CanadaGAP®, an internationally recognized food safety program for fresh fruit and vegetable suppliers, and Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), The Consumer Goods Forum’s Coalition of Action on food safety, announced that CanadaGAP has successfully achieved recognition against GFSI’s Version 2020.1 Benchmarking Requirements.
The recognition encompasses three CanadaGAP certification options: B, C, and D (for repacking and wholesaling).
Stephanie Lariviere, Chair of the Board for CanadaGAP, notes that “GFSI recognition will allow CanadaGAP-certified companies to remain competitive and maintain access to customers who require certification to a GFSI-recognized food safety program.”
Executive Director Heather Gale adds that “CanadaGAP appreciates the rigour of the GFSI benchmarking process. GFSI recognition of CanadaGAP provides the fruit and vegetable industry the option to implement a program that is tailored to fresh produce suppliers and that meets GFSI’s high standard. Choosing a GFSI-recognized program like CanadaGAP enables the industry to satisfy the food safety requirements of customers in domestic and international markets.”
Giovanna Ordonez, GFSI Senior Technical Manager, The Consumer Goods Forum, said, “Like everything else, food safety needs to evolve over time and Version 2020.1 is our most robust set of benchmarking requirements yet. We applaud CanadaGAP for their ongoing commitment to food safety and continuous improvement.”
Scope of GFSI Recognition
CanadaGAP has been GFSI-recognized for certification options B and C since 2010. Option D (for repacking and wholesaling) was originally recognized by GFSI in 2016.
Recognition of the three CanadaGAP certification options has once again been granted for the following GFSI scopes:
BI – Farming of Plants
BIII – Pre-process Handling of Plant Products (includes packing/repacking and related activities such as cooling, trimming, grading, washing, storage, etc.).
About the GFSI Benchmarking Process
Benchmarking is a procedure by which a food safety Certification Program Owner (CPO) is compared to the GFSI Benchmarking Requirements. The process is designed to be executed in an independent, unbiased, technically proficient and transparent manner. A program is ‘recognized’ by GFSI when it has
been verified that it meets every single GFSI benchmarking requirement, both in procedures and in operations. An independent benchmark leader, supported by the GFSI Technical Manager, assesses whether the application meets GFSI requirements, followed by a public consultation period that is open to all GFSI Stakeholders. The benchmark leader and GFSI Technical Manager then make a recommendation to the GFSI Steering Committee regarding recognition of the program. The full process is defined in the GFSI Benchmarking Requirements document.
