Q: Who needs to be CanadaGAP-certified?
A: The certification program is open to producers, storage intermediaries and packers who need to demonstrate to their customers that they are implementing on-farm food safety programs and/or following the CanadaGAP (OFFS) Manuals. If your buyer is asking specifically for CanadaGAP certification, you should enrol. If you are not sure what your customers are requesting, contact them. Some buyers are asking their suppliers to implement the manuals, but this is not the same as requiring certification. The certification is being requested by buyers who wish to ensure that the CanadaGAP (OFFS) Manuals are being implemented effectively by their suppliers (e.g., Loblaw Companies Limited, McCain Foods Canada, Simplot Canada, Lamb-Weston, Cavendish, etc.).
As customers become more aware of the CanadaGAP program, demands for multiple OFFS audits are expected to decrease.
Q: How do I become certified?
A: Step 1 is to have your food safety program in place and at least three months of records. If you need to get started with the CanadaGAP manual(s), click here.
Step 2 is to enrol in the program through the CHC. Click here for the enrolment form, or contact the CHC National Office at (613) 226-4880, ext. 206. Program participants will be required to pass a third party audit specifically based on the CanadaGAP (OFFS) Manuals. The audit will be performed by a qualified, third party auditor who will be trained using CHC-developed materials to understand and assess a supplier's compliance with the CanadaGAP food safety requirements. The audit service is provided by an independent certification body.
Q: Why are there different certification options and which one should I choose?
A: The CanadaGAP program has been designed to be as flexible and responsive as possible to developments within a dynamic industry. The certification options are tailored to: respond to different market requirements and pressures; satisfy the expectations of a wide range of buyers, both in Canada and internationally; and provide maximum benefit to Canadian suppliers by enabling them to gain access to markets regardless of customer demands. You should choose the option that meets your customer(s)’ requirements. If in doubt, ask your buyer for clarification, or contact the CHC National Office. More detailed information on each of the options is available here.
If your customer is requiring a GFSI-recognized program, choose CanadaGAP certification option B or C, both of which have been formally benchmarked and approved by GFSI.
Q: My customer is requiring a GFSI-recognized program. I am a grower/shipper who is following the CanadaGAP manual. Will CanadaGAP be acceptable to my buyer?
A: Yes, CanadaGAP certification options B and C have been officially recognized by GFSI. You must be certified to option B or C to meet your customer requirement. Through a formal benchmarking process, GFSI has approved options B and C as meeting their international requirements for food safety programs. For more information about the Global Food Safety Initiative, visit www.mygfsi.com.
Q: Can CanadaGAP certification help me if I currently need multiple certifications such as GlobalGAP, certified organic or others?
A: Possibly, depending on your choice of certification body. One of the reasons that the CHC chose to outsource the certification function of the CanadaGAP program to independent certification bodies was to provide more flexibility for those who are meeting different customer requirements and need multiple certifications, but who would like to avoid the cost and inconvenience of multiple audits. In addition to certifying your food safety program, some CanadaGAP Certification Bodies may have the capacity to offer multiple certifications within a single visit, for instance if a producer/packer also needs certification to store-specific requirements, or to GlobalG.A.P., BRC, organic certification or other programs in which the Certification Body's auditors are qualified. The CHC is working to eliminate the need for multiple food safety certifications in the future.
To assist Canadian suppliers to foreign markets, the CHC has benchmarked CanadaGAP certification options B and C to the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI). GFSI has officially recognized options B and C as meeting international food safety requirements. Benchmarking is also being considered to achieve equivalency with GlobalG.A.P. standards.
Q: I’m following multiple CanadaGAP (OFFS) Manuals because I produce and pack a number of different fruits and vegetables. Do I need multiple audits or certifications to the CanadaGAP program?
A: A single audit will cover all aspects of your operation. There is only one audit checklist that covers the requirements for all commodity-specific manuals. Once you have successfully completed your audit, you will receive one CanadaGAP certificate that describes the scope of your operation and identifies all crops you are producing, storing or packing under your food safety program.
Q: What is Government Technical Review?
A: Canadian federal, provincial and territorial governments have developed a mechanism to provide oversight to on-farm food safety programs. This two-stage approach is led by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency with participation from provincial and territorial governments. The first stage takes a look at the technical requirements of the OFFS program. This involves bringing together a team of government experts in food safety to review the generic HACCP model that forms the basis of each CHC commodity-specific standard. To ensure that food safety hazards have been appropriately identified, the review proceeds to examine the corresponding manual to ensure that the food safety hazards identified in the HACCP model have been adequately addressed.
The second step in government oversight entails an examination of the effectiveness of the delivery and management of the on-farm programs.
Q: I’ve enrolled in the CanadaGAP program. When will my audit be scheduled for? Does my operation need to be in production during the audit?
A: The Certification Body or the auditor will contact you to arrange a suitable date for your audit. When you are setting up your audit date, keep in mind that you or your representative must be available to accompany the auditor.
Audits must be scheduled to occur when you are in production – during harvest, product handling, packing season, shipping, storage period etc. depending on the scope of certification for your operation). This is important for the auditor to properly assess the implementation of your food safety program. Activities that are not occurring cannot be included in the scope of your audit. Multi-commodity operations may find, depending on the crops and activities involved, that a number of audits over several years are required before certification reflects the full scope of your business.
For more detailed guidance on optimal audit timing, please refer to the CanadaGAP Program Management Manual, Section 3.3.5.4.3 Audit Scheduling.
Q: I failed my CanadaGAP audit and have a number of autofails and/or corrective actions to complete. What happens next?
A: You need to get a copy of the Corrective Actions Report. This can be found on the CanadaGAP website (www.canadagap.ca) under “tools”. Also see further guidance in the FAQs below.
Q: If I fail an audit, can I just choose anywhere I lost marks on the audit or any autofail(s) received and correct them?
A: No, the participant cannot just choose any issue to fix.
Program participants must always correct autofail items first. All autofail items must be corrected. Other than these, the auditor will have identified some of the higher priority corrective action requests in the Executive Summary (Section C – Action Plan) of the audit report. Those would be the next items that the certification body and auditor would expect you to correct.
Beyond the autofail items and those listed in the Executive Summary, program participants can determine which remaining items to fix. It is advisable to speak first with your certification body (including the auditor) and/or your customers, if appropriate, to ensure their expectations and priorities will be addressed.
Important Note: It might not always be possible to correct autofail items or lost points after the audit within a desired time frame (e.g., to meet a customer deadline). It might be too late or not possible to take appropriate action until the next season (for example, if the production season is already over).
Q: What are some situations where it is not possible to fix my autofail item(s) or lost marks until the next season?
A: Here are some examples of issues that would require the participant to wait until the next season to be certified:
- If agricultural chemicals not registered for use in Canada were sprayed on crops during the course of the season and therefore caused product contamination.
- If apples or tomatoes were washed in water that was not kept potable and temperature was not monitored or controlled, and product was not discarded.
- If untreated sewage water was used on crops throughout the season.
- If personal hygiene facilities were not provided for employees and the harvest season was completed.
Q: Who decides which corrective actions are acceptable?
A: In all cases, corrective actions implemented by the participant are subject to review by the Certification Body. The Certification Body will decide which are acceptable, based on evidence and clarification from the participant which shows they have sufficiently completed the corrective action.
Q: How long do I have to complete my corrective actions?
A: The participant is responsible for implementing corrective actions to the best of their ability, within the timeframe indicated by their customer and/or certification body [e.g., immediately (1 week), 1 month, up to 3 months, etc. depending on the nature and severity of the items)]. Under program rules, participants are given a maximum of one year to complete corrective actions.
It is advisable to avoid delays in implementing corrective actions and initiating follow-up with the certification body or auditor, since delays:
- Increase the likelihood of not being certified in the current year. For instance, it could become too late in the production season to adequately implement, monitor or assess the effectiveness of your corrective actions.
- Entail a shorter certification period. Regardless of when your certificate is issued, it will expire close to the anniversary of your original audit date. The longer you delay implementation of corrective actions, the shorter your certificate validity period will be.
Q: What sort of evidence will the Certification Body accept as proof that my correction actions are complete?
A: It depends on the situation and the issue being corrected. The Certification Body may accept:
- Documentary evidence (e.g., missing records)
- Photographic evidence
Important Note: there may be situations where demonstrations of the corrective action can only be confirmed by a further site visit. The decision about a return visit is at the discretion of the certification body and depends on your audit results and the corrective actions required. If in doubt, consult your certification body or auditor about the type of evidence that will be acceptable for your situation.
Q: What happens if the Certification Body decides that they have to confirm my corrective actions through an on-site visit? Who pays for that?
A: If the Certification Body decides that the demonstration of the corrective action can only be confirmed by a future site visit, they will coordinate that with the participant. When this is required, the participant is responsible for costs (i.e., auditor time and travel).
Please note that participants will not become certified until the corrective actions can be completed. If the Certification Body has to come back for a site visit and the season is over, they will have to schedule for the next season, and certification will not be possible until that time. Take this into consideration when you are scheduling your audit, particularly when you are starting out on the program and are uncertain whether your operation meets the standard.
Regardless of whether an on-site visit is required, the program participant is responsible to pay the certification body fees for follow-up on corrective actions. Charges also apply to desk review of evidence (documents, photographs, etc.) even when a return visit to your site is unnecessary. Check the rates in your contract with the certification body.
Q: What happens if I am not able to complete my corrective actions?
A: If participants are unsuccessful in implementing corrective actions to pass the audit:
- They can withdraw officially from the program, enrol again the next year, and re-attempt certification. The CHC must be informed so that the CanadaGAP Annual Program Enrolment fee for the current year can be refunded, minus an administrative charge of $100. For example, if it was impossible or unacceptable for the program participant to implement corrective actions within the program’s one-year grace period and a full re-audit was needed during next year’s harvest. The audit fees (auditor’s time and travel) for the failed audit are not refundable.
- They can maintain their enrolment if they will be implementing corrective actions next season, but within the program’s one-year grace period. In that case, the participant’s enrolment status is considered active, no direct notification to the CHC is required, and the CanadaGAP Annual Program Enrolment Fee is applied to the current year.