Good Agricultural Practices (GAP)
Good Agricultural Practices are guidelines established to ensure a clean and
safe working environment for all employees while eliminating the potential for
contamination of food products. The PrimusLabs.com GAP program addresses the
issues of site selection, adjacent land use, fertilizer usage, water sourcing
and usage, pest control and pesticide monitoring, harvesting practices
(including worker hygiene, packaging storage, field sanitation and product
transportation) and cooler operations. Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) are
developed and incorporated into the GAP program providing guidance with respect
to potential points for contamination and preventative or corrective measures
to mitigate their effects.
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Ranch:
The ranch audit is usually performed one time each year or during the growing
season. The ranch audit is divided into sections that correspond to areas of
potential contamination risk in the field operation. These areas include ranch
history, adjacent land use, fertilizer usage, water usage, pest control,
harvest practices, employee safety & hygiene and food security. A "ranch"
is defined as a parcel of ground (not necessarily a "lot" for production
purposes) with the following characteristics: common management, common water
supply and contiguous grounds. For the purpose of farm or ranch audits, manual
development or self-audits, a ranch or farm is defined as contiguous ground
that is under common management.
Greenhouse:
The greenhouse audit is usually performed one time each year or during the
growing season. The greenhouse audit is divided into sections that correspond
to areas of potential contamination risk in the greenhouse operation. These
areas include traceability, ground history, adjacent land, pest and foreign
material controls, growing media, fertilizer/crop nutrition, irrigation/water
use, plant protection, employee hygiene and food security. A harvest crew audit
(see below for details) will be performed at the same time as the greenhouse
audit module in order to assess areas of potential contamination risk in the
harvesting operation. A greenhouse is defined as a building constructed of
glass or plastic, for the cultivation of plants under controlled environmental
conditions.
Harvest Crew:
The harvest crew audit is performed periodically during the harvest season. The
harvest crew audit is divided into sections that correspond to areas of
potential contamination risk in the harvesting operation. These areas include
employee safety & hygiene, harvest practices and food security. A "harvest
crew" is defined as a crew of harvest personnel under common management.
PrimusLabs.com Certificate and Report Designs
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Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)
Good Manufacturing Practices are regulations published by the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) to provide criteria for complying with provisions of the
Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) requiring all human foods
to be free from adulteration. PrimusLabs.com assists our clients by providing a
customized GMP program and aids in the implementation and monitoring of the
program. Emphasis is placed on the prevention of product contamination from
direct or indirect sources. Additionally, PrimusLabs.com provides for training
of client personnel in all aspects of the GMP.
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Packinghouse:
The packinghouse audit questions are used to assess the facility’s food safety
program. The audit is comprised of two main sections; a Good Manufacturing
Practices section and a Food Safety File Requirements section. The audit
encompasses the areas of pest control, equipment, sanitation, employee hygiene
practices, and all other operational practices and documentation as they relate
to food safety. Food security is also addressed. A "packinghouse" is where
whole commodities are prepared and packed for commercial distribution after
being subjected to processes such as sorting, washing, weighing, etc. Some
buyers require certain operations in packinghouses to implement a HACCP plan.
For this situation it is possible to choose the “Packinghouse plus HACCP”
option.
Processing:
The processing audit questions are used to access the facilities food safety
program as it applies to Good Manufacturing Practices under 21 CFR, part 110,
and relevant parts of the Food Code, 2001 (FDA/USPHIS) including HACCP
requirements. The audit is comprised of three main sections; a Good
Manufacturing Practices section and a Food Safety File Requirements section and
a HACCP section. HACCP can be optional, but many buyers require HACCP to be
included. The audit encompasses the areas of pest control, equipment,
sanitation, employee hygiene practices, and all other operational practices and
documentation as they relate to food safety including HACCP plans. Food
security is also addressed.
Cooling/Cold Storage:
The cooling/cold storage audit questions are used to assess the facilities food
safety program. The audit is comprised of two main sections, Good Manufacturing
Practices section and a Food Safety File Requirements section. The audit
encompasses the areas of pest control, equipment, sanitation, employee hygiene
practices, and all other operational practices and documentation as they relate
to food safety. Food security is also addressed. A "cooling/cold storage
facility" is where product is temporarily stored prior to distribution in order
to maintain the proper temperature. Pre-cooling processes (ice injectors,
hydrovac, pressure cooling, etc.) may also be used in the daily operations.
Storage and Distribution:
The Storage & Distribution audit questions are used to assess the
facilities food safety program. The audit is comprised of two sections, Good
Manufacturing Practices section and a Food Safety File Requirements section.
The audit encompasses the areas of pest control, equipment, sanitation,
employee hygiene practices, and all other operational practices and
documentation as they relate to food safety. Food security is also addressed. A
“storage and distribution facility” is where generally large retailers,
foodservice companies or distribution companies store product temporarily prior
to further distribution to local markets. It also includes terminal market
operations where multiple companies are located on one site from which all
companies distribute independently.
HACCP for Fresh-Cut Processing Operations:
HACCP is an acronym for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points. HACCP is a
preventative system of hazard control. It is a common sense, risk-based
approach designed to establish strategies to prevent, eliminate or reduce the
occurrence of food contamination. This system requires control over all aspects
of a food production operation. The raw materials, the process, the
environment, personnel, storage and distribution are all factors that are
considered.
The FDA has mandated HACCP in the seafood and juice industry & the USDA
(under FSIS) has mandated HACCP in the meat and poultry industries. In
addition, HACCP has been endorsed worldwide by organizations such as CODEX
Alimentarius (a commission of the United Nations), the European Union and
countries including Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.
PrimusLabs.com being well versed in these HACCP principles, is able to provide
a customized HACCP program to our clients and assist in the implementation,
monitoring, technical support and troubleshooting of the program.
PrimusLabs.com provides bilingual training of client personnel in all aspects
of the HACCP program to verify the completeness and performance of a company's
HACCP plan.
PrimusLabs.com Certificate and Report Designs
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Organics (NOP)
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