If you are a farmer in Canada and want to take your business to the next level, you will want to consider applying for Canada Gap certification. A Canada Gap program is a food safety program that helps ensure your products are safe for human consumption. It is also important to ensure a proper program for improving soil health, reducing energy costs and promoting sustainability. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the process of setting up a Canada Gap program for your farm.
It has been a challenging experience to set up a Canada Gap program for us, so we thought we wanted to deliver this free guide to our farmers. Thank you for choosing to farm for us.
Canada Gap program is one of the food safety programs you can get certified to go into retails and distribution chain. Another program may include Primus GFS, Global Gap, and SQF Food Safety Code for Primary Production.
Here is what I think of my first Canada Gap certification experience and some steps for you to follow for your first audit. As I said, we simply want to help our farmers.
My Take on Canada Gap certification
You will see that Canada Gap is a very unique program in that it is based on checking a manual, which is different from what I usually do. We write a fully customized program from scratch, so when I check the items off from a manual, it just doesn’t feel like I was writing a manual.
Nevertheless, I can completely understand why the programs are structured this way. It is way easier for a farmer to check the boxes and not have to write a manual or checklist. The checklist is pretty straightforward -I recommend using the excel checklist as it will give you a pointer on how to fill up the form.
It is quite flexible regarding checklists- you can develop a different checklist for your facility and record all the information needed to support your procedures.
The audit duration is the best part -it is pretty quick compared to a food manufacturing audit which typically takes 1-2 days. Our Canada Gap audit for 3 nearby facilities takes just less than 5 hours.
- Some cautions and things that I learnt from the Canada Gap audit:
- Each fertilizer has its intended usage specific to the plant -be sure that you review the approved usage
- Look for auto-fail items and ensure you comply with the requirements daily, not just on the audit day. These include water potability.
- Plan for your seasons -specific assessments you need to do pre-season and during production (planting and harvesting). You must remember to complete them before starting your farming and harvest season. Examples are building assessment and production site assessment.
- Form I is where you record most of your cleaning, maintenance and inspection activities. Be careful to ensure you record every piece of equipment and tool. It is easy to miss the recording, especially when the form is designed for multi-usage.
Instead, please email us for a free cleaning and sanitation & maintenance forms* to help you better manage the cleaning and maintenance equipment and tools. *for farmers only*
Let us help guide you through the step-by-step on how to set up a Canada Gap program.
Step 1: Apply for the Canada Gap certification.
Farmers can apply for Canada Gap certification through the website at https://www.canadagap.ca/certification/ ;
Full instruction and guidance are available on the website. If you need assistance in applying, we recommend contacting a Canada Gap representative to help you fill out the scope of your certification.
Tips: Ensure that you list all the products you want to certify and the facility’s name and locations as well as scope, will you be planting and harvesting or storing products or packing or repacking the products?
You must communicate the scope you want to be audited to your certification body, as only the audited scope will be added to your Canada Gap certificate.
Step 2: Submit applications
The application process can take time and requires coordination with Canada Gap and your chosen certification body.
Follow up and coordinate with your certification body to schedule and work with your audit. Your first audit will always be announced.
Step 3: Download the Canada Gap manual and checklist
To successfully implement a Canada Gap program, you must first set up the program. This includes downloading and printing the manual and creating an easy and systematic way to track your progress.
To download the Canada Gap manual and checklist, click here. There are two manuals, the fruits and vegetables manual and the greenhouse manual. Choose the manual and checklist that applies to you.
Step 4: Complete and customize Canada Gap Manual and Checklist.
Once you have downloaded it, print and fill it out OR complete the electronic copy for use during your program implementation process, we recommend an electronic copy as it is easier to change and share the manual.
Understand terminology.
The definition sections are very useful. Go through the manual and understand the terms before you complete the manual.
Perform risk analysis and ensure all items are properly checked off.
Ensure that all items on your manuals are properly checked to indicate that you will follow the program. Indicate N/A for optional sections that are not relevant to you. All mandatory requirements must be checked before you verify your program at the end of each section. Initial and date each section.
Step 5: Follow your manual, train your employees and document your day-to-day activities.
For your Canada Gap Program to be successful, you need a manual that everyone understands and follows. It’s important to train your employees on the program to follow the procedures and help with documenting their day-to-day activities. It is also important to ensure they understand how to operate equipment safely during fieldwork.
Finally, verifying your day-to-day activities records will help you keep track of progress and ensure proper program implementation. All records must be completed properly. Look out for empty spaces in your documents.
Step 6: Complete a self-assessment checklist to list pending items. Complete all pending items
Completing a comprehensive self-assessment checklist is important to identify the missing action items to effectively set up and administer a Canada Gap program. This list should be kept current so that any pending items can be immediately addressed. The checklist can be downloaded on the Canada Gap website here.
Step 7: Prepare for audit and inspection.
Once you are sure you are following your Canada Gap program, review the documents regularly to ensure you are following the procedures.
Remember to complete the non-regular tasks such as water testing, mock recall, environmental swabs etc.
When there is a deviation, remember to document them and ensure corrective actions are taken properly. Common corrective actions include employee training and/or updating procedures.
When you correct deviation regularly, you are helping yourself to prepare for your audit. The audit is essentially a quick preview of your procedures and records. If you are maintaining your food safety program, there is nothing to be afraid of for your first audit.
Good luck.
Conclusion
I hope you have found this blog helpful, as we have provided a comprehensive guide on how to set up a Canada Gap Program for Farmers. The process can be daunting and stressful for some people, but these steps would help you to focus on passing your Canada Gap audit. Remember, the key to a successful Canada Gap program is proper planning and execution – make sure you always have everything documented so that we can identify any issues or deviations.