Certification is the term used by CanadaGAP to describe the determination by a qualified authority that the supplier meets the standard and that its food safety program is being maintained on an ongoing basis. This involves having a third party auditor from the Certification Body visit the operation, review the food safety manual(s) and related records, interview the operator and staff, and assess the company’s conformance to the CanadaGAP Audit Checklist. Since the Audit Checklist covers all crop groupings, multi-crop operations may be able to cover their entire production in one audit, depending on which activities are occurring at the time of the audit. Those who pass the audit are certified to the program.
Certification indicates that the operation has a system of procedures to minimize the risk of contamination to product. The Certification Body certifies processes, not products. The auditor gathers evidence to attest to the ongoing maintenance of the food safety system, rather than simply gaining a snapshot at a given point in time
Benefits:
- GFSI-recognized (certification options B, C, D [repacking and wholesaling])
- Program has full Canadian Government Recognition
- Consistency of audit results
- Objective, third party certification of suppliers
- Internationally accredited Certification Bodies
- Certification Bodies are arm’s length to both the scheme owner (CanadaGAP) and the customer
- Auditors trained specifically on requirements of the CanadaGAP Program
- Trained professionals responsible for assessing supplier conformance to technical requirements
- Ongoing oversight of Certification Body and auditor performance by CanadaGAP and international accreditation bodies
- Complaint and dispute management mechanisms
