April 1st is the effective date for changes to the CanadaGAP program for 2024. Here are four reminders.

1.     CanadaGAP Manuals – Version 10.0 still in effect

CanadaGAP reminds program participants and other stakeholders that the CanadaGAP Food Safety Manual for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables and the CanadaGAP Food Safety Manual for Greenhouse Product will not be updated and reissued for 2024. A few minor corrections were made to the manuals heading into the 2024 growing season. These minor corrections do not affect the version number of the manuals. Details on the corrections (tracked changes) and the corrected versions of the manuals are available on the CanadaGAP website at: www.canadagap.ca/manuals/downloads/

REMINDER: Even though the CanadaGAP Manuals remain the same for 2024, your own copy of the manual needs to be reviewed annually to confirm that you are maintaining the procedures and/or to reflect any changes in your operation.

2.     Other CanadaGAP documents – Version numbers in effect as of April 1st

As previously communicated, some other CanadaGAP documents have been updated for 2024. See below for an overview of current version numbers for each document:

CanadaGAP Audit Checklists (all) – Version 10.1

CanadaGAP Corrective Actions Report – Version 10.0

CanadaGAP Program Management Manual – Version 10.1

Download the latest version of each document that you need from the CanadaGAP website at www.canadagap.ca

3.     Spanish Materials

Last year, CanadaGAP expanded on the number of resources that are available in Spanish. These documents have also been updated in conjunction with the relevant updates for the 2024 season. 

The following materials are available in Spanish at www.canadagap.ca:

-  CanadaGAP Food Safety Manual for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables 

-  CanadaGAP Food Safety Manual for Greenhouse Production 

-  CanadaGAP fillable record keeping forms in Excel

-  Appendices to CanadaGAP Food Safety Manuals – (NOTE: not all the appendices are available in Spanish – a selection of commonly used appendices is available)

-  CanadaGAP Audit Checklist

4. Updates to the CanadaGAP website

The CanadaGAP website is updated continuously; this includes the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) which have been updated to reflect current versions of the CanadaGAP program. New questions have also been added to address new, pertinent topics.  Use the FAQs as a primary resource to answer specific questions, as well as to obtain an overview of common questions for all program participants, auditors and other interested parties.

Questions? If you don’t have access to the electronic versions of these documents, contact the CanadaGAP office for assistance. CanadaGAP is a program developed in Canada to promote Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) for fruit and vegetable growers.

Source:  CanadaGAP April 1, 2024 news release