The United States Department of Agriculture (or USDA) launched a new program, called GroupGAP, which targets small to mid-sized growers and cooperatives. It is basically a certification program done by the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), which is a way to help the targets meet retailers' on-farm food safety requirements.
"We know that GAP certification can sometimes be cost-prohibitive for smaller farmers," said AMS Administrator Elanor Starmer in a press release by the USDA. "GroupGAP allows these farmers to demonstrate compliance with strong food safety standards and share the cost of certification across a group of growers. That means greater market access for farmers, more options for consumers, and strong verification of food safety practices. It is a true win-win. We're proud to have developed this innovative solution in partnership with our stakeholders."
The program will help farmers meet strong food safety standards and share the cost of certification, thus helping individual growers save money. Furthermore, it will improve market access for farmers by utilizing the economies of scale and increasing efficiencies to improve market access to farmers , and benefit consumers in the long-term. The AMS is now accepting enrollment for the program, which ensures groups are following food safety practices.
The responsibility of overseeing if farmers are meeting food safety practices belong to the AMS Specialty Crops Inspection Division or SCI. They will hold audits to verify if farms are following industry-recognized food safety recommendations from the FDA, or Food and Drug Administration. Take note that produce buyers of all sizes are now requiring most produce suppliers to be GAP-certified. The GroupGAP program allows farmers, food hubs, and cooperatives to work together to achieve certification, thus making it a lot easier for them in the long run. It will also help them meet the demand of the community and broaden their supplier base.
Apart from GroupGAP, there are also a number of programs run by the AMS which helps the same group of people.
