CanadaGAP was founded by the Canadian Horticultural Council (CHC), now called the Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada (FVGC). A separate, not-for-profit corporation, CanAgPlus, was established in 2012 to oversee and operate the program independently from the national trade association (CHC). The requirements for the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA)’s Repacking and Wholesale Food Safety Program were integrated into CanadaGAP in 2013.
In the late 1990s, members of the CHC – the national association representing fresh fruit and vegetable growers – created an on-farm food safety program to respond to market demands for fresh produce suppliers to demonstrate vigilance about food safety.
The program is the result of years of work by industry representatives and technical experts from across Canada including producers, packers, repackers, wholesalers, and their customers. The industry has devoted its efforts to developing an effective food safety program that is practical, comprehensive and based on published, peer-reviewed science.