GLOBALG.A.P. CoC (Chain of Custody) Certification

GLOBALG.A.P. is a brand of farm assurance solutions recognized worldwide. Its voluntary standards have been adopted by thousands of farmers, processors and resellers of agricultural products.

To reduce the risk of substitution, dilution, and misidentification of certified products and to preserve the integrity of its agricultural practices, GLOBALG.A.P. developed the Chain of Custody (CoC) standard. CoC establishes appropriate handling, traceability and segregation procedures to ensure that any product sold with a GLOBALG.A.P. claim is truly sourced from a certified business. Currently, there are over 3,000 CoC certificate holders in 55 countries.

You need a CoC certification if you are a company that takes ownership and/or handling over an agricultural product with a GLOBALG.A.P. claim and intend to resell it maintaining the same claim. The requirement applies to businesses at any point in the supply chain, such as:

• Producers
• Packers
• Traders and brokers
• Processors
• Logistic companies
• Wholesalers, retailers and restaurants.

Companies do not need a CoC certification if:

• The product is already covered by an IFA certification.
• The company discontinues the chain of custody (product sourced as certified is sold/traded without a GLOBALG.A.P. claim).
• They are a wholesaler, retailer or restaurant that sells certified product in consumer-ready, tamper-proof packaging.
• They are freight forwarders (including sea/air freight transportation) that do not have ownership of products originating from GLOBALG.A.P. certified production process.

The main elements of the CoC standard are principles, core topics, control points and compliance criteria.

CoC is based on the following principles:

• sourcing of GLOBALG.A.P.-certified products only from certified suppliers
• segregation, clear identification and traceability of GLOBALG.A.P.-certified products
• continuous compliance of the management system with the CoC requirements.

Its core topics include:

• management structure
• input and output verification
• product verification, identification, labeling and display
• traceability
• products with the GGN label visual elements
• handling of aquaculture products
• animal welfare of livestock during transport to slaughter
• food safety and exceedances.

Each core topic is divided into several control points, which describe a fundamental requirement and are written in question form (e.g.: Does the company’s traceability system comply with the requirements of CoC standard?). Depending on their importance, control points can be a Major Must, a Minor Must or a Recommendation.

Each control point has compliance criteria describing the desired outcome (e.g.: Traceability records shall be accurate, complete, and unaltered).

To achieve certification, companies must comply with 100% of the Major Musts and at least one of the two Minor Musts.

As an accredited GLOBALG.A.P. certification body, NSF provides auditing and certification services for the CoC standard.

If you're preparing for a BRCGS or an IFS audit, you can combine it with a CoC audit and save time and resources.

Ready to tap into NSF expertise and get certified? Contact us today