Closing the GAP on safety


Demand is increasing for certification to ensure good agricultural practices.


By Tamara Leigh T


he number of growers seeking on-farm food safety certification is on the rise. As more and more packers obtain food safety certification to meet the


expectations of buyers and consumers, it is expected that growers will change their practices to meet the demand. “We do a lot of Canadian business, and a lot of the chains in


Canadawanted CanadaGAP certification. It’s part of doing business nowadays,” saysHarveyKrause of South Alder Farms in Aldergrove. CanadaGAP is designed to help implement effective food


safety procedureswithin fresh produce operations through the implementation ofGood Agricultural Practices (GAPs). These general steps,measures and procedures control the operational conditionswithin production and packing facilities. “Growers can be a bit stubborn about these things,” says


Krause. “You can complain all youwant, but at the end of the day you have to get it done.” South Alder Farms is awholesale supplier of fresh and


frozen blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries, aswell as specialty berries, including red currants, black currants,white currants, gooseberries, and kiwi grapes. They process over 10million pounds of blueberries every year, workingwithmore than 50 growers. As growers and processors, South Alder Farmswas an early


adopter of the CanadaGAP program,which has become the industry standard for fruit and vegetable growers in Canada.


8 British Columbia Berry Grower • Spring 2014


“We’ve been doing on-farmfood safety certification on our


farmfor somany years that it’s not that difficult,” saysKrause. “Most good growers are doing a lot of the practices that are required—the biggest thing is documenting them.” ForKrause, it’s important to stay ahead of the curve on food


safety as away ofmanaging risk in his own business, and for the blueberry industry in general. “If one daywe have a problemor a food outbreak andwe


don’t have these systems in place,we’re going to be in trouble,” he says. The CanadaGAPmanual for fruits and vegetables provides


details of theGAPs that are required for certification and maintaining an effective food safety program. It’s based on the seven principles of the internationally recognizedHazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP ) approach. It is the first Canadian food safety programto be recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) asmeeting international requirements for on-farmfood safety. RickDulatworkswith the B.C. Blueberry Council (BCBC) to


help growers prepare for the CanadaGAP audit and certification process.He has helped nearly 400 growers complete the process in the four years he has been on the job. At first itwas a struggle to get growers interested, but today Dulat isworking hard to keep upwith demand. “Packers are getting pressured by their buyers, so it’s


becoming the industry standard andmore accepted by growers,” he says. “Before, food safety certificationwas looked upon as excessive and unnecessary.Nowthe next generation is taking over and the newpeople coming in aremore accepting of the program, andmore understanding.” In order to complete CanadaGAP certification, growers need


to get the appropriatemanual for their operation and enroll in the certification program. Before they go through the audit, it’s important to assesswhere they fall short of the standards, and


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