Professional Documents
Culture Documents
GG V4 CHANGES
Acronyms
AB CB IFA CC CoC QMS CL PMU PHU GFSI Accrediation Body Certification Body Integrated Farm Assurance Compliance Criteria Chain of Custody Quality Management System Checklist Production Management Unit Product Handling Unit Global Food Safety Initiative
Trainer: Johnson Gitonga (Food Safety Manager)
Important Terms
PMU Production Management Unit
Production management unit (PMU) is a production unit (can be a farm, field, orchard, herd, greenhouse, etc.) defined by the producer for units where segregation of output (agricultural products) is intended and all provisions have been made and put in place to keep separate records and prevent mixing in the case of parallel production. PMUs that can be considered to operate independently (based on factors such as geography, management, storage facilities, etc.) shall be registered in the GLOBALG.A.P Database and indicated on the certificate
Trainer: Johnson Gitonga (Food Safety Manager)
Important Terms
PHU Production Handling Unit
This is the entity that conducts all produce handling and processing operations for presentation of the produce to the market. PHUs can be Packhouses, Grading Sheds, Slaughter Houses, Storage and distribution entities etc. The identity of certified produce in PHUs should be maintained according to the General Regulations of Global GAP to preserve their certification status.
Important Terms
PP Parallel Production Parallel production is the production of certified and non certified products in the same farm. PP of certified and non-certified products of the same species, e.g. French Beans, is not possible on a single farm on individual producer level for vegetables (Option 1 or Option 2 member). Parallel production of certified and non-certified subspecies of a products (e.g. noncertified MTout and Certified Sugar Snap) is possible under all options and the PMUs shall be specified.
Trainer: Johnson Gitonga (Food Safety Manager)
Important terms
PO - Parallel Ownership This refers to the situation in which certified and non-certified product (the same product) are owned (purchased) by a producer at one time. There are general rules that govern producers who apply for Parallel Ownership.
Definitions Ctd:
3.0 What is Risk?
Risk is defined as the combination of the probability of occurrence of harm and the severity of that harm. The term "hazard" is not to be confused with the term "risk" which, in the context of food safety, means a function of the probability of an adverse health effect and the severity of that effect when exposed to a specified hazard.
Definitions Ctd:
5.0 What is a Control Point?
Control points are the actual checkpoints used on GLOBALG.A.P. inspections. For example: "Is a reference system for each field, orchard, greenhouse, yard, plot, livestock building/pen, and/or other area/location used in production established and referenced on a farm plan or map?
Definitions Ctd:
7.0 What is a Major Must?
A Major Must is a mandatory control point. Failure to meet this control point will result in a non-conformance. Until the non-conformance is remedied, the producer will not be able to pass the audit.
Definitions Ctd:
10.0 What are the GG General Regulations?
These are the rules and regulations that govern the GLOBALG.A.P. farm certification process. Part I - General rules of the GLOBALG.A.P. system Part II - Rules that specifically apply to Option 2 producer groups and Option 1 multi-sites with a Quality Management System (QMS) Part III - Rules that specifically apply for certification bodies and accreditation bodies
Trainer: Johnson Gitonga (Food Safety Manager)
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More About GG
The challenge of globalizing markets is nowhere greater than in the primary food sector. GLOBALG.A.P. (formerly known as EUREPGAP) has established itself as a key reference for Good Agricultural Practice (G.A.P.) in the global market place, by translating consumer requirements into agricultural production in a rapidly growing list of countries currently more than 100 on every continent. GLOBALG.A.P. is a private sector body that sets voluntary standards for the certification of agricultural products around the globe.
More About GG
The aim is to establish ONE standard for Good Agricultural Practice (G.A.P.) with different product applications capable of fitting to the whole of global agriculture. GLOBALG.A.P. is a pre-farm-gate standard. This 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. GLOBALG.A.P. is a business-to-business label and is therefore not directly visible to consumers.
More about GG
GLOBALG.A.P. Certification is carried out by more than 100 independent and accredited certification bodies in more than 100 countries. It is open to all producers worldwide. GLOBALG.A.P. includes annual inspections of the producers and additional unannounced inspections. GLOBALG.A.P. consists of a set of normative documents. These documents cover the GLOBAL G.A.P. General Regulations, the GLOBALG.A.P. Control Points and Compliance Criteria and the GLOBALG.A.P. Checklist.
More about GG
As many other on-farm assurance systems have been in place for some time prior to the existence of GLOBALG.A.P., a way had to be found to encourage the development of regionally adjusted management systems and so to prevent farmers from having to undergo multiple audits. Existing national or regional farm assurance schemes that have successfully completed their benchmarking process are recognised as an equivalent to GLOBALG.A.P. The GLOBALG.A.P. Standard is subject to a three year revision cycle of continuous improvement to take into account technological and market developments.
Option 1
Certification Options
Certification Options
Option 2:
A producer group applies for group certification (GLOBALG.A.P or a benchmarked scheme). The group, as a legal entity, will be the certificate holder once certified. A group must have a QMS implemented and comply with rules set out in the General Regulations Part II QMS Rules.
Internal Assessments
At least 1 annual internal assessment Certification body inspection of all sites (i.e. 25 sites = 25 inspections)
Certification body Certification body inspection of square inspection of square root of members (i.e. root of sites (i.e. 25 sites 100 members = 10 = 5 inspections) inspections) At least 1 annual At least 1 annual internal and 1 external internal and 1 external audit of QMS in place audit of QMS in place Minimum of 10% unannounced annual surveillance inspections Minimum of 10% unannounced annual QMS audits
QMS Audit
Equivalent Systems:
Equivalent Schemes: These are schemes that have been adjudged to fully conform with the Global Gap System (GR and CPCC) Approved Modified Checklists (AMCs): These are systems that use the GG General regulations but have fully conforming CPCC which has been benchmarked
Resembling Systems:
Resembling Schemes: These are schemes that largely conform to GG requirements (GR and CPCC) but leave some exceptions Resembling Checklists: Systems that use the Global GAP GR and have own CPCC that leave certain exceptions. Both of these can be upgraded to full recognition by creating and implementing addons
Review to Version 4
Foodplus, the standard owner of GLOBALG.A.P has published
a new version of standard. From the 1st of January 2012, the new standard (version 4) is mandatory for all producers of fruit & vegetables and combinable crops. Both parts of the standard, the General Regulation and the Control Points are updated. Global GAP publishes revisions to the current versions using 3 year cycles. This gives the organization the opportunity to include emerging customer and legal expectations in the standard and maintain its relevance and acceptability in the ever increasing consumer base.
certified companies. The inspections will be notified to the certified site at maximum 48 hours prior to the inspection. The unannounced inspections cannot be refused by the certified company.
observed during the inspection is 28 days. The certification process from inspection to registration on the GLOBALG.A.P database is 56 days.
activity specific. All risk analysis must be updated yearly. GLOBALG.A.P has published annexes to the Control Points with guidelines for these risk analysis.
2.0 Hygiene Trainings: Hygiene trainings and instructions to all personnel must be updated yearly.
3.0 GGN Number use Declaration: All customers of the producer must certify in writing that they will not misuse the GGN number (=unique identifier) of the producer. The GGN number of a grower can only be used for the certified products of a grower.
4.0 Use of GGN Numbers on Traceability: The use of the GGN number on product labels, crates, pallets etc. is promoted to enhance the traceability of GLOBALG.A.P products. The use of the GLOBALG.A.P name and logo is limited to business to business communication and shall not be visible on the point of sale
5.0 Registration of Fertilizers and Crop Protection Products: The registration of fertilizers and crop protection products is extended for other applications like growth promoters, soil improvement substances, disperse fluids etc.
6.0 Registration of Fertilizers and Crop Protection Products: The content of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) has not changed but the weight of the questions is increased (recommendation to minor and minor to major level).
FAQ
1. If a Location Does Not Meet Expectations is it Eligible
for a Re-Audit? For first-time certification applicants, an audit can be repeated several times to prove the effectiveness of the corrective actions proposed to close the non-conformities raised. After an annual surveillance audit of an already GLOBALG.A.P. certified producer, the producer has 28 days to fix any nonconformances detected (except those non-conformances that require immediate attention to prevent a food safety threat to consumers). Certification will be renewed when the producer shows compliance again. If there is a grave food safety risk on the farm, the auditor has the option to immediately terminate the audit. You and your certification body can then work together to reschedule the audit a) after the situation has been remedied and b) when the pending control points can be audited.
FAQ
2. How Long is the Auditing Process? The minimum inspection time for a GLOBALG.A.P. audit is 3 hours. This includes a review of documentation and on-farm practices. Additional time needed for each audit is a function of the number of locations, number of crops, complexity and quantity of machinery, number of workers, if aspects of the business beyond production are involved in the audit process, extent to which documentation is well organized, and number of subsequent inspections that may need to take place because of corrective actions.
FAQ
3. What is Primary Farm Assurance? Primary Farm Assurance (PFA) is stepping stone towards GLOBALG.A.P.s full Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) standard. The PFA checklist includes a sub-set of the control points in the IFA standard, and is managed using the same General Regulations principles of the IFA standard. There are two main PFA levels available:
Foundation for producers with few food safety risks who primarily sell on a local level, good for starting their food safety certification Intermediary includes more food safety elements than the Primary Level, accepted by select retailers.
FAQ
4. What is Integrated Farm Assurance? Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) is GLOBALG.A.P.'s comprehensive on-farm certification standard. GLOBALG.A.P. emphasizes a holistic approach to farm certification, so the IFA Standard includes control points related to;
food safety, sustainability, operational health and safety, animal welfare, and traceability.
Any producer not currently certified under IFA can apply for
PFA certification, a first step towards Good Agricultural Practice.
FAQ
5. What is a GGN? The GGN, or GLOBALG.A.P. Number, is a 13-digit number used to identify each certified producer or producer group in the GLOBALG.A.P. Database. In cases where a producer has purchased a Global Location Number (GLN) from GS1, the GLN will take the place of the GGN.
6. What is the difference between an auditor and an inspector? An inspector can carry out most GG audit assessments but only an auditor can carry out Quality System Inspections
7. What is the Difference Between an Audit and an Inspection? An audit is GLOBALG.A.P.'s terminology for the certification body review of a producer's QMS system. An inspection is GLOBALG.A.P.'s terminology for the certification body review of a production site.
Q&A