GlobalG.A.P. is undergoing the Consumer Goods Forum’s Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) Benchmarking Process for two of its certification programs and has entered the stakeholder consultation phase, which is open until February 6, 2024. Stakeholder consultations ensure transparency and robustness of the GFSI Benchmarking process by inviting interested stakeholders to review and comment on the assessment carried out by GFSI and its independent Benchmark Leaders.

To participate, download the consultation documents and email questions and comments to gfsibm@theconsumergoodsforum.com by February 6, 2024.

The Integrated Farm Assurance GFS Plants—Principles and Criteria for Fruit and Vegetables, Version 6.0 was developed by the industry and for the industry. It provides producers with clarity on market requirements and facilitates a long-term holistic approach to farm-level operations. It should be noted that this standard differs from the Integrated Farm Assurance Version 6 Smart (IFA version), which is not GFSI-recognized.

The Integrated Farm Assurance SMART/GFS—Principles and Criteria for Aquaculture—Finfish, Crustaceans, Molluscs, Seaweed—Version 6.0 was developed with participation from a wide range of sector stakeholders. It provides producers with clarity on international requirements for responsible farming and facilitates a long-term holistic approach to primary production operations. It covers a wide range of finfish, crustaceans, molluscs, and seaweed (macroalgae) species.

The certification programs are designed to operate under product/process certification according to ISO 17065 accreditation and involve third-party audits and certification of single and multisite farms and firms (group certification). Launched in 2022, these two editions became obligatory on January 1, 2024.