GlobalGAP Chain of Custody requirement from 01 Jan 2023

28 Jul 2022

With food fraud and integrity issues presenting a growing challenge for the sector, the GLOBALG.A.P. Advisory Board opted to strengthen the GLOBALG.A.P. system by requiring the strict implementation of the GLOBALG.A.P. Chain of Custody (CoC) standard throughout supply chains. This decision has already been shared via various communications over the past two years, and now the deadline is fast approaching.

Click on this link for more information: Chain of Custody (globalgap.org)

About CoC certification

The CoC standard ensures that any product bearing a GGN label logo or sold with a GLOBALG.A.P. claim is truly sourced from a GLOBALG.A.P. certified production process. The standard requirements secure the segregation, traceability, and therefore integrity of your product’s GLOBALG.A.P. certification status throughout its lifecycle from farm to consumer.

Since 2015, GLOBALG.A.P. has also been collaborating with IFS (International Featured Standards) and BRCGS (Brand Reputation through Compliance Global Standard) to offer “CoC through IFS” and “CoC through BRCGS” certification options. This contributes to our mission of reducing the duplication of requirements though industry collaboration, and these options will remain valid in the future.

Implementation rules from 2023

From 1 January 2023, all parties who handle loose, unpacked products originating from GLOBALG.A.P. certified production processes, as well as all parties who pack and label products with a GLOBALG.A.P. identification number (e.g., GGN, CoC Number, etc.) or make a written claim that a product originates from a GLOBALG.A.P. certified production process, are required to have valid CoC certification.

Check this flow chart for guidance: 20220718 coc flowchart web

Transition and implementation deadlines 2022–2023

According to the CoC general regulations, CoC certification can only be achieved if all suppliers have certified production processes. We understand the potential challenges of achieving certification for the entire supply chain at the same time or in a complete downstream sequence.

GLOBALG.A.P. has therefore decided to offer an implementation period which allows for some exceptions until 31 December 2023. Within this timeframe, a downstream company will be able to achieve CoC certification even if part of the supply chain is not yet certified.

Please see the dedicated web page for more details about exemptions in the transition period