PORTLAND, OR - In its ongoing efforts to mitigate industry risk while tackling supply chain issues, GLOBALG.A.P. North America (GGNA) has debuted version 2 of GLOBALG.A.P.’s Risk Assessment on Social Practice (GRASP) as an add-on module to its flagship Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) standard.
“GRASP is widely utilized in the European market, with the adoption by major retailers for managing social risk on farm,” said Roberta Anderson, Executive Vice President of GGNA. “As a standard benchmarked to IFPA’s Ethical Charter, we anticipate GRASP’s increased uptake in the North American market as endorsers of the Ethical Charter seek an efficient and independently verified means to demonstrate alignment.”
IFA is among the commonly used food safety certification in the United States market and includes worker health and safety. Paired with GRASP, it covers supply chain issues like worker exploitation, child labor, and human rights at the farm level, a release explained.
GLOBALG.A.P. has created these standards in line with the International Fresh Produce Association’s (IFPA) Ethical Charter on Responsible Labor Practices Measurement Criteria. This will allow producers to show third-party-verified evidence of compliance with these practices voluntarily as an Ethical Charter endorser or in response to buyer requirements. Those who have GLOBALG.A.P. IFA certification in combination with GRASP compliance demonstrate they have taken the steps necessary to adopt the Ethical Charter.
GRASP is applicable to all production under IFA, including fruits and vegetables, flowers and ornamentals, hops, and more. It was especially for farms and is available for all farm sizes, including smallholders. The GRASP assessment can be combined with the IFA audit, which saves time and money in meeting buyer requirements for food safety, social responsibility, and more with a single audit. It also supports retailers in transparently sourcing products from operations that are aligned with their corporate social responsibility policies.
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