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Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) are a collection of
principles for on-farm production and post-production
processes, ensuring a safe and healthy food product.
SunnyRidge follows the principles of the strictest GAP
programs available.
Why do we follow the strictest GAP principles? Simple.
We won’t cut corners when it comes to your confidence in
us. |
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GAP certification programs are:
- Private-sector bodies that set voluntary
standards for the certification of agricultural
products
- Pre-farm standards (this means that the
certificate covers the process of the certified
product from farm inputs like feed or seedlings and
all the farming activities until the product leaves
the farm)
- Include neutral, unbiased third party auditing
processes and procedures.
- Includes annual inspections of the producers and
additional unannounced inspections throughout the
year
- Certify both farms and packing houses so fruit
is covered through the entire process
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Components of GAP Certification Audits
- Regulatory compliance
- Facilities and equipment
- Field analysis
- Sanitation
- Hygiene and housekeeping procedures
- Product processing and evaluation
- Packaging and labeling
- Storage
- Product security
To ensure that we practice what we preach, we also
have our farms, growers, packing houses and products
randomly audited and tested by an independent third
party auditor, Primus Labs. The third party auditor has
no stake in the outcome of the audits. The auditors
mandate is to assess our compliance with the standards
set by the GAP certification programs SunnyRidge Farm
subscribes to. |
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Sanitation
- Sanitation procedures performed daily on all
harvest and post-harvest machinery and equipment
Hygiene
- Stringent hygiene standards, including regular
hand sanitation and the use of gloves, hairnets, and
full clothing for all harvest and post-harvest
employees
Water
- Regular testing and monitoring before and during
the growing season of all water sources used to
irrigate crops to ensure no cross-contamination from
water to plant
Crop protection
- Installation of fences, canals or berms to protect
farms from unwelcome visitors
Pesticide use
- Following Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
protocols only applying GAP approved agricultural
inputs as needed and regular testing for pesticide
residues prior to packing
Trace-back
- Indicators such as inkjet printer traceability
numbers, company specific UPCs, packing house codes,
and Fresh from and grower logos on clamshells allow us
to trace the product back to the grower within
hours, if not minutes, throughout North and South
America
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