QCS specializes in certification of production processes for the following GLOBALG.A.P. scopes and sub-scopes. Certification to GLOBALG.A.P. standards supports the continuous improvement of farming systems with a holistic approach to farm assurance including food safety, environment and biodiversity, workers welfare, traceability, and animal welfare.
QCS applicants must certify to the GLOBALG.A.P. Standards and follow GLOBALG.A.P. General Regulations.
GLOBALG.A.P. Standards
As a baseline for certification, QCS operates in accordance with GLOBALG.A.P. General Regulations under signed License and Certification Agreement between GLOBALG.A.P. and QCS. As such, QCS must ensure that any type of client as per section 02, that wants to sell a GLOBALG.A.P. certified product, conforms to all GLOBALG.A.P. requirements.
GLOBALG.A.P. v.5.4-I GFS version (IFA v.5.4-1-GFS) became obligatory from 22 Jan 2022 for those users supplying customers who demand compliance with a GFSI-recognized standard. IFA v 5.4-1- GFS will remain benchmarked against GFSI until a new version is recognized. The intention of the GLOBALG.A.P. System is to be robust enough to build trust and integrity into the supply chain while at the same time be flexible enough to spur innovation and excellence.
A few of the important features that GLOBALG.A.P. offers are that GLOBALG.A.P.
(1) implements a pioneering integrity system with independent assessments to monitor the performance of CBs,
(2) has a secure online certification database that customers and the public can use to check producers and validate certificates,
(3) provides classroom and online trainings globally in different languages, and
(4) has a harmonization program to benchmark schemes and standards around the world.
The GLOBALG.A.P. IFA Standard for Fruits & Vegetables is applicable worldwide to a diversity of fruit and vegetables. It covers all stages of production, from pre-harvest activities such as soil management and plant protection product application to post-harvest produce handling, packing and storing. Click the link to view a full description and standards.
If you produce hemp or tobacco, GAP Connections (GAPC) applies to you. Recognizing the demand for a comprehensive, and transparent tool to verify compliance with best practice implementation, GAPC developed the certification program with extensive input from its member companies, member-growers, and third-party experts. GAPC’s certification program will increase transparency and foster an environment that promotes sustainability, profitability, fairness, and competition. Click the links below to learn more.
GLOBALG.A.P. Produce Safety Assurance Standard is designed for regions where producers and their customers require only a food safety solution. The new Produce Safety Assurance Standard V5. based on the GLOBALG.A.P. Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) Standard and consists of only the food safety elements. Click the link to see the full description and standards.
GLOBALG.A.P. Harmonized Produce Safety Standard (HPSS) is designed for fruit and vegetable producers in the US or selling into the US market. It covers all stages of production, from pre-harvest activities such as soil management and plant protection product application to post-harvest produce handling, packing and storing. This standard only focuses on food safety and traceability elements. Click the link to see the full description and standards.
The GLOBALG.A.P. Compound Feed Manufacturing Standard (CFM) is in place to ensure safe and suitable nutrition for animal health and welfare. The standard defines the Control Points and Compliance Criteria (CPCC) for quality assurance in the production, supply, and purchase of raw materials destined as feed ingredients for compound feed. Click the link to read a full description and standard.
A Producer Group or Option 2 is a group of producers, a legal entity, applying for or awarded certification. Option 2 requires internal control of 100% of members registered to the GLOBALG.A.P. requirements and a management representative with ultimate responsibility.
A producer group may have parallel production and/or parallel ownership within its members and their products. In these cases, segregation of products is key and specific rules for registering with GLOBALG.A.P. identifying product and producers and other requirements must be followed to avoid sanctions.
A group member may only sell GLOBALG.A.P. certified product through the legal entity representing the group that is the certificate holder.
QCS must determine how many producers must be inspected after the Quality Management System (QMS) audit by following the current GLOBALG.A.P. General Regulations.
Watch this brief video for more information.
Mira este video en español aquí.
Good agricultural practices aren’t just about products; they are also about people. That’s why QCS offers GRASP – The GLOBALG.A.P. Risk Assessment on Social Practice as a GLOBALG.A.P. Add-on. It is a voluntary, farm-level social/labor management tool for global supply chains, to be used in combination with Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA). Click the logo to view a full description and standards.
To support implementation efforts at producer level, GLOBALG.A.P. offers an add-on to the Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) standard for fruit and vegetables to address the requirements in the FSMA Produce Safety Rule (FSMA PSR).
Provides complete coverage of the FSMA PSR requirements for US-based and international producers who grow fruit and vegetables for the US market
Ensures efficiency for producers by combining the FSMA PSR add-on assessment with their annual IFA audit
Delivers credible verification of a producer’s efforts toward FSMA PSR implementation in the form of a certificate of conformance and audit report issued by GLOBALG.A.P. approved certification bodies
Prepares exporters to be “FSMA ready” with products entering the US market
Assures importers that their foreign suppliers are meeting the verification requirements of the Foreign Supplier Verification Program
Enables transparent online validation of a producer’s compliance status in real time through the GLOBALG.A.P. IT systems
The FSMA PSR add-on certificate of conformance is not an assurance or guarantee of FSMA compliance, as legal compliance can only be determined by a US regulatory authority such as the FDA.
Find out more at www.globalgap.org/fsma
Fusarium oxysporum f. sp . cubense – tropical race 4 (TR4), which is also referred to as “Foc 4” , is the most imminent threat to the banana industry and to those livelihoods that depend on banana production and consumption for their subsistence. There is currently no known effective treatment to control the disease for Cavendish cultivars. Therefore, preventive measures are the only viable option.
For this reason, the GLOBALG.A.P. Secretariat has developed the TR4 Biosecurity Add-on, a tool that provides farmers with a risk mitigation plan to prevent the introduction (and/or further spreading) of the TR4 pathogen to, within, and from their GLOBALG.A.P. certified farms.
Additionally, this add-on is innovative since it is designed to help raise awareness about the seriousness of the disease at a global scale by means of informative annexes. Thus, the add-on is GLOBALG.A.P.’s contribution to combating this threat that the banana industry is facing.
Unlike other add-ons, the TR4 Biosecurity Add-on is an assessment and not a certificate. This means that IFA certified producers (for bananas only) can request their CBs to perform the TR4 Biosecurity assessment together with their normal IFA audit and will receive an assessment proof. The result of the assessment will be visible in the GLOBALG.A.P. Database.
HACCP is a management system in which food safety is addressed through the analysis and control of biological, chemical, and physical hazards from raw material production, procurement and handling, to manufacturing, distribution and consumption of the finished product. Learn more on the FDA website here.
