The program, developed by the Canadian Horticultural Council (CHC), has been officially endorsed by a team of technical experts from the federal and provincial governments. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) provided the CHC with a letter of completion in September. This is the final CHC module to complete the process – five other crop groupings have already completed government technical review.

“The successful completion of our final module is an exciting milestone for us,” said Heather Gale, who manages the program. “This has been five years in the making.” 

The CHC’s CanadaGAP (On-Farm Food Safety) Program consists of national food safety standards and a certification system for the safe production, storage and packing of fresh fruits and vegetables. Six crop-specific manuals, developed by the horticultural industry and reviewed for technical soundness by Canadian government officials, are designed for growers and packers implementing Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs). The manuals contain comprehensive guidance based on a rigorous hazard analysis using HACCP principles.

The CHC is a national, not-for-profit industry association representing fruit and vegetable producers and packers.