Basic GAP/GHP Audits

Basic GAP/GHP audits evaluate systems of food safety control for produce farms and businesses. They encompass topics such as worker health & hygiene, product traceability, water quality, equipment, cleaning, pest control, and risks from animals and manures.
The business chooses which crops they want included and which audit scopes they want performed. The General Questions are evaluated on every audit. The remaining scopes to choose from include:

  • Part 1: Farm Review
  • Part 2: Field Harvest & Field Packing Activities
  • Part 3: House Packing Facility
  • Part 4: Storage & Transportation
  • Part 6: Wholesale Distribution Center / Terminal Warehouse
  • Part 7: Preventative Food Defense Procedures

Basic GAP/GHP audits are scored on a points basis, and the farm or business must get at least 80% of available points on each scope to pass the audit. All crops included in the audit are listed on the certificate.

In 2019 the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry made funds available to reimburse all 1st time auditees 50% of their audit costs, up to $500. There is no paperwork to fill out to receive this reimbursement; the DACF processes it in-house for all 1st time auditees.

The basic GAP/GHP checklist used by auditors is publicly available, and a great resource to use to prepare.

This overview of the basic GAP/GHP audit program (PDF), goes over how the audit process works, the average cost of audits, common audit issues.

We have put together complete lists of the records, policies, and documentation required for the most frequently requested audit scopes.

The University of Minnesota Cooperative Extension’s has free templates for food safety plans and logs that can help you set up your food safety system.