OTTAWA The Canadian Horticultural Council (CHC)s CanadaGAP (On-Farm Food Safety) Program is pleased to announce the addition of a new Certification Body for the program, Guelph Food Technology Centre (GFTC).
Were pleased to have GFTC involved in the CanadaGAP Program. Program participants will now have more choice in selecting their service provider for CanadaGAP certification, said Heather Gale, CanadaGAP National Program Manager. GFTC joins QMI-SAI Global in the list of available certification bodies for CanadaGAP.
Third-party Certification Bodies are licensed by the CHC to provide audit and certification services for producers and packers of fresh fruit and vegetables who are enrolled in the program. Program participants must comply with food safety standards outlined by the program, and undergo and successfully complete on-farm audits in order to become CanadaGAP-certified. Several Canadian buyers including Loblaw Companies Limited, McCain Foods Canada, Simplot Canada and Lamb-Weston are requiring that growers become certified under the CanadaGAP Program.
New participants to CanadaGAP are asked to indicate their chosen certification body on the program enrolment form. Producers, storage operators and packers that are already CanadaGAP-certified will be contacted to confirm their selected certification body before their next scheduled audit.
Source: Canadian Horticultural Council