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GLOBAL G.A.P.

GLOBALG.A.P. logo – Certification for sustainable and safe agricultural production

GLOBALG.A.P. - the GFSI recognized label for ecological responsibility and integrity

The GLOBALG.A.P. CoC Standard identifies the status of your product throughout the entire process from farm to retailer. Certification to this standard is a visible sign of responsible production that respects our ecology and the environment. It covers plants, farm animals and aquaculture and is recognised at farm level by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI). The strict requirements for handling and proper separation of certified and non-certified products at all levels of the supply chain give consumers transparency and security, so you have a head start in the competitive market. TÜV NORD CERT offers certification to the GLOBALG.A.P. CoC standard for fruit and vegetables and for aquaculture.

GLOBALG.A.P. is the only aquaculture standard recognized worldwide at the farm level by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI). The accreditation according to GLOBALG.A.P. is offered for TÜV NORD GROUP by TÜV NORD Hellas.

Request your GLOBALG.A.P. offer

Target group

  • All companies that trade or handle the certified products* before packaging/labeling (packaged and loose products)
  • All consumer-related companies (B2C) that trade in or handle the certified products* after packaging/labeling (packaged and loose products), e.g. also all retailers
  • B2C companies that sell labeled loose products (e.g. at the fresh fish counter of a retailer or a restaurant that sells certified fish that is labeled as such on the menu)

The benefit to you with GLOBALG.A.P.

  • Greater trust in your products
  • High value profile for your product and/or your brand
  • Access to new markets
  • Advertise your certified products on the www.ggn.org consumer portal
  • Control of food and product safety means less reputational risk
  • Cost savings through efficient operational and administrative processes

GLOBALG.A.P.: Certification with TÜV NORD CERT

Before you commission TÜV NORD CERT with your certification, you can perform a self-assessment using the GLOBALG.A.P. Standard Checklists, available publicly on the GLOBALG.A.P. website. You are also very welcome to contact us for more details. When you place your order, you will first be assigned a GGN or CoC number, and your third-party inspection will be carried out by specialists from TÜV NORD CERT. If you pass the certification process, we will issue you with the certificate and register your organisation  in the GLOBALG.A.P. database.

GLOBALG.A.P.: a few steps to your certificate

1

01

Inquiry & offer preparation

2

02

Optional: self-monitoring by the company itself

3

03

Registration and allocation of a CoC-number through TN CERT

4

04

Inspection on site

5

05

Database entry through TN CERT

6

06

Certificate is issued

How to become a licensee of the GGN Label for GLOBALG.A.P. CoC Version 6.0:

Companies that package products in consumer packaging, i.e. packers, processors and distributors, can apply for the GGN label as follows:

  1. Get certified according to the GLOBALG.A.P. Supply Chain (CoC) standard.
  2. Ensure that the farms you source from have a valid certificate for the Integrated Farm Assurance Standard (IFA) and a GRASP evaluation (GLOBALG.A.P. Risk Assessment on Social Practice) with the result "fully compliant".
  3. Make sure your suppliers hold CoC certification and that you sell to CoC-certified distributors or directly to retailers/consumer-orientated businesses.
  4. Apply for your licence for the GGN Label via the GGN Label portal (www.ggn.org). To do this, you have to establish an account on the GGN website.
  5. Create your profile on the GGN Label portal – instructions on how to do this can also be found on the GGN website.

GLOBALG.A.P. Certification FAQs

  • All companies that trade with or handle the certified products* before packaging/labelling (packaged and bulk/loose products)
  • All consumer-oriented companies (B2C) that trade with or handle the certified products* following packaging/labelling (packaged and bulk/loose products), e.g. all traders/dealers
  • B2C companies that sell labeled loose products (e.g. at a retailer's fresh fish counter or a restaurant that sells certified fish that is marked as such on the menu)

Companies have to make a choice when it comes to standards for certification of fisheries and aquaculture.

The established certifications for wild-caught fish are the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and Friend of the Sea (FOTS), and the ASC and GLOBALG.A.P. for aquaculture. Whilst group certifications are permitted by GLOBALG.A.P. and the summaries of the audits are only published with the express consent of the parties involved, the ASC discloses the full audit results.

The certificates are issued for individual products and are valid for one year.

The GLOBALG. A.P. standard checklists, downloadable from their website, allow you to assess how far you fulfil the requirements. The concept of CoC certification (Chain of Custody Certification) is based on the principles of

  • Incoming inspection
  • Labelling
  • Traceability system
  • Quantity balance
  • Separation and segregation
  • Labelling

Aquaculture organisations must also be certified to a GFSI-recognised standard. An overview of the GFSI's recognised standards can be found here.

The costs for GLOBALG.A.P. certification consist of the following:

  • Internal costs for the implementation of the standard
  • Registration fee (via the certification authority)
  • Audit costs for certification by TÜV NORD CERT

The cost of the inspections  and audits depends on the  time they take, the cost of travel and the time needed for preparation and follow-up, and may vary from company to company. Feel free to talk to us about the expenses you will incur or request a free quote.

The GGN ( GLOBALG.A.P. number) label is the consumer label of GLOBALG.A.P. and attests certified, responsible agriculture. It can be found on both packaged and loose products. The label confirms that the certified products have been produced in compliance with certified, responsible agricultural practices which take food safety, environmental protection, animal welfare, social responsibility and supply chain transparency into account. The GGN label can be used for:

  • Fruit and vegetables
  • Farmed seafood and algae
  • Flowers and plants

More detailed information can be found on the GGN label information website of the GLOBALG.A.P..

We are here for you!

Philipp Nahrmann

Philipp Nahrmann

TÜV NORD CERT
Sales Certification Food/ Near-Food
Tel.: +49 (0)521 786-327 / foodcert@tuev-nord.de
Send Email
Christian Kienzle

Christian Kienzle

TÜV NORD CERT
International Sales Manager
Tel.: +49 160 8883919 / foodcert@tuev-nord.de
Send Email

Always at your side

TÜV NORD CERT is your partner for testing and certification services. Certifications from us are internationally recognized and our experts and auditors have many years of professional and auditing experience in the food industry. Annual training ensures that their expertise always tracks the latest technical standards, so we can always provide optimum support to our clients. Our experts work alongside you to support the development of your products and give you objective feedback. Please contact us with any questions you may have regarding certification.