Due to ongoing requirements for GFSI recognition, starting April 1, 2022 CanadaGAP is introducing changes to audits for Option B group members and Option C individual operations whose scope of certification includes both “Production and Packing” activities.

GFSI-recognized audits must cover both scopes (Production AND Packing) each year. As a result, for some operations with multiple activities, it may be necessary for the certification body to complete more than one audit to observe activities related to both scopes (Production AND Packing) each year.

  • The “Production” scope would include operations certified for any production-related activities (e.g., Harvesting) as defined within the CanadaGAP Program Management Manual.
  • The “Packing” scope would include operations certified for any packing-related activities (i.e., Washing, Icing, etc.) as defined within the CanadaGAP Program Management Manual.

Insofar as possible, certification bodies will time audits for multi-activity operations so that the auditor can see activities for both scopes (Production AND Packing) in a single audit.

In cases where the range and complexity of activity/crop combinations encompassed by an operation’s certificate does not make it possible to observe the relevant activities during a single audit, more than one audit will be required. This may occur every year, or only in some years, depending on the scope of certification.

  • One audit would be required to observe harvesting.
  • A second audit would be required to observe packing activities.

For operations completing more than one audit in a single year, a separate audit report will be issued for each audit. Certificates issued in a prior year would remain valid until both audits are completed.

For multi-commodity operations:

  1. Harvesting of at least one commodity must be observed each year.
  2. Packing of at least one commodity must be observed each year.
  3. The certification body must continue to observe different commodities each year, in accordance with long-standing CanadaGAP guidance on scoping complex operations.
  4. Over a 3-4 year period, all commodities listed on the certificate must be observed. Determination by the certification body of which commodities to see each year shall be based on risk as well as logistics.
  5. The certification body will time audits to observe the maximum number of relevant activities/crops in a single visit. Where that is not possible, the certification body will have to complete more than one audit to observe activities related to both “Production and Packing”.

The update to the CanadaGAP Program Management Manual for 2022 provides further details around these changes. Please refer to the CanadaGAP website www.canadagap.ca or contact our office for more information by email info@canadagap.ca or telephone 613 829-4711.

February 7th, 2022 at 02:04 pm