Up to speed on food safety?


CanadaGAP certification satisfies about 90 per cent of suppliers’ requirements. By Judie Steeves


C


onsumer food recalls are the industry’s worst nightmare, but food safety certification


programs are now available to help prevent the contamination of food that can result in such costly recalls. The largest program in Canada is the independently-operated, not-for-profit CanadaGAP (Good Agricultural Practices) certification program providing food safety standards and certification that is recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) standard required by most retailers.


It was developed by producers, for producers.


Chairman of the board of CanAgPlus, the corporation that owns and operates the CanadaGAP program, is currently Jack Bates of Tecarte Farms of Delta. The Bates family farm produces blueberries, as well as milk and potatoes. Although certification by the CanadaGAP program is not required in this country, it is a requirement of most retailers, so growers have fewer options for marketing their fruit if they are not certified.


CanadaGAP executive-director Heather Gale says 528 small-fruit growers in B.C. are enrolled in the program and most are certified. However, she admits there are still many growers who could be involved in a food safety program.


She believes many of those are likely to be smaller growers, since all major retailers ask that their producers be certified.


There are other food safety certification programs operating in Canada, including GlobalG.A.P., PrimusGFS and SQF or Safe Quality Food.


One of the auditors for the CanadaGAP 16 British Columbia Berry Grower • Spring 2017


program in B.C. is Joe Lariviere, who is also an industry consultant. He warns one of the


challenges for producers is being aware of the slightly different requirements under different food safety programs.


While most retailers require GFSI standards, some take it a step further and add their own restrictions to that


standard, like membership warehouse club Costco, which last year required that growers permit them to do on-farm water testing twice a year, and require contamination risks in the field be reduced by use of only certain types of personal water bottles by


Joe Lariviere is an auditor for CanadaGAP, which can help growers meet the international food safety standard.


pickers, amongst other additions. Some berry packers have their own requirements as well, notes Lariviere. However, he says CanadaGAP certification satisfies probably 90 per cent of suppliers’ requirements. With CanadaGap, the majority of producers are audited annually during harvest, he explains. It’s a scheduled audit, as opposed to one that is unscheduled, driven by a complaint or concern. However, the producer is contacted beforehand for even an


unscheduled audit. The next step is unannounced audits.


Lariviere has a few tips for growers regarding compliance with the CanadaGAP program.


He notes the most common reason for failure of an audit is employee hand- washing, so he recommends that growers ensure there are hand-washing facilities set up that are convenient for pickers to use. These stations should be well-stocked with soap, potable water and paper towels.


Employee compliance can be a


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