JGAP
Japan Good Agricultural Practices

Control Points and Compliance Criteria for Group Administration

Agricultural Products
2022
Issue Date: November 14, 2022
Operation Date: February 14, 2023

Contents
1. How to Use This Document
2. Handling the Previous Edition
3. Copyrights
4. Disclaimer
5. Definitions of Terms

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[Control Points and Compliance Criteria]
1. Clarifying basic information of the group and its responsibilities
2. Management of Contracts
3. Group Management Manual
4. Internal Audit
4.1 Internal Audit Plan
4.2 Preparations for Internal Audits
4.3 Internal Auditing of Group Administration
4.4 Internal Audits of Member Farms
4.5 Internal Audits of Subcontractors
4.6 Confirming the Results of Internal Audits
5. Measures Against Violations of the Group Management Manual
6. Traceability
7. Handling of Complaints and Anomalies
8. JGAP Certified Farm Logo Mark

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1. How to Use This Document
This document is used for JGAP group certification.
2. Handling the Previous Edition
Even after the operation of JGAP Control Points and Compliance Criteria for Group Administration 2022 has gone into effect, initial and renewal
inspections for JGAP Control Points and Compliance Criteria for Group Administration 2016 will continue to be accepted until February 13, 2024.
3. Copyrights
This document was created by Japan GAP Foundation. The copyrights belong to Japan GAP Foundation. When creating derivative works, prior permission must
be obtained from Japan GAP Foundation.
4. Disclaimer
Japan GAP Foundation and JGAP inspection and certification bodies bear no responsibility for the produce sold by farms and groups that have obtained JGAP
certification.
5. Definitions of Terms* Refer to the JGAP General Regulations (Agricultural Products)

１) Assistant internal auditor: A person who can be tasked with performing internal audits of member farms and subcontractors under the
management of the internal auditor. In this context "under the management of" means bearing ultimate responsibility for the internal audit
performed by the assistant internal auditor.
２) Group administration: An administrative body that is set up within the group to govern the group under a single management system regarding
the JGAP requirements.
３) Group management manual: A document that describes the procedures, rules and other matters necessary for managing the group and themember farms that comprise the group.
４) Internal audit: The process where an internal auditor and internal auditor assistant inspect and verify the group administration and the
management of the member farms that make up the group as a part of group management in accordance with the group management manual
designated to meet the requirements of the JGAP Control Points and Compliance Criteria for Farms and the JGAP Control Points andCompliance Criteria for Group Administration.
５) Internal auditor: A person who can be tasked with performing internal audits of group administration, member farms and subcontractors.

1６) Member farm: A unit of inspection and certification with a unified management structure (a management structure with a unified chain ofcommand under the same manager whose shipments and records within the scope of inspection and certification are consolidated). A farm, acommunal processing site, communal fruit-sorting center, grain elevator or crude tea plant can all be considered member farms.
７) Outsourcing: The subcontracting of some activities that are directly related to production processes subject to inspection and certification toexternal entities. (See ISO 9000: 2015)８) Reference documents: The collective term referring to the following documents (a) through (d) which make up the JGAP certification standards.
(a) JGAP General Regulations(b) JGAP Control Points and Compliance Criteria for Farms(c) JGAP Control Points and Compliance Criteria for Group Administration(d) Guidelines
９) Traceability: The state where the history, application, movement and whereabouts of an item can be traced. (See ISO 22000: 2018)１０) Corrective action: Action to eliminate the cause of a nonconformity and to prevent recurrence. (Quoted from ISO 9000: 2015)
１１) Group: A group of producers or corporation operated under a single management system that has a representative and group administration, in
which multiple member farms are gathered under the policies established by the group.
１２) Certified agricultural produce: Agricultural produce that meets criteria (a) through (c) below.
(a) Agricultural produce that is produced by a certified farm or group and shipped within the certificate validity period(b) An item listed on the JGAP certificate(c) When a produce handling process is involved, agricultural produce handled at a produce handling facility listed on the JGAP certificate
１３) Certified produce: A generic term for certified agricultural produce, certified livestock and certified animal products.

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Number Level

Control Point

Compliance Criteria

1.2

Major Must

1.1

Major Must

1. Clarifying basic information of the group and its responsibilities
Ascertaining basic
information of the group

Information on member
farms that comprise thegroup

The latest information is documented below to clarify the scope of the group's JGAP certification.
(1) The name of the group(2) The name, address and contact details of the group administration(3) Information concerning ownership rights to the agricultural produce in the group and its member farms
To clarify the scope of JGAP certification, the latest information below for the member farms that comprise thegroup is registered.
(1) Member farm name, address, contact details and name of top management(2) Name of the member farm manager(3) Address of the sites and facilities(4) Items subject to certification (including the item in its shipped form if such a form applies)

1.4

Major Must

1.3

Major Must

(5) The size of the cultivation area for each item

To clarify the organizational structure that enables appropriate group management based on JGAP, therepresentative of the group documents at least the following managers and disseminates the information within
Organizational structure of the group. Managers can hold concurrent positions.
(1) The representative of the groupthe group(2) Group Administration Manager(3) Internal Audit Manager
a. To improve group management, the representative of the group revises group management systems basedon the following information at least once a year and instructs the relevant managers to make improvements asneeded.
(1) Results of internal audits (control point 4.6.3)(2) Results of external inspection(3) Information on product complaints (control point 7.2)
(4) Information on complaints, accidents and violations of the group management manual (control points 5.1,
Improvements by the
7.3)
representative of the group(5) Changes to the JGAP scope (control points 1.1, 1.2)
b. Results of the revisions described in a. above and instructions for improvements given to managers arerecorded. This includes revisions to the group management manual.

1.5

Major Mustc. The representative of the group strives to foster an awareness of food safety, occupational safety,
environmental conservation and respect for human rights throughout the group.

Responsibilities of theGroup Administration
Managera. The Group Administration Manager has authority over the management of the group and oversees thegroup's management operations.
b. The Group Administration Manager (control point 1.3) undertakes the following.
(1) Understands the standard documents and ascertains the latest information (revisions, etc.) concerning them
(2) Possesses knowledge regarding group management (management system)

3

ResultComment

1.6

Major Must

a. The Internal Audit Manager (control point 1.3) oversees internal audit operations (formulation of internal audit
plans, implementation and verification of internal audits, improvements).
Responsibilities of theInternal Audit Manager

b. The Internal Audit Manager meets the requirements for an internal auditor.
c. The Internal Audit Manager undertakes the following.
(1) Understands the standard documents and ascertains the latest information (revisions, etc.) concerning them
(2) Possesses and improves their knowledge regarding internal audits (auditing methods, etc.)

1.7

Major Must

To revise group management and perform checks when issues arise, the following steps are taken with respect
to records required for each control point.

Record management(1) Storage of at least two years of past records
In the case of an initial inspection or newly required records due to an updated version of the standards, records
going back at least three months from the date of the inspection are retained (excluding records of work that did not takeplace during the period concerned). Ongoing retention of records after initial inspection(2) Storage of records in keeping with requirements when a retention period of more than two years is required by laws,
regulations or a customer(3) Maintaining records so that they can be immediately viewed when needed

2.1

Major Must

2. Management of Contracts
Contracts between thegroup and member farms* Except when group
administration and amember farm are the same
management entity

Group administration enters into contracts incorporating the following information with member farms.
(1) The name and address of the group and the name of its representative(2) The member farm name, address and name of top management(3) Agreement to follow the group management manual(4) Agreement concerning measures in the event of a violation of the group management manual

2.2

Major Must

Group administration obtains written agreements containing the following from subcontractors.
(1) Agreement date(2) Name of the party to the agreement (names, representatives and addresses of both the group and thesubcontractor)
Agreements between thegroup and subcontractors(3) Scope of the outsourced activity(4) Rules designated by the group regarding food safety and occupational safety required by JGAP with respect to thesubcontracted work(5) The need to comply with the rules described in (4) above(6) Measures in the event of a violation of the agreement(7) The fact that the subcontractor may be subject to external inspection, and that corrective action may be demanded in
the event of non-compliance* If the group and a subcontractor have not come to a written agreement, the group can substitute for a written agreementby confirming documents (stipulations, etc.) disclosed or presented by the subcontractor.

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3.3

3.4

Major Must

(3) Establishment of methods and procedures for member farms to implement the JGAP Control Points and Compliance
Criteria for Farms based on the division of roles in control point 3.1

When the group management manual is created or revised, implementation of the following procedures can beverified through records.
(1) Creation by group administration(2) Reviewed by group administration at least once a year and revised as needed(3) Verification of control point 3.2 by a person who satisfies the requirements of an internal auditor(4) Approval by the representative of the group

Major Must

3.2

A group management manual that satisfies the following conditions is prepared.
(1) Establishment of methods and procedures for group administration to implement the JGAP Control Points
and Compliance Criteria for Group Administration
Requirements for the group(2) Establishment of methods and procedures for group administration to implement the JGAP Control Points
management manualand Compliance Criteria for Farms based on the division of roles in control point 3.1

To clarify the division of roles between group administration and member farms, the division of roles between
group administration and member farms is documented for each control point in the JGAP Control Points andCompliance Criteria for Farms.

Publication of the groupmanagement manual

Major Must

3.1

Division of roles between
group administration andmember farms

Major Must

3. Group Management ManualTo ensure the implementation of group operation based on JGAP, the Group Administration Manager
Management andundertakes the following.
dissemination of the latest(1) Dissemination of the details of the group management manual to group administration and each member
version of the groupfarm when the manual is newly published or revised
management manual(2) Identification of the latest version when the group management manual has been revised

4. Internal Audit

4.1.2

Major Must

4.1.1

Formulation of an internal
audit plan

To conduct effective internal audits, an internal audit plan that satisfies the following requirements is
documented.
(1) Clarification of audit criteria, audit scope, selection of internal auditor, frequency and timing of internal audits,and the schedule for audits of group administration, member farms and subcontractors(2) Audits of group administration, all member farms, and subcontractors at least once a year

Major Must

4.1 Internal Audit Plan

Internal audits associatedwith revisions to standard
documents

When JGAP standard documents are revised and a group management manual that complies with the newversion is created and implemented, before undergoing inspection by the certification body, an internal audit
based on the group management manual compliant with the new version must be complete.
In such cases, only an internal audit of the parts that differ between the old and new versions needs to be
conducted.

54.2.2Major Must

4.2.1

Major Must

4.2. Preparations for Internal Audits

Requirements for internal
auditors and assistantinternal auditors

Confirming thecompetence of internal
auditorsa. Internal auditors satisfy the following requirements.
(1) Have passed basic JGAP instructor training and maintains instructor qualifications(2) Have passed JGAP group certification training(3) If (1) or (2) are not satisfied, an internal auditor must possess equivalent competenceb. Assistant internal auditors satisfy the following requirements.
(1) Have passed basic JGAP instructor training and maintains instructor qualifications(2) If (1) above is not satisfied, the assistant internal auditor must possess equivalent competencea. To ensure the effectiveness of internal audits, the Internal Audit Manager undertakes the following.
(1) Verification and approval at least once a year that internal auditors possess the competence to perform
appropriate audits(2) Recording of the results of (1) above(3) Being present for internal audits when needed and keeping records of such attendanceb. When the Internal Audit Manager holds the position of internal auditor concurrently, their competence isverified by another internal auditor.
c. When there is only one internal auditor, this fact is made known to the inspector before an external inspection
begins.

Major Must

4.2.5

Major Must

4.2.4

Confirming thecompetence of assistantinternal auditors

Implementing fair internal
auditsTo ensure the fairness of internal audits, internal auditors and assistant internal auditors do not audit their own
work. When there is only one internal auditor, their own work may be audited, but this fact is made known to thereviewer before an external inspection begins.

Auditing calibration

To ensure the fairness of internal audits, when multiple internal auditors or assistant internal auditors are tasked
with an internal audit, there are mechanisms to unify the interpretation of the standards and review methods
between the internal auditors and assistant internal auditors, and records are maintained of such
implementation.

Major Must

4.2.3

To ensure the effectiveness of internal audits, the Internal Audit Manager undertakes the following.
(1) Implementing and maintaining records of training and education of assistant internal auditors provided byinternal auditors at least once a year
(2) Verifying and keeping records of reports on audits conducted by assistant internal auditors(3) Being present for internal audits when needed and keeping records of such attendance

64.3. Internal Auditing of Group Administration

Major Must

4.3.2

Conducting internal auditsof group administration

Major
Must

4.3.1

To ensure the proper implementation of internal audits and maintain records of audits, the following are
undertaken.
(1) In accordance with the internal audit plan described in control point 4.1.1, an internal audit of group
administration is conducted based on the group management manual.
(2) Records of audits including information (a) through (f) are maintained(a) Internal audit implementation date(b) Name of the internal auditor(c) Name of the representative on the side of group administration subject to the internal audit(d) Confirmation of conformance with each item in the group management manual(e) Non-conformance items(f) Requests for corrective actions or application of measures to deal with violations

Corrective action by group
Corrective action is taken for non-compliance items and the results are recorded.
administration

4.4. Internal Audits of Member Farms
To ensure the proper implementation of internal audits and maintain records of audits, the following are
undertaken.

4.4.1

Major Must

(1) In accordance with the internal audit plan described in control point 4.1.1, internal audits of all member farms are
conducted based on the group management manual.

Conducting internal auditsof member farms(2) When internal audits are conducted remotely, they are conducted with reference the "JGAP Remote Audit
Guidelines."(3) Records of audits including information (a) through (f) are maintained.

(a) Name of the member farm(b) Internal audit implementation date

4.4.3

Major Must

4.4.2

Major
Must

(c) Names of the internal auditor and assistant internal auditor(d) Confirmation of conformance with each item in the group management manual(e) Non-conformance items(f) Requests for corrective actions or application of measures to deal with violations

Corrective action bymember farms

Corrective action is taken for non-compliance items and the results are recorded.

Internal audit of a newmember farm

To ensure proper group operation, the following are undertaken for a new member farm that wishes to join thegroup.
(1) Conducting an internal audit before the farm joins the group(2) Requesting that corrective action be taken to address non-conformance items and recording the results ofthe corrective action

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4.5.1

Major Must

4.5 Internal Audits of Subcontractors

Conducting internal auditsof subcontractors

To ensure the proper implementation of internal audits and maintain records of audits, the following isundertaken with respect to the activity outsourced to an external party by group administration.
(1) In accordance with the internal audit plan described in control point 4.1.1, audits are conducted to ensure thatthe subcontractor is practicing the rules set forth in the written agreement described in control point 2.2.
(2) Records of audits including information (a) through (f) are maintained(a) Name of the subcontractor(b) Internal audit implementation date(c) Names of the internal auditor and assistant internal auditor(d) Confirmation of conformance with the rules to be implemented by the subcontractor(e) Non-conformance items(f) Requests for corrective actions or application of measures to deal with violations

4.5.2

Major Must

* If the subcontractor is JGAP certified, the internal audit of the subcontractor may be omitted by confirming
details such as the scope of the certification document, period of certification validity, and so on.

Corrective action bysubcontractors

Corrective action is taken for non-compliance items and the results are recorded.

4.6.2

4.6.3

Verification of internal
auditsa. The Internal Audit Manager verifies that internal audits have been conducted appropriately. When the Internal
Audit Manager is an internal auditor, the results of audits he/she has performed are verified by another internal
auditor. If there is only one internal auditor, this fact is made known to the reviewer before an external inspection
begins.
b. When the details of member farm non-conformances identified as a result of verification are attributable to the
management system of the group, necessary action is taken such as revising the group management manual.

To confirm that internal audits have been conducted appropriate, the following are undertaken.
(1) Reporting of audit results from the Internal Audit Manager to the Group Administration Manager andConfirming the completion
representative of the groupof internal audits(2) Records showing that the Group Administration Manager and representative of the group have confirmedthat all corrective action on non-conformances have been finished and internal audits are complete

Major Must

Confirming the results ofinternal audits

Major Must

4.6.1

To ensure that corrective action is taken to address non-conformances, the Internal Audit Manager ascertains
the following information regarding the internal audits conducted on group administration, member farms andsubcontractors.
(1) Internal audit implementation date(2) Details of non-conformances and the results of corrective action

Major Must

4.6. Confirming the Results of Internal Audits

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5.1

Major Must

Application of measuresagainst violations of thegroup management
manual5.2

Major Must

5. Measures Against Violations of the Group Management Manual

Reporting to thecertification body

When a violation of the group management manual has occurred, measures agreed to in the contract describedin control point 2.1 are applied and recorded.

To enable the certification body to monitor the latest status of the group, when a member farm suspends
shipments or has been expelled from the group as a result of an internal audit or otherwise, this fact is reported
to the certification body.

6.1

Major Must

6. Traceability
a. There is a traceability system that enables group administration to confirm the following records of shipped
agricultural produce.
(1) Name of member farm (multiple member farms can be included)(2) Item name

Ensuring traceability within(3) Shipping destination
the group(4) Shipping date(5) Shipment quantity

b. The system described in a. above is checked at least once a year (trace test), and the system is revised as needed.

6.1.1

Major Musta. When the group also handles agricultural produce produced by farms other than the member farms thatcomprise the group, records show that the certified agricultural produce has been clearly separated from theother agricultural produce for shipment.
b. Measures are taken to prevent the contamination of the group's certified and non-certified agricultural
Management of concurrent produce, and this can be confirmed based on records.
handling within the groupc. If non-certified agricultural produce is also being handled, no expressions that could cause a shipping
destination to mistake the non-certified agricultural produce for certified agricultural produce are used.

6.2

Major Must

d. The system described in a. above is checked at least once a year (trace test) and the system is revised asneeded.

Validation of shipping
volume within the group

There are records showing that checks have been performed based on the following materials to validate thatthe shipping volumes of certified agricultural produce from each member farm are valid.
(1) Expected shipping volumes for each member farm (cultivation area x standard yield)(2) Shipping results for each member farm9

7. Handling of Complaints and Anomalies

7.1

Major Musta. When a complaint or abnormality concerning certified agricultural produce arises, response procedures
including the following items are documented.
(1) Ascertaining the circumstances surrounding a complaint or the occurrence of an abnormality(2) Contacting or reporting to a manager (including determining the scope of impact, and determining whether a productrecall is required by the product manager)
Procedures for responding(3) Emergency response (including communicating and consulting with affected shipping destinations and other related
to complaints or anomalies
organizations, making the issue public, product recall, and taking measures with respect to the non-conforming products)
related to certified(4) Determining the cause
agricultural produce(5) Corrective actions to prevent recurrence(6) Reporting to the certification body if a violation that affects certification has occurred(7) Verification of the effects of corrective action taken

7.3

Major Must

7.2

Major Mustb. The documented procedures are revised at least once a year.

Records of responding tocomplaints or anomalies
related to certified
agricultural produce

a. When a complaint or anomaly has occurred in relation to certified agricultural produce, the response
implemented based on the procedures described in control point 7.1 is recorded.
b. The records include the date on which the complaint or anomaly occurred (date of contact), the recording date, therecorder, and the date the issue was confirmed by the Group Administration Manager.

The following details are ascertained regarding complaints related to the group or accidents that occur atmember farms.
(1) The name of the member farm (if applicable)

Ascertaining a complaint or (2) Date of occurrence
accident within the group (3) Date recorded and recorder(4) Details of the complaint or accident(5) Cause(6) Corrective actions to prevent recurrence

8.1

Major Must

8. The JGAP Logo
Management of the JGAP
logo

To ensure the proper use of the JGAP logo, the JGAP logo is used under the management of group
administration.

10Japan GAP Foundation
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