a key reference for Good Agricultural Practices (G.A.P.) in the global market place.
• Implementation of GLOBALGAP allows reducing food safety risks at the primary production level.
• Consistent audits performed by highly qualified auditors.
• Opportunity to apply for group option (Option 2) for small /medium producers organized under a Quality Management System.
• GLOBALGAP provides auditing tools such as General Regulation, Compliance Criteria and Checklists, free of charge available on the GLOBALGAP web site.

The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), co-ordinated by CIES - The Food Business Forum, was launched in May 2000. The GFSI Foundation Board, a retailer-driven group, with manufacturer advisory members, provides the strategic direction and oversees the daily management.

Under the umbrella of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), 7 major retailers have come to a common acceptance of four GFSI benchmarked food safety schemes.

The benchmarking work undertaken by the standard owners and other key stakeholders on four food safety schemes (BRC, IFS, Dutch HACCP and SQF) has now reached a point of convergence. Each scheme has now aligned itself with common criteria defined by food safety experts from the food business, with the objective of making food manufacture as safe as possible. As a result, this will also drive cost efficiency in the supply chain and reduce the duplication of audits.

For more information about GFSI, please visit: http://www.ciesnet.com.

Whether you are looking for certification against SQF 1000, assessment to your own goals and commitments, supplier assessment, or training, SAI Global has a solution. Tell us your needs, and we'll contact you to discuss.