Is USDA Harmonized GAP Plus+ truly a GFSI standard?
I work for a controlled environment agriculture producer and also consult for greenhouse farms. I have been asked whether the USDA Harmonized GAP Plus+ audit will work as an alternative to certification under PrimusGFS. Having looked at the guidance document, it doesn't seem to be very robust and I'm unclear about how it is GFSI benchmarked without a robust HACCP standard for packers. (PrimusGFS, meanwhile, looks like it will become a bit more rigorous in v3 with unannounced audits).
(1) Does anyone here have knowledge about the USDA Harmonized GAP Plus+ standard and its strengths or weaknesses?
(2) Does anyone here buy for retailers or processors? I'm curious about how it will be accepted by buyers.
https://www.thepacke...fety-initiative
Not GFSI.
Generally speaking when your customers come along and tell you to get GFSI certified (under whatever cert scheme) they want you to get GFSI certified and not a lightweight alternate.
This "technical equivalence" recognition must have just come down quite recently even though the standard was apparently released by USDA in May, because all of a sudden I'm seeing grower interest in it. I don't suppose anyone here can speak on behalf of the Consumer Goods Forum, but given the USDA Harmonized GAP Plus+ standard appears to be weak in many respects (no HACCP, only annual self-audits; a guidance document that reads like a checklist, etc), what are they thinking to declare it technically "equivalent" to a GFSI standard? Is this to say that GFSI's minimum requirements are really that watered down and a private standard like PrimusGFS v2.1-2c goes above and beyond?
https://www.mygfsi.c...quivalence.html
Here is another article I was just forwarded by a different grower. I fully agree that we in the food safety community should not gravitate towards lightweight alternatives to GFSI.
http://www.hortidail...by-GFSI-and-FDA
Scratching my head. I knew USDA was coming out with a technically equivalent standard, but I assumed it was going to be more akin to PrimusGFS than a little touch-up to Harmonized GAP. If big buyers accept this, I'm sure most ag producers in North America will go to this. And if not, this could bifurcate the market, between those supplying large buyers and those supplying midsize buyers. After all, if the new USDA standard is technically equivalent, a GFSI certified buyer should not have a problem buying from a supplier who is audited by the USDA.
We run CanadaGap.....as the program is reviewed annually and changes made where deemed necessary, it is considered a GFSI audit.
None of the other standards have anything that is applicable to agricultural commodities
No, the farm is not audited onsite annually, but I've not been questioned by SQF when they've reviewed the approved supplier listing for the processing side
However, CFIA does not perform the audits....it is a arms length group. It used to be funded by the CDN federal government, but is no longer
The USDA Harmonized GAP Plus+ standard went through a similar process as GFSI benchmarked certification program owners, however under technical equivalency the scope was limited to the food safety elements under Part 3 of the GFSI benchmarking requirements. The full requirements for "Technical Equivalency for Government Based Certification Programs" can be found on the GFSI website.
Both USDA and the GlobalGAP Harmonized Produce Safety Standard use the Harmonized GAP Standard as the foundation with additional elements added to align with GFSI.
Perhaps everyone needs to appreciate just how different farming is from manufacturing.
These are professionals in their field, and the good ones are already managing food safety (even though it may not be documented)
If all of the sudden we asked farmers to comply with a traditional GFSI, all you'd see is resistance.
And how exactly would an auditor audit a farm anyway????? Are they really going to walk the 1000's of acres? And what if a bird poops while flying overhead (as they are want to do)...then what? Force farmers to put glass bubbles over the fields???? Change the migration patterns of birds............drain the exisitng pond because it's too close???????? I can think of a lot of things that traditional GFSI and the auditors will think need to change but it just cannot be done
I think a little caution needs to be involved when speaking about on farm food safety
@Scampi, most farmers who sell to chains and medium-large distributors ARE certified according to a GFSI standard. GlobalGAP and PrimusGFS are GFSI standards specifically designed for agriculture. SQF has modules for agriculture. Also, yes, the safest farms DO put a glass bubble over the (hydroponic) "fields"... They're greenhouses ;-)
Lol, but not open air growing......we sell direct to large chains and our CanadaGap program is sufficient
UPDATE
www.mygfsi.com/news-resources/latest-news/1437-gfsi-announces-usda-ams-gap-plus-certification-programme-achieves-technical-equivalence.html
USDA GAP + has received technical equivalency from GFSI