Unlocking new opportunities with GAP Certification

Elena Rogers �Area Specialized Agent, Food Safety- Fresh Produce�Western NC �North Carolina State University�Department of Horticultural Sciences�

February 16, 2026

2026 NC Peach Growers Society Meeting

Overview

1. Considering GAP Certification

2. Steps to become GAP certified

3. Regulatory updates for 2026

​

2026 NC Peach Growers Society Meeting

Reasons food safety practices are implemented at farms

Regulatory requirements at the federal and state level to prevent microbial contamination

2026 NC Peach Growers Society Meeting

Buyers require GAP Certifications to do business with them

Good agricultural practice audits seek to prevent fruit from coming in contact with:

• Human and animal feces
• Contaminated water
• Unsanitary equipment
• Improperly treated animal manure or biosolid wastes
• Poor worker hygiene and sanitation practices when harvesting, sorting and packing
• Cross-contamination during transport of fresh produce from farm to market

The world we live in..

Safe food is non-negotiable for customers and buyers

​

You have a product buyers want, especially for local or branded sales

​

Customers buying habits are changing (focus on smaller amounts, local, fresh, organic, environmentally friendly, clean, safe)

​

​

GAP Certification is required to sell to buyers that acknowledge that there are inherent risks when growing fresh produce and they want an assurance that suppliers are doing their best to prevent foodborne illnesses

​

Final product testing is conducted at different levels of the supply chain

​

2026 NC Peach Growers Society Meeting

Good Agricultural Practices (GAP Certifications)

• Better market access. Primarily required by wholesalers and institutional buyers looking for volume, quality and safety assurances.

​

• Competitive advantage. Operating as a GAP certified farm has a definite advantage over farms that are not certified.

​

• Risk management. GAP Certification is both a safety and marketing tool.

​

• Improve management and internal improvements. The process helps put your farm in order and gain efficiencies.

​

2026 NC Peach Growers Society Meeting

Study by Cornell

A study by Cornell University with 80 produce farms in New York State found that across all farms, the average benefit cost ratio of food safety improvements was 4.61, implying that the benefits on average, were 4.61 times that of their annual cost. Schmit et. al (2020)

2026 NC Peach Growers Society Meeting

GAP Certification Advantages

The economic advantage of GAP Certification often comes through access to buyers and markets rather than direct price premiums in most cases.

2026 NC Peach Growers Society Meeting

GAP Certification

• For those who seek long term stable buyer relations
• Time consuming
• Requires someone in charge
• Legal commitment
• Larger acreage, higher ROI
• Helps comply with FSMA PSR

​

2026 NC Peach Growers Society Meeting

GAP certified farms can become vendors

Requirements:

​

• Food safety plan

​

• Annual food safety audit

GAP -Third Party Audits

1. The buyer usually has a preferred audit and has defined what type of certification it wants its suppliers to provide.

​

2. Auditing companies offer different audits with slightly different guidelines, but in essence the practices growers must follow are very similar.

​

• GAP (Good agricultural practices)- growing and field harvest activities
• GMP (Good manufacturing practices) – packing houses activities

​

​

​

Common type of GAP Audits

USDA GAP Harmonized Audit

General

• Food safety plan
• Management responsibility
• Traceability
• Recall program
• Worker Education and Training
• Self audit
• Waste management

​

​

Post Harvest Operations

• Produce Sourcing
• Agricultural chemicals
• Facility
• Pest and animal control
• Harvesting containers and equipment
• Post harvest Water/ Ice
• Containers, bins and packaging
• Transportation of produce

​

Field Operations and Harvesting

• Field history and assessment
• Agricultural Chemicals/ Plant protection products
• Water use
• Soil amendments
• Animals/wildlife/livestock
• Vehicles, equipment and tools
• Pre harvest assessment
• Water used in harvesting and post harvest operations

​

Food Safety Certification – What is required?

1. Food safety plan for YOUR farm
• The plan must reflect what you do at YOUR farm
• Work with a professional to build the food safety plan and implement it
2. Make “doable” changes.
• Review audit guidelines and resource materials and focus on what is applicable to your farm.
• Who is good with paperwork?
• Very important: train workers to follow the practices outlined in the plan.
• Balancing act as you invest in upgrades. Do what you can. Make the changes that will have the biggest impacts.
• Supervision and ongoing recordkeeping is necessary.

Becoming GAP Certified��

Steps

Designate a food safety “manager” or responsible person for the farm

​

Use templates to set up the food safety plan

​

​

Start a filing system with all the records required

​

Make changes at the field level

Water testing

Train workers and other farm personnel

Schedule audit

​

Conduct a self-audit

Correct any problems

​

GAP Audit

​

Building a food safety plan

​

• Your operation is unique, as you compile your plan in preparation for your audit the practices will be tailored to your commodity(ies), your management practices & your workers in order to effectively reduce and prevent contamination on your farm.

​

• Consists of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) which outline the policies and procedures for the operation.

​

• The food safety program must be implemented and followed.

​

• The operation must determine what to document and keep records for. The operation must also keep all documents and records current.

​

• The operation shall document corrective actions taken.

​

GAP Audits -Certifications

FSMA’s Produce Safety Rule

​

• Since January 2018
• Government regulation
• Administered by FDA/NCDA & CS
• Mandatory for covered farms
• Farm Inspections
• Focuses on employee hygiene, agricultural water, post harvest handling, training, soil amendments and equipment

​

• Happening for the last 25+ years
• Driven by buyers
• Offered by auditing companies (USDA, Primus Labs, Global GAP)
• Grower pays audit fee
• ‘’Gets a farm in order”
• Snapshot of what happened during audit day
• Annual certification
• Focus on production and harvest

​

​

​

​

FSMA - Produce Safety Rule

1. Personnel qualifications and training

2. Worker health and hygiene

​

3. Agricultural water

• Water used during growing season- FINAL (2025)
• Water used at harvest and post harvest- FINAL (2023)

4. Biological soil amendments of animal origin and human waste

5. Domesticated and wild animals

6. Equipment, tools, buildings and sanitation

7. Growing, harvesting, packing and holding activities

​

FSMA Produce Safety Rule

What is new?

• Farm inspections continue
• Where does your farm fall in the PSR based on inflation rates for 2025
• Phased implementation of pre-harvest water provisions
• Areas of concern continue to be:
• Employee training/ Health and hygiene practices
• Cleaning and sanitation of food contact surfaces
• Record keeping

​

• Need help?

​

​

​

​

FSMA Produce Safety Rule

1

Farms not covered by the Produce Safety Rule

​

​

​

Average sales <$33,297

Produce Sales for last 3 years

​

2

Farms eligible for a qualified exemption and modified requirements

​

​

​

​

​

​

3

Covered Farms

>$665,947 food sales for last 3 years AND most sales are not to end consumer

​

Covered

​

Small farms

($250,000-$500,000)

Very small farms

(Less than $250,000)

​

Farms that must comply with water provisions

• This regulation affects “covered” farms ONLY.

​

• Determine where your farm falls under the Produce Safety Rule.

Only after its determine that the farm is a “covered” farm then calculate average produce sales for the past three years to determine the compliance date.

​

Compliance dates (based on average produce sales for last 3 years)

Overall provisions of the Final Rule on Preharvest Ag Water

1. Annual inspection and maintenance of water distribution system.

​

2. Conduct an agricultural water assessment to identify conditions likely to identify hazards and make risk-based decisions.

• Identify hazards in agricultural water systems associated with animal activity, biological soil amendments of animal origin (BSAAOs), or untreated or improperly treated human waste on adjacent and nearby land.

​

3. Outcomes should be reviewed to determine if corrective or mitigation measures should be taken and how promptly should these be completed.

​

4. Farm manager must review the agricultural water assessment if someone else performed it.

​

Resources to conduct the Ag Water Assessment

Any assessment tool can be used, as long as all the factors are considered.

​

The FDA has also launched their own Ag Water Assessment Builder Online and Paper Tool.

​

​

FACTORS TO CONSIDER

• Agricultural water system
• Location and nature of water source
• Type of water distribution system
• Degree of protection from possible �sources of contamination
• Agricultural water use practices
• Crop characteristics
• Environmental conditions
• Other relevant factors

​

​

Farm Safety

Do you need help?

Training your employees

​

Implementing a cleaning and sanitation program

​

Identifying risks and conducting a water assessment

​

Becoming GAP certified

Upcoming events

Produce Safety Alliance Trainings

March 10, 2026 – Mills River, NC

April 1, 2026- Concord, NC

​

Workshops to implement FSMA’s Preharvest Water Rule

February 25, 2026– Asheville, NC

​

Managing packing houses/ Keeping apples safe in the packing house

April 21, 2026 – Mills River, NC

​

​

​

Contact Information

Elena Rogers �Area Specialized Agent �Western NC�Office- Caldwell County

elena_rogers@ncsu.edu

828-352-2519

​

https://ncfreshproducesafety.ces.ncsu.edu