Reducing food safety risks and proving your good agricultural practices (GAP) is vital to business success. GAP auditing provides independent verification of pre-farm gate food safety practices. The audit is applicable to all fresh produce commodities, covering growers or producers of fruits and vegetables, or agricultural feedstocks, both open field and greenhouses, including specialized audits, such as the Leafy Greens and Tomato Food Safety Protocol. Audited under the International Fresh Produce Association Harmonized Audit Standard, the audit includes verification of your Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) as well as GAPs, and other relevant food safety prerequisite programs and/or HACCP program.
SCS Global Services has nearly four decades of food safety and HACCP expertise and the highest standards for time spent “in field”. SCS participates on the United Fresh Food Safety Council and audits against the United Fresh Produce GAP’s Harmonized standard. SCS is committed to offering:
Harmonized GAP audits are relevant to any grower or producer of vegetables, fruits, or agricultural feedstocks. We audit greenhouse growers as well as open-field.
SCS can walk you through a pre-assessment process. Pre-assessment is a non-scored mock audit 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.
SCS performs GAP audits to the United Fresh Harmonized Audit Standard, including the specialized Tomato Food Safety Protocol.
In a Harmonized GAP audit, we verify your Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs), including management commitment, mock recall, traceability, site selection, adjacent land use, fertilizer usage, water sourcing and usage, pest control and pesticide monitoring, and harvesting practices (employee hygiene, packaging storage, field sanitation and product transportation).
SCS Global Services offers GFSI-level food safety certification including GLOBALG.A.P. and SQF. Additionally, contact SCS for expert guidance if your company is interested in establishing a comprehensive HACCP-based Food Safety Management Plan or a food testing program as validation of an existing management plan.
Combine your food safety certifications with Certified Organic, Fair Trade, or Pesticide Residue Free certification for operational and cost efficiency.
Apply for Auditing
Fill out an SCS Application form, which provides us with the details of your site and operation. Contact SCS at [email protected] to request guidance. SCS staff returns a proposal to you for signature. 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 of your operation is carried out to ensure that your operation is in compliance. If a HACCP plan is in place, that is assessed as well.
Audit Report Review
The auditor prepares and submits an audit report. Identified non-conformities must be addressed and evidence of corrective actions provided to SCS. The auditor review and closes out non-conformities.
Issue Audit Score
SCS conducts a final technical review of the audit report and Corrective Action documentation and issues the final audit score.
Reporting
FInal audit results are sent to you and posted, and are sent to specific retailers as requested.
Training
For GMP and HACCP training see here
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