quality control

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GLOBALG.A.P. version 5 launched in Almeria

The new GLOBALG.AP version 5 comes after nearly 400 changes, including reinforcement of microbiological risk monitoring and the responsible use of water.

The new GLOBALG.A.P version 5 has just been announced and presented worldwide. Almeria was chosen for its debut last May. In June 2015 and June 2016, producers may choose to certify the current version (ver.4) or the new one (ver.5). As of July 2016, it will be mandatory to certify version 5.

World launch

This is a new version of the standard, which comes after nearly 400 changes, including reinforcement of microbiological risk monitoring and the responsible use of water. The standard for plant propagation material has also been integrated into the crop standards, so the certification process will be simpler”, explains Ignacio Antequera, head of the technical team and large accounts at GLOBALG.A.P.

Farmers will have a one-year grace period to adjust to the changes, so even though it will take some time to learn the new requirements, the transition should take place smoothly. “The needs of producers and the demands of their customers were a constant reference throughout the review process of the standard, which took over two years. Other interested parties also had their say, including certification authorities, national working groups and private associations, which all took part in development of the standard during the public consultation periods.

GLOBALG.A.P. – a global and sustainable mission

Maria Carmen Morales, head of Quality and Systems at Anecoop and member of the GLOBALG.A.P. Executive Committee, gave a presentation analysing ‘GLOBALG.A.P Management Committee Strategies and Aims’: “The mission of GLOBALG.A.P. members is to develop the incentives necessary to encourage farmers worldwide to adopt safe and sustainable practices that will make the world a better place for our children to live in. GLOBALG.A.P.’s goal is a worldwide link between food production and distribution that is safer for consumers, and laying the foundations for the protection of natural resources through good agricultural practices lets us visualise a sustainable future. A key factor in achieving this goal, among others, consists of nurturing values such as transparency, integrity and trust, which are reinforced by having producers and retailers as partners in this project.”

This is part of an article from the July-August 2015 edition, number 138, of Eurofresh Distribution magazine. Read it here: https://www.eurofresh-distribution.com/magazine/138-2015-julaug

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GLOBALG.A.P. updates farm, feed standards and regulations to Version 5

The biggest revision in the history of GLOBALG.A.P. now incorporates the latest research as well as government requirements including compliance with proposed rules by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as well as EU Food Safety Law.

The GLOBALG.A.P. Board has announced the introduction of the update to Version 5 of its Integrated Farm Assurance Standard for Crops and Aquaculture. The update follows a four year routine cycle of continuous improvement, and with respect to stakeholder involvement and impact, the current revision has been the most comprehensive amendment to date. It will have a direct and significant effect on all 150,000 producers around the world certified in accordance with GLOBALG.A.P.

The new version is applicable immediately as early update choice in parallel to the current Version 4 and will be mandatory for all new and recertification audits by 1st July 2016. The biggest revision in the history of GLOBALG.A.P. now incorporates the latest research as well as government requirements including compliance with proposed rules by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as well as EU Food Safety Law. This once again underlines the fact that, although GLOBALG.A.P. is a private standard, it strives to incorporate applicable public and/or governmental guidelines and responds to new trends and threats in the Fruit & Vegetables, Feedstock and Aquaculture industries. In particular the update also addresses the issue of microbial risks.

GLOBALG.A.P. board member Hugh Mowat, from Wm Morrison Supermarkets Plc, said food safety has always been a key platform of the GLOBALG.A.P. Standard but ongoing food safety scares resulting from microbial contamination have seen it now take a proactive approach to strengthen existing controls. “These changes are science-based and will support growers by providing a safe framework within which to grow food, as well as protecting them in the event of an incident,” he said.

Guy Callebaut, vice-chairman of the Board VBT/BelOrta, grower, and GLOBALG.A.P. chairman, said major risks and trends in addition to food safety, such as the sustainable use of water, have been addressed. “With this comprehensive revision and our global spread we have strengthened our position as a global reference standard for good agricultural practices. We are also continuing to work against the trend of double standards and to contribute to the harmonization of standards in order to create incentives for farmers around the world to undertake safe and sustainable production,” Callebaut said.

Update also reflects public input

About 2,000 comments came in from all continents during two public consultation periods. These were reviewed by technical committees in extensive, time-consuming consultation to assess applicability and implementability.

Ignacio Antequera, technical key accounts, GLOBALG.A.P.said the major effort of Revision V5 would not have been possible without tremendous time commitment of all our committee members. For the last 4 years they invested a total of more than 2,600 expert hours. More than 110 organizations were represented in more than 70 days of meetings and webinars. I sincerely wish to thank all the stakeholders for their time and effort they have put in to make this revision a success.”

Read more about Version 5 and download the IFA Standard Documents for V5 here.