NCGT’s Trish Tripp during a GroupGAP practice audit.
April 2016 — In April 2016, the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced a new food safety certification program called GroupGAP. The program allows small farms to share the cost of certification across a group of growers, and was developed in partnership with the Wallace Center at Winrock International and other local and regional produce distributors across the US. NC Growing Together and the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association participated in the development of the protocols to help small farmers and local produce distributors meet the new standard.
GroupGAP audits include an analysis of the group’s system of oversight, a site visit to ensure compliance with various procedures, and spot checks to verify appropriate on-farm implementation. There are no USDA limits on the number or type of farmers who can apply as a group under the GroupGAP audit program.
Many North Carolina buyers, including NCGT partner Lowes Foods, are beginning to require GAP certification and are accepting GroupGAP certification as well.
For more information on GroupGAP in NC, contact Trish Tripp, NCGT Produce Supply Chain Development Lead, who led the GroupGAP pilot in North Carolina. For resources on GAPs and Postharvest Handling, please visit the NCGT website.
To find out more about CFSA’s GAPs consulting services, visit their website or contact Karen McSwain, CFSA’s Farm Services and Food Systems Director, at 919-542-2402.
This article originally appeared in the April 2016 NC Growing Together Newsletter.