Which food safety audit for your CEA operation?

Added on 18 May 2023

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Which food safety audit for your CEA operation?

Determining the type of food safety certification your operation needs, or if you even need one, can be confusing and overwhelming when you are new to the process. Where do you start? Begin with your customers!

If you sell directly to consumers, such as fresh-from-the-farm or at farmer’s markets, then your customers likely know you and feel that they have a sense of how you conduct your operation. You have probably already established a trust with your customers and do not need a third-party food safety audit unless you feel that its marketing value justifies the additional expense.

But if you sell to a wholesaler or retailer or other food distributor, they probably have specific requirements about the type of food safety certification they require suppliers to maintain. They may just have the basic requirement of any third-party audit and certification. They may require a specific “scheme” such as GLOBALG.A.P., Primus, SQF, etc.. They may not dictate the certification scheme but require that you hold a Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI)-benchmarked third-party certification. This means that the type of audit and certification you choose must be GFSI-benchmarked and meet the internationally agreed upon GFSI requirements. There are several options that meet this requirement. This chart lists the most popular types of third-party audits, as well as indicating which types have a GFSI version.