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GLOBALG.A.P. is a farm assurance program for fruit, vegetables, flowers, crops and aquaculture, owned by Agraya GmbH in Cologne. Its GFS standards are GFSI-recognized. Kiwa ASI isn't a GLOBALG.A.P. certification body, and no Kiwa company is approved to certify GLOBALG.A.P. produce farms in the United States or Canada. This guide explains the standards and audit rules, and the GFSI-recognized produce certifications Kiwa ASI does offer: PrimusGFS, CanadaGAP and SQF.
Last updated October 6, 2026
Tell us your crops, sites and buyers, and we'll help you find the right GFSI-recognized program.
GLOBALG.A.P. sets good agricultural practice standards for farms and post-harvest handlers. Its main standard, Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA), covers food safety, the environment, workers' health, safety and welfare, production processes and traceability. It began in 1997 as EurepGAP, a working group of European retailers, issued its first certificates in 2001 and was renamed GLOBALG.A.P. in 2007. The owner, FoodPLUS GmbH, was renamed Agraya GmbH on June 30, 2025; GLOBALG.A.P. North America Inc. runs the program in North America.
IFA covers plants (fruit and vegetables, flowers and ornamentals, combinable crops, plant propagation material and hops) and aquaculture. Livestock is no longer offered: IFA livestock audits ended on December 31, 2023. Certificates are business-to-business: GLOBALG.A.P. trademarks can't appear on consumer packs, which is what the separate GGN label is for. Kiwa ASI (ASI Food Safety, LLC) isn't a GLOBALG.A.P. certification body and doesn't issue GLOBALG.A.P. certificates. Within the Kiwa group, Kiwa España SLU, Kiwa VERIN B.V. and Kiwa Sativa are approved for GLOBALG.A.P. produce standards in all countries except the USA and Canada, and Kiwa AS is approved for GLOBALG.A.P. aquaculture and Chain of Custody worldwide.
No Kiwa company is approved to certify GLOBALG.A.P. produce farms in the United States or Canada. U.S. and Canadian growers need a certification body approved by GLOBALG.A.P. for their standard and country, listed in the GLOBALG.A.P. directory. For a GFSI-recognized produce certificate through Kiwa ASI, see your U.S. options.
GLOBALG.A.P. counted 190,241 certified producers in 138 countries in 2025 (Agraya annual report).
IFA v6 Smart suits most producers; IFA v6 GFS is the edition for buyers that require GFSI recognition. Buyers decide which they need.
One certification body audit a year, timed near harvest, and some audits are unannounced.
Every registered producer gets a 13-digit GLOBALG.A.P. Number (GGN), which buyers use to check certification status.
Producers whose buyers ask for it. GLOBALG.A.P. began with European retailers and now has certified producers in 138 countries, and U.S. buyers such as Walmart, Costco and Sysco list it among the produce certifications they accept.
Farms producing fresh produce under IFA Plants, alone or as part of a producer group.
Farms outside the U.S. that supply U.S. buyers, adding the FSMA Produce Safety Rule add-on where buyers require it.
Post-harvest operations certified under Produce Handling Assurance (PHA), alone or with IFA or HPSS.
Groups of growers certified together under a quality management system (Option 2).
Flowers and ornamentals, combinable crops, plant propagation material and hops under IFA Plants.
Finfish, crustacean, mollusc and seaweed farms under IFA Aquaculture, where GRASP is mandatory.
Businesses that handle certified product and sell it with a GLOBALG.A.P. claim need Chain of Custody.
Livestock is discontinued. GLOBALG.A.P. stopped IFA livestock audits after December 31, 2023. See GLOBALG.A.P.'s legacy solutions.
GLOBALG.A.P. runs several standards and add-ons. These are the ones U.S. growers, packers and their suppliers meet most.
The GFSI-recognized edition of Integrated Farm Assurance, for producers whose buyers require GFSI recognition. Replaced v5.4-1-GFS on January 1, 2025.
The other edition of IFA v6, suited to most producers. Replaced v5.2 on January 1, 2024. Both editions require a farm continuous improvement plan.
A food-safety-only standard for producers supplying the U.S. market, built on the U.S. produce GAP harmonized standard.
A post-harvest standard for cooling, packing, repacking and storage, alone or combined with IFA or HPSS.
Checks FDA Produce Safety Rule requirements alongside IFA for fruit and vegetables, audited by the same certification body. Results in a one-year letter of conformance, not a certificate.
GRASP v2 assesses social practices with IFA. Chain of Custody v6.1 covers businesses after the farm. The GGN consumer label needs IFA, GRASP and Chain of Custody through the chain.
Versions to watch: IFA v6.1 GFS, HPS v2 and PHA v2 are in GFSI's version 2024 benchmarking and won't be published until GFSI recognizes them. Until then IFA v6 GFS, HPSS v1.2 and PHA v1.2 stay valid. See GLOBALG.A.P.'s IFA technical news.
Some of its standards are: the GFS editions of IFA, HPSS and PHA. IFA v6 Smart isn't. GLOBALG.A.P.'s current recognitions are against GFSI's version 2020 Benchmarking Requirements, and certificates issued to a version still in benchmarking aren't GFSI-recognized until GFSI's decision. See our GFSI certification guide.
| Standard | GFSI status |
|---|---|
| IFA v6 GFS Fruit and Vegetables | Recognized for scopes BI and BIII |
| IFA v6 GFS Aquaculture | Recognized for scope AII |
| HPSS v1.2 (fruit and vegetables) | Recognized for scopes BI and BIII; HPSS for combinable crops isn't |
| PHA v1.2 | Recognized for scopes BI and BIII |
| IFA v6 Smart | Not GFSI-recognized |
| IFA v6.1 GFS, HPS v2, PHA v2 | In GFSI version 2024 benchmarking |
From buyers' published produce requirements, 2025–2026:
| Buyer | Program | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Walmart | U.S.-grown | GFSI-recognized certification from farm to final product, with a small-supplier exception |
| Walmart | Direct import | Growers with a GLOBALG.A.P. IFA audit must add the FSMA PSR add-on |
| Costco | Version 3.0 | IFA or HPSS for growing, PHA for handling, each with the Costco Produce Addendum |
| Sysco | Rev. 18 | Lists GLOBALG.A.P. IFA, HPSS and PHA among accepted GFSI schemes |
FDA: in its alignment pilot, FDA found IFA v5.4-1-GFS with FSMA add-on v1.3 aligned with the Produce Safety Rule, excluding agricultural water and sprouts. FDA says such findings aren't an endorsement and apply only to the versions reviewed. FDA's pilot results. See also our Walmart supplier guide.
The general regulations for IFA v6 set how producers register, how audits run and what it takes to pass. The main rules for fruit and vegetable growers:
| Rule | What it means |
|---|---|
| Option 1 or Option 2 | Option 1 certifies an individual producer, single or multisite; Option 2 certifies a producer group run under a quality management system |
| Registration and GGN | Register with an approved certification body, which assigns your GGN within 28 days of a complete application |
| Records before the first audit | Records from the registration date, or at least 3 months' worth, whichever is longer |
| Self-assessment and internal audits | Option 1: an annual self-assessment of every site and product. Option 2: an annual internal QMS audit plus internal audits of every member |
| Audit timing | The initial audit covers harvest and is held as close to harvest as possible |
| Certificate | Valid 12 months, extendable by up to 4 months, with one certification body audit a year |
| Unannounced audits | 10% of individual recertification audits; under GFS, no notice, and at least 20% of group member audits |
| Producer group sampling | The certification body audits at least the square root of the members plus the full QMS; under GFS, high-risk members can't be sampled |
Every requirement is graded at one of three levels:
| Level | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Major Must | 100% | Every applicable Major Must must be met |
| Minor Must | 95% | At least 95% of applicable Minor Musts |
| Recommendation | None | Assessed, no minimum |
Producer groups also need 100% compliance with the quality management system requirements.
Reach full compliance within three months, or the certification body repeats the complete audit.
Close non-conformances within 28 calendar days, sooner if critical. Serious threats lead to immediate suspension.
A warning becomes a suspension if not resolved; a cancelled producer can't be certified again for 12 months.
The certification decision follows within 28 days of closing non-conformances. General Regulations v6.1 were published as an interim final version on September 1, 2026, with dates still to be announced.
Not for produce farms in the United States or Canada. Four Kiwa group companies are approved by GLOBALG.A.P., and the GLOBALG.A.P. directory lists exactly what each may certify and where. Kiwa ASI isn't one of them.
From the GLOBALG.A.P. certification body directory, October 6, 2026:
| Company | Where | Approved for |
|---|---|---|
| Kiwa España SLU (Spain) | All countries except USA and Canada | IFA v6 GFS and Smart Plants, FSMA PSR add-on, GRASP, Chain of Custody; branches include Kiwa BCS México |
| Kiwa VERIN B.V. (Netherlands) | All countries except USA and Canada | IFA v6 GFS and Smart Plants, GRASP, Chain of Custody |
| Kiwa Sativa (Portugal) | All countries except USA and Canada | IFA v6 GFS and Smart Plants, GRASP, Chain of Custody |
| Kiwa AS (Norway) | All countries | IFA v6 GFS and Smart Aquaculture, GRASP, Chain of Custody; no plant standards |
| Kiwa ASI (U.S.) | Not approved | Not a GLOBALG.A.P. certification body |
No Kiwa company holds HPSS or PHA approval. For farms outside the USA and Canada, or for aquaculture, contact Kiwa ASI and we'll connect you with the Kiwa group's GLOBALG.A.P. team. Always confirm in the GLOBALG.A.P. directory that a certification body is approved for your standard and your country.
If your buyer asks for GFSI-recognized certification rather than GLOBALG.A.P. by name, these programs cover U.S. and Canadian produce operations, and Kiwa ASI delivers all three. Check with your buyer before you switch programs.
A produce-focused GFSI-recognized program covering farms, harvest crews and post-harvest facilities, widely used across the Americas.
Food safety certification for fruit and vegetable growers, packers, repackers and wholesalers, in Canada and the U.S.
SQF Food Safety Codes for primary plant production and for manufacturing, covering farms through processing.
USDA Harmonized GAP audits are carried out by USDA and federal-state auditors, not by private certification bodies. Compare all GFSI-recognized programs in our GFSI guide.
There are three parts: GLOBALG.A.P.'s system participation fees, the certification body's audit fees and your own implementation costs. U.S. and Canadian fees (fee table v8.0-2, valid from August 1, 2024):
Based on area, charged per producer and per group member: from $17 for under 0.1 ha of covered production up to $2,295 for 500 ha or more.
Charged per certificate, for individual producers and as the base fee for producer groups.
HPSS: registration from $7.50 plus a $180 license. PHA: $75 registration plus $125 per site. Chain of Custody: $337.50 plus $37.50 per company.
The FSMA PSR add-on is free in the U.S. and Canada with IFA for fruit and vegetables. GRASP costs $75 for an individual producer.
Audit time and travel, set by the certification body and billed separately. GLOBALG.A.P.'s fees are also billed through the certification body.
Source: GLOBALG.A.P. North America system participation fees v8.0-2. Budget too for implementation: records, training and any changes on the farm.
Nine steps in three phases: choosing your standard and certification body (steps 1–3), preparing the farm (4–6) and the audit (7–9).
Ask your buyers what they need: IFA v6 GFS or Smart, HPSS, PHA, and add-ons such as the FSMA PSR add-on or GRASP.
Certify as an individual producer, or as a producer group with a quality management system.
Use the GLOBALG.A.P. directory to confirm the body is approved for your standard and your country. Several exclude the USA and Canada.
Apply to the certification body, which assigns your 13-digit GGN within 28 days of a complete application.
Get the general regulations, principles and criteria and the checklist, then set up your procedures and risk assessments.
Keep records from registration onward, or for at least 3 months, whichever is longer, and complete the annual self-assessment, or internal audits for groups.
The certification body audits as close to harvest as possible, covering every registered product and site.
Reach full compliance within 3 months of an initial audit, or 28 days at recertification.
Receive a 12-month certificate, then expect one audit a year, some of them unannounced.
Live virtual Kiwa ASI courses useful to produce operations. These aren't GLOBALG.A.P. courses.
Critical tracking events, key data elements and a traceability plan for produce on FDA's Food Traceability List, such as leafy greens, tomatoes, melons and fresh herbs.
1.5 days · Live via Zoom · FSPCA curriculum
Dates on request. Ask about upcoming dates
IHA-accredited HACCP certification: hazard analysis, critical control points and verification, the basis of post-harvest food safety plans.
16 contact hours · 4 half-days · Live via Zoom · 8:30 AM–12:30 PM CT
Dates on request. Ask about upcoming dates
Plan, run and report internal audits, such as a producer group's internal farm audits or your own pre-audit check.
Full day · Live online · 8:30 AM–2:30 PM CT
Dates on request. Ask about upcoming dates
Need training for 6+ people at your site? Ask about on-site private training. Training is delivered separately from certification.
Straight answers about who can certify you, and three GFSI-recognized produce programs in one place.
We tell you plainly when we can't certify a program, as with GLOBALG.A.P. in the U.S., and what your alternatives are.
PrimusGFS, CanadaGAP and SQF, covering farms, packing, repacking and wholesale.
Quotes, scheduling and communication through one Kiwa ASI team.
Part of Kiwa, a testing, inspection and certification group operating in more than 30 countries, with GLOBALG.A.P.-approved companies outside North America.
Kiwa ASI training is delivered separately from audits and certification, and taking it has no bearing on any audit outcome.
GLOBALG.A.P. certification shows a farm meets GLOBALG.A.P.'s good agricultural practice standards, mainly Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA), which covers food safety, the environment, workers' health, safety and welfare, production processes and traceability. An approved certification body audits the farm every year and issues a 12-month certificate.
No. Kiwa ASI (ASI Food Safety, LLC) isn't a GLOBALG.A.P. certification body and doesn't issue GLOBALG.A.P. certificates. Within the Kiwa group, Kiwa España SLU, Kiwa VERIN B.V. and Kiwa Sativa are approved for GLOBALG.A.P. produce standards in all countries except the USA and Canada, and Kiwa AS is approved for GLOBALG.A.P. aquaculture and Chain of Custody worldwide. No Kiwa company is approved to certify GLOBALG.A.P. produce farms in the United States or Canada.
Agraya GmbH in Cologne, Germany, which was called FoodPLUS GmbH until June 30, 2025. Only the name changed. GLOBALG.A.P. North America Inc., an Agraya subsidiary, runs the program in North America.
They're two editions of the same standard. GFS is for producers whose buyers require GFSI recognition and has stricter rules, such as unannounced audits with no notice. Smart suits most other producers and isn't GFSI-recognized. Your buyers decide which edition you need.
Only some standards. IFA v6 GFS for fruit and vegetables (scopes BI and BIII) and for aquaculture (AII), HPSS v1.2 and PHA v1.2 are GFSI-recognized. IFA v6 Smart isn't. Updated versions (IFA v6.1 GFS, HPS v2, PHA v2) are in GFSI's version 2024 benchmarking.
No. GLOBALG.A.P. ended IFA livestock audits after December 31, 2023. IFA now covers plants and aquaculture.
The Harmonized Produce Safety Standard (HPSS) is a food-safety-only standard for producers supplying the U.S. market. Produce Handling Assurance (PHA) covers post-harvest cooling, packing, repacking and storage. Both are GFSI-recognized at version 1.2.
An add-on, currently version 2.1, that checks FDA Produce Safety Rule requirements alongside IFA for fruit and vegetables. The same certification body audits both, and the result is a one-year letter of conformance. It's free in the U.S. and Canada when paired with IFA fruit and vegetables, and Walmart requires it for direct-import growers with an IFA audit.
Not as an endorsement. In its alignment pilot, FDA found IFA v5.4-1-GFS with FSMA add-on v1.3 aligned with the Produce Safety Rule, excluding agricultural water and sprouts, and said the finding applies only to those versions. HPSS wasn't part of that review.
12 months, extendable by up to 4 months. There's one certification body audit a year, timed close to harvest, and 10% of individual producers' recertification audits are unannounced.
100% of applicable Major Musts and at least 95% of applicable Minor Musts. Recommendations have no minimum. Producer groups also need full compliance with the quality management system requirements.
After an initial audit you have three months to reach full compliance, or the audit is repeated. At recertification, non-conformances must be closed within 28 days. Unresolved issues lead to suspension, and a cancelled producer can't be certified again for 12 months.
GLOBALG.A.P. charges an area-based registration fee from $17 plus a $180 certificate license for IFA, billed through the certification body. The certification body's audit and travel fees are separate, and you'll have your own implementation costs. The FSMA PSR add-on is free with IFA fruit and vegetables in the U.S. and Canada.
The GLOBALG.A.P. Number, a 13-digit ID your certification body assigns when you register. Buyers use it to check your certification status. The separate GGN label is a consumer label with its own requirements, including GRASP and Chain of Custody.
Search the GLOBALG.A.P. directory and check that the body is approved for your standard and that its geographic scope includes the USA. Several certification bodies, including all Kiwa companies approved for produce, exclude the USA and Canada.
If your buyer accepts any GFSI-recognized program, Kiwa ASI offers PrimusGFS, CanadaGAP and SQF for produce operations. Check with your buyer first. See your U.S. options.
Tell us your crops, sites and buyer requirements, and we'll recommend the right program and quote your audit.
Kiwa ASI (ASI Food Safety, LLC) isn't a GLOBALG.A.P. certification body. It is accredited by ANAB to ISO/IEC 17065 for SQF and CanadaGAP; PrimusGFS audits are delivered through Kiwa BCS Öko-Garantie. GLOBALG.A.P. is owned by Agraya GmbH.