BALTIMORE, Md.-GLOBALG.A.P. North America Inc. (GGNA), the USA and Canadian division of the world's largest private sector standards organization for Good Agricultural Practice, announces that the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) has recognized its Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA V4.0 - Fruit & Vegetables Sub-scope) and Produce Safety Standard (PSS V4.0) according to GFSI Guidance Document Sixth Edition, BI and D Scopes (Farming of Plants and Pre-Processing Handling of Plants respectively), for food safety and traceability.
GLOBALG.A.P. offers North American produce growers three general use standards.
1) Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA): the most widely accepted import/export farm certification standard worldwide-comprehensive, progressive and holistic in scope;
2) Produce Safety Standard (PSS): the perfect option for growers seeking food safety and traceability certification in the domestic market-a subset of IFA with an upgrade path;
3) Primary Farm Assurance (PFA): the non-accredited assessment stepping stone towards full certification, an entry-level standard that assesses fundamental food safety for local and domestic markets.
IFA is the passport to the global agricultural market. PSS is the ideal solution for growers supplying to the domestic market and/or those who do not require IFA's comprehensive criteria. PFA is the first step towards certification, the North American version of our localg.a.p. Standard. IFA and PSS are expandable via optional add-ons and alternate industry-specific checklists like the Tomato Metrics. All offer individual farm and producer group certification, which provides central management and cost-savings benefits. Each is backed by GLOBALG.A.P.'s database and CIPRO (Certification Integrity Program) systems.
Dr. David Gombas, Senior Vice President Food Safety and Technology, United Fresh Produce Association commented: "GLOBALG.A.P. was the first of the GFSI-benchmarked audit organizations to adopt the Harmonized Standards as their National Interpretation Guideline in the USA, so we are confident that fresh produce suppliers, and buyers that are requiring their suppliers to be certified to a GFSI-benchmarked standard, will find GLOBALG.A.P.'s PSS and IFA to be reasonable and complete food safety standards for Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) audits. The Harmonized Standards were developed by the broadest spectrum of fresh produce suppliers and customers to meet food safety assurance needs, and we encourage all audit organizations to utilize the Harmonized Standards for their GAPs checklists."