Impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) on Audits and Food Safety

The situation with the coronavirus (COVID-19) is evolving rapidly. This webpage will continue to be updated regularly as changes to the situation warrant.

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Certification Bodies (CBs) are proceeding with CanadaGAP audits wherever possible.

A full on-site audit continues to be the first choice for CanadaGAP certification during the 2023 season.

Other options at the discretion of the Certification Body:

1. Certificate extension: For program participants enrolled in Option A1 or Option A2, based on a risk assessment, Certification Bodies may be able to extend your certificate for up to six months under extraordinary circumstances. CanadaGAP Certification Bodies will be contacting program participants in the event that the auditor cannot proceed with planned audits at your operation, and will provide information about certificate extensions. For program participants enrolled in other options, based on a risk assessment, Certification Bodies may be able to extend your certificate for up to four months.
2. Partly remote audit: Where warranted, an audit that is partly remote gives the Certification Body an alternative approach during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. At the discretion of the Certification Body CanadaGAP audits may be performed partly using remote auditing methods. In certain cases and in accordance with rules set out by CanadaGAP, part of an operation’s audit would be done on-site, while the second part may be completed using remote methods. This approach was developed in response to challenges presented by this year’s extraordinary circumstances.

Some audits may be postponed due to continued limitation on travel or concerns about exposure to potentially infected individuals. If your certificate is due to expire soon, your Certification Body will be in contact with you. If it is not possible to proceed with an audit, your CB will discuss extending your certificate and rescheduling your audit. For newly enrolled program participants, the CB will endeavour to proceed with your audit to ensure that you can meet your customer requirements; please check with your selected Certification Body.

If you have questions about your certificate or about audits that were planned for the near future, we encourage you to contact your Certification Body for more information.

→ Expectations for CanadaGAP Audits

CanadaGAP has received questions around whether there will be leniency in auditor interpretation of the CanadaGAP requirements due to challenges that program participants are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, producers are facing challenges with obtaining hand hygiene materials, hand washing stations, portable toilets, cleaning materials, equipment parts, technical expertise for calibration, etc. These shortages are on top of serious challenges for farmers working to maintain worker safety and access to labour, capital and other resources needed to keep their businesses operating through the 2022 growing season.

We understand the serious challenges the industry is facing and our best wishes are with our valued growers, packers and wholesalers. However, the requirements for CanadaGAP-certified operations to maintain food safety continue to apply despite the unusual circumstances. We are clarifying that the usual practices to manage food safety will be expected for CanadaGAP audits this season.

There are many resources being published right now by governments at all levels, industry associations, etc. to help food producers manage the spread of COVID-19. Many of these address topics like hand hygiene, cleaning frequency, etc. We want to avoid any confusion around which requirements to follow. We wish to emphasize that the CanadaGAP audit is based on CanadaGAP requirements. Please contact the CanadaGAP office if you have further questions.

For program participants enrolled in Option A1 or Option A2, based on risk assessment, Certification Bodies may be able to extend certificates for up to six months under extraordinary circumstances. For program participants enrolled in other options, based on a risk assessment, Certification Bodies may be able to extend your certificate for up to four months.

If you have concerns about the timing of your certificate expiry, we encourage you to contact your certification body.

At this point, Certification Bodies are still expected to proceed with an audit during the extension period. In addition, monitoring and surveillance activities (e.g., regular communication, desktop review of records, phone interviews, etc.) may be required for CBs to ensure ongoing compliance with food safety requirements within the certified operation.

We have received questions about the safety of food products. To date there is no evidence that COVID-19 is transmissible via food (i.e., it does NOT appear to be a foodborne illness). Following are some links containing helpful information about transmission routes:

1. Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA): Coronavirus (COVID-19): information for consumers about food safety
2. Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC):
   • Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Food Safety
   • Risks of getting coronavirus – scroll to “Food”
3. Agricultural and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC): Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) – Information for industry
4. Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA): COVID-19 Updates – Food Safety
5. World Health Organization (WHO): Food Safety and Nutrition Related to COVID-19
6. European Food Safety Authority (EFSA): Coronavirus: no evidence that food is a source or transmission route
7. U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Food and COVID-19
8. U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA):
   • Frequently Asked Questions – scroll to “Food products”
   • Food Safety and COVID-19
9. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA): Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)
10. North Carolina State Extension: SARS-CoV-2 Virus Transmission – (en español)

We will keep you informed if further scientific information comes to light.

→ Critical Infrastructure

→ How to prepare and keep food business operations safe

→ What happens if an employee becomes ill?

• PHAC:
  • Preventing COVID-19 in the Workplace: Employers, Employees and Essential Service Workers
• FDA: Use of Respirators, Facemasks, and Cloth Face Coverings in the Food and Agriculture Sector During Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic
• Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS): Coronavirus (COVID-19 Tips) – Agriculture 
• Ohio State University: COVID-19 FAQ for U-pick Farms
• New Zealand Apples and Pears: Coronavirus – COVID-19 – Social distancing and transport options
• New Zealand Food Safety Science and Research Centre: Personal Protection Measures Against COVID-19

In these uncertain times, we understand that there are many challenges facing everyone in the industry: program participants, retailers, manufacturers and distributors, auditors and certification bodies, and your families. As always, we are here to help with any questions or concerns.

A reminder that to prevent the spread of COVID-19, it is recommended that individuals use physical distancing, maintaining approximately 6 feet from others when possible. In food and agriculture operations, an evaluation should be made to identify and implement operational changes that increase employee separation. The risk of an employee transmitting COVID-19 to another is dependent on distance between employees, the duration of the exposure, and the effectiveness of employee hygiene practices and sanitation. Operations should be vigilant in their hygiene practices, including frequent and proper hand-washing and routine cleaning of all surfaces.

Please follow the advice of your local public health authorities to practice social distancing with suppliers, employees, vehicle drivers, customers and anyone else who may frequent your operation.