Canadian hort industry opens food safety certification program to wholesalers and repackers Wednesday, April 9, 2014 by SUSAN MANN Wholesalers and repackers of fresh fruits and vegetable can now get certified as part of the horticultural industry’s national food safety program, CanadaGAP. Heather Gale, executive director of CanadaGAP, says wholesale and repacking businesses have a food safety program developed by the Canadian Produce Marketing Association previously that “existed as a standard.” But now wholesalers and repackers can get a CanadaGAP audit of their business premises done annually based on the produce marketing association’s standard and then get certified under the CanadaGAP program. “We’ve integrated their requirements from their standard into our certification program and they can now get CanadaGAP certification for repackers and wholesalers,” she says. Similar to the CanadaGAP program, the produce marketing association’s standard has gone through a technical review by the federal and provincial governments “to make sure that what’s in the standard is technically sound,” Gale explains. CanadaGAP is a national, voluntary food safety program of standards and a certification system for the safe production and handling of fresh fruits and vegetables, according to a March 21 CanadaGAP press release. It’s hard to say how many repackers and wholesalers will choose to get certified. Gale says if customers require their suppliers to get certification, then the program is mandatory for them. “We don’t know exactly what the uptake is going to be. It’s driven by the buyers.” With the repackers and wholesalers now having the option to be certified as part of a food safety program, the entire fresh produce supply chain, including farmers and packers, can follow a food safety program and be audited to ensure they’re meeting requirements. Gale says more than 2,400 companies across Canada are certified under CanadaGAP. That number includes fruit and vegetable farmers and packers. The participating companies represent an estimated 75 to 80 per cent of the production across Canada. BF Ottawa think tank predicts recovery for Canada's food manufacturing and service industries PMRA proposes hefty hike in pesticide cost recovery fees
FCC Predicts Canadian Farmers will Wait to Buy New Farm Equipment Thursday, May 1, 2025 This year may not be the year to buy a brand-new John Deere X Series combine. No matter how great it would be to raise harvest capacity by 45 percent, Canadian farmers may put off their purchase until later. Rising farm equipment prices due to trade disruptions will alter farmers'... Read this article online
Holland Marsh Celebrates 100 Years of Agricultural Excellence Thursday, May 1, 2025 Celebrating a century of farming, community, and natural heritage in Ontario’s “Salad Bowl” 2025 marks a significant milestone for the town of Bradford West Gwillimbury as it celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Holland Marsh—a region renowned for its rich soil, vibrant farming... Read this article online
How will Carney work with Farmers? Wednesday, April 30, 2025 Prime Minister Carney has a mandate to lead the country, but the country is quite divided, and much of the agriculture industry feels alienated. Prime Minister Mark Carney and Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre have both pledged cooperation on key issues like U.S. tariffs. As the new... Read this article online
Sheep farmers win Ontario’s Outstanding Young Farmers Wednesday, April 30, 2025 Sheep farmers and wool producers from Wallenstein, Ont. are Ontario’s Outstanding Young Farmers for 2025. “It’s great to be recognized by your peers in the industry with an award like that,” Ryan Schill told Farms.com. “When we started the sheep farm, there were people questioning us... Read this article online
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