Q. Who are packers allowed to get product from (suppliers)?
A. Section 19. Sorting, Grading and Packing sub-section 19.1 Purchasing and Receiving Harvested Product states “packer purchases harvested product from CanadaGAP-certified producers and requests a copy of the certificate or requests a letter of assurance from non-certified producers”.
Q. What documentation does the packer need to get from their suppliers?
A. The program requires that the packer ONLY get from the producer either a copy of their CanadaGAP certificate or a letter of assurance (from non-certified producers). No other documents (e.g., producer manuals), records (e.g., agricultural chemical applications), certificates etc. are required by the program. This is the minimum. A packer must decide on his/her own if it is sufficient for their business. Based on their own assessment of risk or customer expectations, packers may decide to ask for more from their suppliers (e.g., additional records, certification to CanadaGAP as a base requirement, etc.), or along with a letter of assurance they may accept certificates from other food safety programs.
Although the auditor is not expected to audit on this point, it is worth remembering that the packer's customer(s) may be asking for more than the minimum required by the program. E.g., the packer's customer may require him to provide certificates from all of the farms or other suppliers from whom he sources product that is then sold to the customer. In all cases and especially when customer requirements exceed the minimum program requirements, it is the responsibility of the packer to know his/her market and to put in place a supplier approval program that meets his/her customer requirements.
Q. What does the letter of assurance need to say?
A. The definition of letter of assurance in the glossary is as follows: “a written statement from a supplier/dealer that the product he or she is selling was produced under specified conditions and steps were taken to reduce biological, chemical or physical contaminants in accordance with all applicable legislation”. The producer can use this statement, confirming the conditions under which product was produced (e.g., “produced in accordance with the requirements of the CanadaGAP manual, using practices that reduce the risk of biological, chemical and physical contamination”). The producer needs to sign the letter and understand that it is a legally binding declaration he/she is making to the packer.
Q. Can packers receive imported harvested product from suppliers, pack it and still become CanadaGAP certified?
A. Yes. The minimum the packer would need is the letter of assurance (or the CanadaGAP certificate if the exporter was certified) from the producer. This is the current minimum requirement of the program; the packer always has the right to ask for more assurance from any of his or her suppliers including foreign producers. Based on the packer’s assessment of risk or customer expectations, the packer may ask for more from foreign suppliers (e.g., additional records, certification to CanadaGAP as a base requirement, etc.), or, along with a letter of assurance, the packer may require a certificate from another food safety program.