Good Agricultural Practices

What are Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs)?

Good agricultural practices (GAPs) are the basic environmental and operational conditions necessary for the production of safe, wholesome fruits and vegetables. The purpose of GAPs is to give logical guidance in implementing best management practices that will help to reduce the risks of microbial contamination of fruits and vegetables. Examples of GAPs include worker hygiene and health, manure use and water quality throughout the production and harvesting process. While the United States has one of the safest food supplies in the world, recent media attention the past few years on foodborne illness outbreaks underscores the importance of good agricultural practices.

Growers, packers and shippers are urged to take a proactive role in minimizing food safety hazards potentially associated with fresh produce. Being aware of, and addressing, the common risk factors outlined in GAPs will result in a more effective, cohesive response to emerging concerns about the microbial safety of fresh fruits and vegetables. Furthermore, operators should encourage the adoption of safe practices by their partners along the farm-to-table food chain. This includes distributors, exporters, importers, retailers, producer transporters, food service operators and consumers.

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Eight Basic Principles of Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs)

By identifying basic principles of microbial food safety within the realm of growing, harvesting, packing and transporting fresh produce, growers will be better prepared to recognize and address the principal elements known to give rise to microbial food safety concerns.

  1. Prevention of microbial contamination of fresh produce is favored over reliance on corrective actions once contamination has occurred.
  2. To minimize microbial food safety hazards in fresh produce, growers, packers or shippers should use good agricultural and management practices in those areas over which they have control.
  3. Fresh produce can become microbiologically contaminated at any point along the farm-to-table food chain. The major source of microbial contamination with fresh produce is associated with human or animal feces.
  4. Whenever water comes in contact with produce, its source and quality dictates the potential for contamination. Minimize the potential of microbial contamination from water used with fresh fruits and vegetables. See Growers’ resources on Water.
  5. Practices using animal manure or municipal biosolid wastes should be managed closely to minimize the potential for microbial contamination of fresh produce. See Growers’ resources on Manure and Municipal Biosolids.
  6. Worker hygiene and sanitation practices during production, harvesting, sorting, packing and transport play a critical role in minimizing the potential for microbial contamination of fresh produce. See Growers’ resources on Worker Health and Hygiene, Sanitary Facilities, Field Sanitation.
  7. Follow all applicable local, state and federal laws and regulations, or corresponding or similar laws, regulations or standards for operators outside the U.S., for agricultural practices.
  8. Accountability at all levels of the agricultural environment (farm, packing facility, distribution center and transport operation) is important to a successful food safety program.
  9. There must be qualified personnel and effective monitoring to ensure that all elements of the program function correctly and to help track produce back through the distribution channels to the producer. See Growers’ resources on Traceback.

The following information comes from the Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (“The Guide”), available from the FDA here.

A Historical Perspective on Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs)

Fresh fruits and vegetables are important to the health and well being of the American consumer. Americans enjoy one of the safest supplies of fresh produce in the world. However, over the last several years, the detection of outbreaks of foodborne illness associated with both domestic and imported fresh fruits and vegetables has increased.

In a January 1997 radio address, President Bill Clinton announced a Food Safety Initiative to improve the safety of the nation's food supply. In May 1997, as part of the President's Food Safety Initiative, the Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sent to the President a report that identified produce as an area of concern. On October 2, 1997, President Clinton announced a plan, "Initiative to Ensure the Safety of Imported and Domestic Fruits and Vegetables" (produce safety initiative) to provide further assurance that fruits and vegetables consumed by Americans, whether grown domestically or imported from other countries, meet the highest health and safety standards. As part of this initiative, the President directed the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in partnership with the Secretary of Agriculture and in close cooperation with the agricultural community, to issue guidance on good agricultural practices (GAPs) and good manufacturing practices (GMPs) for fruits and vegetables.

The produce guide, GAPs and GMPs
are guidance and not regulations.

The guide was one of the first steps under President Clinton’s produce safety initiative to improve the safety of fresh produce as it moves from the farm to the table. The guide production and packing of fresh produce. However, the food safety initiative is not limited to the farm. It focused on all stages of the farm-to-table food chain. For example, FDA's Food Code provides advice and information to state and local agencies about safe food handling practices in grocery stores, institutions, restaurants and other retail establishments.

FDA is also actively seeking assistance from the Conference for Food Protection (a consortium of state, local and federal agencies, academia, and consumer and industry representatives) in identifying practical interventions that may assist in reducing or eliminating microbial contamination of fresh produce at the retail level. In addition, as part of the food safety initiative, educational outreach programs, such as the recently initiated "Fight Bac" campaign, will promote improved safe food handling by consumers. Current administration, FDA and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) support this.

Bioterrorism Act

The Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002, otherwise known as the Bioterrorism Act, requires domestic and foreign facilities to register with FDA if they manufacture, process, pack, or hold food for human or animal consumption in the U.S. The purpose of registration is to provide FDA with sufficient and reliable information about food and feed facilities. Examples of FDA-regulated foods include fruits and vegetables, fish and seafood, and dairy products and shell eggs.

Both domestic and foreign farms do not need to register if they fall within the following criteria established by FDA:
Facilities that pack or hold food, provided that all food used in such activities is grown, raised or consumed on that farm or another farm under the same ownership, and facilities that manufacture/process food, provided that all food used in such activities is consumed on that farm or another farm under the same ownership.

By this definition, packing houses that pack foods other than owed by them need to register. The Bioterrorism Act makes failure to register a prohibited act. In August 2006, FDA published a revised Compliance Policy Guide (CPG).

Food Facilities

What You Need to Know About Registration of Food Facilities

Links to registration forms:

Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002
The complete Bioterrorism Act of 2002.

Online Facility Registration with the FDA under the Bioterrorism Act
Provides instructions for online registration under the Bioterrorism Act.

Food Facility Registration Form
Instructions on how to fill out the form to register with the FDA under the Bioterrorism Act, and how to submit the form by mail or fax.

Questions and Answers Regarding Registration of Food Facilities
Official guidance from the FDA on the requirement of the Bioterrorism Act that food facility operators must register.