USDA Announces Free Online Tool to Help Producers Achieve GAP Certification

A free, online tool is now available from USDA to help producers of all sizes achieve Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) harmonized standards and certification. The tool, developed by FamilyFarmed.org with funding from USDA's Risk Management Agency (RMA), helps farmers design a customized manual to meet GAP requirements, including USDA GAP standards, and mitigate business risks by answering just a few questions.

 

"USDA believes that a strong farm safety net—including effective, market-based risk solutions for producers of all variety and size—is crucial to sustain the vitality of American agriculture," said Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan. "Effectively managing risk is important to all producers, and having an acceptable food safety program is in the best interest of consumers, buyers, and the farmers themselves." USDA worked with private, public and non-profit partners to introduce the tool, which is part of FamilyFarmed.org's On-Farm Food Safety Project. 

 

To generate a food safety plan using the tool, the user answers a series of questions on topics including worker health and hygiene, agricultural water, previous land use, soil amendments and manure, animals and pest control, packinghouse activities, product transportation, agricultural chemicals, and field harvesting. In addition to helping farmers create a food safety plan, the tool offers farmers a full-set of record keeping templates to document their food safety efforts as well as useful food safety resources.

 

Once users have completed their farm's food safety plan and compiled necessary documentation, they have the capacity to apply for GAP food safety certification, a process asked for by many larger buyers. Large buyers, including Compass Group, SYSCO, and Chipotle Mexican Grill, supported the project financially and with technical assistance. Groups that participated in the development and review of the tool include: Chipotle Mexican Grill, Community Alliance with Family Farmers, Compass Group, Earthbound Farm, Farm Aid, FDA, NSF Agriculture, Produce Marketing Association, SYSCO, The Organic Center, Western Growers, Wallace Center at Winrock International, Wild Farm Alliance, University of California at Davis, United Fresh Produce Association, and USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

 

The tool available at www.onfarmfoodsafety.org.