GFSI recognizes fruit and veg safety program

Ottawa – A Canadian food safety program for fresh fruit and vegetable suppliers has been recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI).

CanadaGAP says it has been successfully re-benchmarked by GFSI and has achieved recognition against the GFSI Guidance Document Sixth Edition.

CanadaGAP demonstrated that its certification options B and C meet the requirements for the following GFSI scopes:

• BI – Farming of Plants
• D – Pre-process Handling of Plant Products (includes packing and related activities such as cooling, trimming, grading, washing, storage, etc.)

CanadaGAP certification options B and C entail annual audits.

“GFSI recognition will allow CanadaGAP-certified companies to remain competitive and maintain access to customers who increasingly demand certification to a GFSI-recognized food safety program,” says Tom Byttynen, the chair of the board for CanadaGAP.

GFSI benchmarking process

GFSI benchmarking determines equivalency against an internationally recognized set of food safety requirements, based on industry best practice and sound science.

These requirements are developed through a consensus building process by key stakeholders in the food supply chain and are published in the GFSI Guidance Document Sixth Edition, available at www.mygfsi.com.

The first stage of the benchmarking process involves an intense examination by the Benchmarking Team Leader, followed by review and consultation with the Benchmark Committee.

The application is then released to more than 9,000 GFSI stakeholders for a one-month global consultation. The benchmark committee makes a recommendation regarding recognition to the GFSI Board for decision.

CanadaGAP joins a handful of other food safety schemes that have undergone GFSI’s thorough and comprehensive review process.