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Raise Your Profile with GLOBALG.A.P. Certification
GLOBALG.A.P. is the world’s leading private sector certification platform for food safety and sustainability in agriculture. This affordable, holistic set of standards provides a clear path for companies to demonstrate your commitment to safer, responsible food production, processing, and handling practices. GLOBALG.A.P. certification enables producers and other companies in the product chain of custody to satisfy the demanding food safety, ethical, and environmental specifications of retailers and other major buyers, and opens the door to valuable new markets for large and small producers alike. Additionally, key GLOBALG.A.P. standards are Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) benchmarked.
Take advantage of our comprehensive GLOBALG.A.P. auditing and certification services under the program’s flagship Integrated Farm Assurance standards for fresh fruit and vegetable producers, or under an array of certifications for processors and handlers along the product value chain.
SCS Qualifications
SCS has been a pioneer and innovator in the field of food safety and agricultural certification since the mid 1980s. We provide thorough, timely, and professional audits, with a worldwide network of experienced auditors who can meet your product-to-market deadlines. We are accredited by the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) to conduct GLOBALG.A.P. audits.
Repeat customers choose SCS for four key reasons:
- Expert Knowledge: Our GLOBALG.A.P. auditors have an in-depth knowledge of farming and agriculture.
- Superior Customer Care: Our team is dedicated to providing each and every client with the best possible service.
- Scheduling Flexibility: We will work with you to schedule audits at a time that works best for you and your team.
- Ability to Bundle Services: We are accredited to provide auditing and certification services under multiple GFSI-benchmarked schemes, and can bundle a variety of complementary certification and auditing services that can save you time and money to satisfy customer and stakeholder demand.
- Service Options
- Training
- Process
- FAQs
- Benefits
GLOBALG.A.P. certification is available for all major types of production, from open field to hydroponics. You may be eligible on a single site, multi-site, and group certification basis. In addition, processors, handlers, and others in the chain of custody can obtain certification.
Core Solutions – Select the certification audit that best meets your needs from among these GLOBALG.A.P. Core Solutions:
- Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA)– promoting safe, responsible farm-level practices
- Fresh Fruits and Vegetables V6 GFS – includes over 600 species of fruits and vegetables
- V6 Smart – Non-GFS IFA certification option providing a more flexible on-ramp for fresh produce
- Hops – hops production
- Combinable Crops – for machine-harvested crops (e.g., grains, pulses, fodder, and extracts) for human or animal consumption or industrial use
- Chain of Custody (CoC) –segregation and traceability of products from GLOBALG.A.P certified operations
- Produce Handling Assurance (PHA) – food safety and traceability for post-harvest activities
- Harmonized Produce Safety Standard (HPSS) – based on the Combined Harmonized Standard from IFPA’s Produce GAP Harmonization Initiative
- Crops for Processing (CfP) – targeting crops intended for further processing
Add-Ons – You may also elect to add on one more of the following certifications:
- GRASP – additional social auditing addressing worker health, safety and welfare on the farm
- SPRING – farm-level add-on for sound water management from irrigation and groundwater use
- GGFSA – combining Farm Safety Assessment (SAI Platform) with GLOBALG.A.P under a single audit
- FSMA – for exports to the US under Food Safety Modernization Act Produce Safety Rule
Pre-Assessment – SCS can walk you through a pre-assessment process. Pre-assessment is a non-scored mock assessment designed to assess the level of your preparedness for a certification audit. Ask about combining a pre-assessment with your initial audit for greater efficiency.
Smart Checklist Builder – This tool helps you identify relevant GLOBALG.A.P. standards and add-ons based on your specific production processes or operations, and enables you to generate a customizable self-assessment checklist to kickstart the certification process.
Read more about these GLOBALG.A.P. Core Solutions and Add-Ons here.
GLOBALG.A.P. Growers Workshop: IFA - Crops Base; Fruits & Vegetables
This two-day course is designed for food safety and quality team members of all levels involved in the GLOBALG.A.P. program. The training explains the various farm certification options and the requirements upon which the Standard, inspections and audits are based. It is available in-person (public or onsite at your facility) or self-paced online, in either English or Spanish. See here.
Visit our Resource Center to view complementary webinars on GLOBALG.A.P. and more – see here
For other SCS training courses, including HACCP for Produce Operations, Internal Auditor, SQF and more see here.
- Apply for Auditing
Fill out an SCS Application Form to register. Contact SCS at [email protected] to request guidance. SCS will return a proposal for your approval with suggested scope of work, timeline, and quote. To initiate the certification process, return a signed proposal and Work Order.
- Schedule the Audit
SCS assigns an auditor and audit dates are proposed. Once an audit date is confirmed, an audit plan is provided to ensure that your team is prepared.
- On-Site Audit
An on-site audit is conducted. A meeting involving the auditor and your management team is conducted at the beginning and the end of the audit. At the conclusion of the audit, the auditor discusses the audit results, including any non-conformities.
- Complete Corrective Actions and Technical Review
Identified non-conformities must be addressed and evidence of corrective actions provided to SCS within 28 days. The auditor reviews and closes out non-conformities as warranted. Once this process is complete, the auditor submits an audit report.
- Make Certification Decision
SCS conducts a final technical review of the audit report and Corrective Action documentation and makes the final certification decision.
- Receive Certificate
If certification is achieved, SCS issues the certificate and final report to the facility/operation and posts audit results in the GLOBALG.A.P. Directory, as well as to any retailer databases when requested. Annual audits are required to maintain certification.
What is GLOBALG.A.P.?
GLOBALG.A.P. is a private sector body that sets voluntary standards for the certification of agricultural products around the globe. With more than 700 certified products and over 200,000 certified producers in more than 135 countries, GLOBALG.A.P. is the most widely accepted private sector food safety certification in the world.
What are the benefits of being GLOBALG.A.P. certified?
The majority of retailers in today’s markets require certain standards that ensure safe and sustainable agriculture. GLOBALG.A.P. certification is highly regarded for demonstrating on-farm food safety and sustainability. By complying with GLOBALG.A.P. standards, producers can sell their products both locally and globally. GLOBALG.A.P. certification thus offers producers a ticket to the global market.
What types of businesses will benefit from GLOBALG.A.P. Certification?
GLOBALG.A.P. is a pre-farm-gate standard, which means that the certificate covers the process of the certified product from farm inputs like feed or seedlings and all the farming activities until the product leaves the farm. GLOBALG.A.P. is a business-to-business label and is therefore not directly visible to consumers. Existing national or regional farm assurance schemes that have successfully completed their benchmarking process are recognized as an equivalent to GLOBALG.A.P.
Which GLOBALG.A.P. standards does SCS certify to?
SCS certifies to the current version of Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) for Fruits and Vegetables and is approved for Combinable Crops, Hops, and add-ons such as GRASP. SCS is also accredited to certify producers to Produce Handling Assurance (PHA) and Harmonized Produce Safety Standard (HPSS).
What is GLOBALG.A.P. Integrated Farm Assurance Certification?
Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) is a comprehensive certification recognized by retailers globally. IFA emphasizes a holistic approach to farm certification and covers food safety, environment (including biodiversity), worker's operational health and safety, and traceability. The Fruits & Vegetables sub-scope 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. The Combinable Crops sub-scope covers propagation material, machinery and equipment, crop protection, harvesting, and harvest crop handling..
IFA certification allows producers greater access to both international and domestic markets. The IFA Standard is globally recognized by retailers and food service in more than 135 countries
What is GLOBALG.A.P. Harmonized Produce Safety Standard (HPSS) certification?
The GLOBALG.A.P. Harmonized Produce Safety Standard (HPSS) is a robust food safety standard that includes verbatim the Produce GAP Harmonization Initiative’s Harmonized Standards, developed by the International Fresh Produce Association. HPSS is a streamlined, food safety-only, good agricultural practices standard designed by and for producers in the United States, or selling into the U.S. HPSS is benchmarked to the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) and is aligned with the FSMA Produce Safety Rule.
Visit the HPSS section on the GlobalG.A.P. website for more information (https://www.globalgap.org/uk_en/for-producers/globalg.a.p./harmonized-produce-safety/).
What GLOBALG.A.P. services does SCS offer?
SCS offers the GLOBALG.A.P. certification for individual & producer groups. We offer the IFA, HPSS, Produce Handling Assurance, GRASP, and FLC assessment add-ons.
What is the difference between IFA and HPSS?
The GLOBALG.A.P. IFA is the first choice for producers exporting outside of the US. The IFA includes control points related to worker protection and sustainability while the HPSS is focused on food safety & good agricultural practices.
What is the PHA standard?
This PHA is a facility audit that can be performed as a standalone audit or in conjunction with the IFA or HPSS audits to assess a packinghouse under the same ownership.
What is the FLC assessment?
The FLC assessment is a shortened IFA checklist used to check compliance of subcontractors as required by AF control point 5.1 of the full IFA checklist. A letter of conformance can be achieved to show compliance. The assessment is intended to assist producers in choosing reputable FLCs for harvest.
How often will I need to schedule a GLOBALG.A.P. audit?
The GLOBALG.A.P audit is an annual certification. If you would like to certify multiple commodities with different harvest practices, we may need to visit more than once to observe harvest.
When should I schedule my GLOBALG.A.P. audit?
You should plan on scheduling your audit when harvest and produce handling (facilty operations) can be observed.
Can I fail my GLOBALG.A.P audit?
There are no “auto-fails” in the GLOBALG.A.P. audit. As long as all non-conformances can be corrected within in a specified time period after the audit, any farm operation can achieve certification.
What is the GRASP-add on?
GRASP is an optional GLOBALG.A.P. add on is designed to assess farm level social practices like worker welfare and safety. GRASP is not a stand alone audit.
Does SCS offer pre-assessment audits?
Yes, SCS always offers pre-assessments or “mock” audits to help producers identify any issues that may need to be addressed.
Does GLOBALG.A.P. apply to indoor growing operations?
Yes, GLOBALG.A.P. applies to covered greenhouses and indoor growing operations.
I am a very small farm, would GLOBALG.A.P. apply to me?
Yes, SCS small producers benefit from GLOBALG.A.P. certification. SCS also offers discounts for small farms.
How do I start the GLOBALG.A.P. process?
You begin by downloading the checklist and performing your own self-assessment readiness audit. When you are ready to schedule, you simply reach to SCS’s Client Services team and we will provide you with everything you need to schedule a GLOBALG.A.P. audit.
Some of the questions and answers above are excerpted from the GLOBALG.A.P. website.
- Competitive Edge - Assure your customers that food is grown, harvested, and handled in conformance with rigorous food safety and responsibility standards
- Limit Your Risk - Minimize the potential for food safety incidents and recalls
- Global Recognition - GLOBALG.A.P. IFA is recognized by more than 100 countries, including major markets
- Become a Preferred Supplier - Many retailers worldwide require GFSI benchmarked certification for their fresh produce suppliers
- Improvement over Time - Demonstrate continual improvements in quality, safety, and sustainability processes and practices
What Our Clients Are Saying
I have had nothing but great things to say about the attentiveness to our account from the auditing department. SCS has figured out how to convey scheme questions into day-to-day operations both practically and technically. Their auditors are able to balance technical requirements with real-world application. We have been happy and will continue to have them help uphold our high standards and commitment to food safety. We appreciate the availability and assistance of the entire auditing team.
Jacob Celedon - Director of Food/Occupational Safety, Bee Sweet Citrus
At Pomona Farming, we manage a portfolio of sustainability certifications—including GLOBALG.A.P., SMETA, and Farm Sustainability Assessment—and SCS has been instrumental in helping us navigate these frameworks efficiently. Their team is quick to schedule audits and their end-to-end service—from audit preparation to final certification—ensures we stay compliant without disrupting our operations. Their support allows us to confidently communicate our sustainability commitments across global markets. We appreciate their responsiveness, professionalism, and deep expertise.
Deanna Eakin - VP Sales Operations
Kristy-Ann Bura
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