GLOBALG.A.P. Risk Assessment on Social
Practice (GRASP)
General Rules
ENGLISH VERSION 2.0_SEP22
VALID FROM: 1 OCTOBER 2022
OBLIGATORY FROM: 1 JANUARY 2024

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 APPLICATION OF GRASP GENERAL RULES AND GLOBALG.A.P. GENERALREGULATIONS................................................................................................................... 3
2 GRASP NORMATIVE DOCUMENTS ................................................................................. 3
3 GRASP APPLICATION OPTIONS ..................................................................................... 3
3.1

GRASP Application to product handling unit (PHU) ............................................... 4

3.2

GRASP Application to labor subcontractors, other subcontractors,
and visitors.................................................................................................................. 4

4 INDIVIDUAL PRODUCER AND PRODUCER GROUP REQUIREMENTS ........................ 45 GRASP REGISTRATION PROCESS ................................................................................. 4
5.1

Registration of a CB for the GRASP add-on ............................................................ 5

5.2

CB approval process .................................................................................................. 5

5.3

Special registration of assessors in countries without a NIG ................................ 5

6 AUDIT PROCESS ............................................................................................................... 6
6.1

Self-assessments/Internal farm audits ..................................................................... 6

6.2

Third-party assessments ........................................................................................... 6

6.3

Assessment procedure for subcontracted PHUs or other outsource service.... 14

7 GRASP ASSESSORS’ QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS .......................................... 14
7.1

Formal qualifications................................................................................................ 14

7.2

Technical skills, training, and qualifications ......................................................... 14

7.3

Maintenance of competency .................................................................................... 16

7.4

IHT qualifications ...................................................................................................... 16

7.5

Formal qualifications for internal QMS and farm auditors in GRASP ................. 17220929_GRASP_general_rules_v2_0_Sep22_en

8 GRASP COMPLIANCE SYSTEM ..................................................................................... 17
8.1

GRASP assessment results..................................................................................... 17

8.2

Letter of conformance decision .............................................................................. 18

8.3

Unannounced primary production recertification audit combined with GRASP
assessment ............................................................................................................... 19

8.4

Non-compliance and non-conformance in GRASP ............................................... 19

8.5

Letter of conformance and assessment cycle ....................................................... 19

8.6

Letter of conformance information ......................................................................... 19

8.7

Integrity program ...................................................................................................... 19

9 DECISION-MAKING/GOVERNANCE ............................................................................... 20
10 ABBREVIATIONS AND DEFINITIONS OF TERMS ......................................................... 20
10.1 Abbreviations ............................................................................................................ 20
10.2 Definitions/Glossary ................................................................................................. 20

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1

APPLICATION OF GRASP GENERAL RULES AND GLOBALG.A.P. GENERALREGULATIONSThis document describes specific rules applying to the GRASP add-on. These rules shall beapplied within the parameters and in addition to the GLOBAG.A.P. general regulations. Therefore,
for all requirements that are not described in this document, the valid version of the
GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations and the GLOBALG.A.P. general add-on rules shall apply. At
all times, the GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations shall be understood and applied with a view toprotecting the integrity, nature, and good application of the GRASP assessment. The
GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations shall therefore be applied to these rules accordingly,interpreting the wording in line with the nature and subjects of GRASP. If there is a conflict
between the GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations and this document, the rule that allows a better
safeguarding of the GRASP assessment’s integrity shall be applied.
GRASP principles and criteria (P&Cs) are voluntary requirements. Compliance with them is notcovered under GLOBALG.A.P. Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) certification.
2

GRASP NORMATIVE DOCUMENTS

Normative documents for GRASP are the latest GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations, the
GLOBALG.A.P. general add-on rules, and any document defined by the GLOBALG.A.P.
Secretariat as a normative document for GRASP.
The current list of GRASP normative and supporting documents can always be found on the
GLOBALG.A.P. website.
3

GRASP APPLICATION OPTIONSGRASP is applicable to a corresponding scope of IFA or a benchmarked scheme/AMC that isequivalent in terms of product and production sites. It shall follow the processes and rules
described in the GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations and the normative documents.
GRASP shall be applied only to a producer with a valid certification according to a GLOBALG.A.P.
primary production standard or an equivalent benchmarked scheme/AMC. A list of valid
certification options can be found on the GLOBALG.A.P. website.
In addition, for any GRASP application, evidence shall be submitted of the verification of criteria
on workers’ health, safety, and welfare. A full compliance result in this category is required toobtain the letter of conformance.

220929_GRASP_general_rules_v2_0_Sep22_en

GRASP is not applicable if the producer did not employ any type of labor during the certification
cycle or year before the assessment. However:•

GRASP is applicable to family farms without hired labor during the certification cycle or
year before the assessment. If the family farm achieves the required level of conformanceand evidence on workers’ health, safety, and welfare criteria with full compliance, a letterof conformance will be issued.
o•Family farms shall be assessed on lack of hired labor and selected P&Cs from the
GRASP checklist.

Non-labor-employing sites of multisite producers (Options 1 and 3 – Multisite with QMS)
as well as producer group members (Options 2 and 4 – Group certification) will beconsidered in the internal and external GRASP QMS audits and visited by the auditor toassess on the lack of hired labor. These producers shall also provide evidence on workers’
health, safety, and welfare criteria with full compliance.

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3.1

GRASP application to product handling unit (PHU)

It is not possible to assess only PHUs or the producer group’s own production sites. GRASP is
applicable to PHUs only if product handling is included in the scope of GLOBALG.A.P. or
equivalent benchmarked scheme certification.
In such a case, the PHU(s) and/or the producer group’s own production site(s) shall be included
as another member/site in the GRASP assessment and shall be assessed in addition to the
producer group members/production sites. PHUs shall also provide evidence on workers’ wellbeing criteria with a full compliance. The “GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations – Rules for
producer groups and multisite producers with QMS” shall apply.
3.2

GRASP application to labor subcontractors, other subcontractors, and visitors

GRASP is applicable to any subcontractor that provides farm labor (including farm labor andequipment, farm labor and material, or some combination of farm labor, material, and equipment)
for the main farming activities of agricultural production on the premises of the PHU or production
site. These workers/types of farm labor shall be included in the GRASP assessment. The phrase“main farming activities” refers to those activities directly related to the production of the product(e.g., including pruning of the fruit trees, but excluding construction of a farm barn).
During the registration with the CB, the producer shall inform the CB about the subcontracted
labor activities. The producer shall ensure that the labor subcontractor or employment agency
follows the GRASP requirements.
Other subcontractors may not be included in the GRASP assessment unless the auditor detects
the risk of a GRASP integrity issue.
For visitors/outsourced activities that require the presence of staff of the subcontractor at the farm,
the CB shall check that the producer, during subcontractors’ staff presence on the farm, hascommunicated a zero-tolerance policy with regards to non-compliances with human rights andlocal laws (GRASP human rights policy).

4

INDIVIDUAL PRODUCER AND PRODUCER GROUP REQUIREMENTS

Any GRASP applicant shall follow the GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations on individual andproducer group requirements.

5

GRASP REGISTRATION PROCESS

220929_GRASP_general_rules_v2_0_Sep22_en

Any GRASP registration topic shall follow the GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations and the
GLOBALG.A.P. general add-on rules. The following GRASP-specific rules shall also apply:
Permitted

Prohibited

Registering the same product with more than one CB

x

Registering the same product under more than one Option(as individual producer and producer group member)x

Registering production sites in different countries (exceptions
granted by the GLOBALG.A.P. Secretariat only on a case-bycase basis)x

The applicant shall register for GRASP with the same CB as for the primary production standard.

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The applicant shall include information on the number of workers during the year prior toregistration and on the type of workers hired (permanent, seasonal, etc.) during the previous
assessment period by gender.
The applicant shall indicate whether subcontracted labor was hired and if so, the number ofworkers under this condition during the year prior to registration.
The applicant shall indicate whether the farm is run as family farm (run as core family business)and indicate the number of family members working and the family relation of the group.
Applicants with a QMS shall indicate the total number of producer group members/production
sites and how many of these are with workers and without workers.
5.1

Registration of a CB for the GRASP add-ona)

In cases where a GLOBALG.A.P. finally approved CB uses auditors who are alreadyqualified for GLOBALG.A.P. primary production audits, those auditors will be authorized
to carry out GRASP assessments if they comply with the additional qualification
requirements indicated in this document. A list of GRASP assessors for the GRASP addon shall be registered in the GLOBALG.A.P. IT systems.

b)Approved CBs may use auditors who are not qualified for GLOBALG.A.P. primary
production audits, but are certified social auditors, to accompany GLOBALG.A.P. auditors
during GRASP assessments. These social auditors shall comply with the formal skills
indicated in this document.

5.2

CB approval process

As a condition for CB approval, the applicant CB shall have at least one approved GRASP auditor(to perform the audits) and one approved GRASP auditor (for the CB decision-making committee)
who have both completed all applicable qualification requirements. The CB shall nominate an inhouse trainer (IHT) and complete or at least register for the GRASP IHT training.
Approval shall be granted if all of the following apply:a)

A staff member has attended the GRASP in-house training of the approved CB IHT andhas passed the GRASP test when available.

b)

A staff member approved as a CB IHT has attended the GRASP IHT training and passed
the GRASP IHT test when available.

c)

The CB is accredited for any scope within the GLOBALG.A.P. primary production
standards.

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5.3

Special registration of assessors in countries without a NIG

CBs assessing GRASP in countries with no national interpretation guideline (NIG) shall undergoa special registration process.
The CB may apply for special registration in countries where no NIG exists by filling in the online
application form on the GLOBALG.A.P. website or contacting the GLOBALG.A.P. Secretariat.
Requirements for conducting a GRASP assessment in a no-NIG country:
The assessor shall demonstrate that their qualifications and technical skills refer to the country
where the assessment will be conducted as indicated in this document.
•

The CB shall provide a draft document of the GRASP NIGs, including explanation of how
GRASP requirements correspond to local legislation. This document shall be reviewed
and approved by the IHT.

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This document shall be submitted together with the application for GRASP assessments
in a no-NIG country.

•

For information on the process of how to contribute to a NIG, please see the GRASP normativeand supporting documents “Guideline for the development of GRASP NIGs and assessments in
no-NIG countries” on the GLOBALG.A.P. website.

6

AUDIT PROCESSIn addition to the latest GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations and the GLOBALG.A.P. general addon rules, the following GRASP-specific rules and instructions provided in the supporting
documents applicable to GRASP shall apply (a list of these documents can be found on the
GLOBALG.A.P. website):

220929_GRASP_general_rules_v2_0_Sep22_en

6.1

Self-assessments/Internal farm auditsa)

For all producers, the GRASP self-assessment, or internal farm audit respectively as
indicated in the GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations, is obligatory. The selfassessment/internal farm audit includes PHUs. In both cases, verification of fullcompliance with criteria on workers’ health, safety, and welfare shall be included in thereport.

b)

The self-assessment or internal farm audit must each be carried out as indicated in the
GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations.

c)

To ensure that all P&Cs have been properly audited for all applicable sites/producers, theself-assessment/internal farm audit shall be conducted during a time when the number ofworkers present is representative of the labor hired during the year/production cycle(especially subcontracted and seasonal labor) and agricultural activities are taking place(e.g., during peak season or harvesting), as indicated in the GLOBALG.A.P. generalregulations.

d)

The country risk level shall be checked and shall be adhered to in order to determine therequired methods of evidence to be used in the internal farm audit. Interviews (whereapplicable) shall be conducted and cross-checked through document review. Informationon this matter shall be included in the summary reports. This rule does not apply to selfassessments under Option 1 and Option 1 multisite without QMS.

e)

For every P&C assessed in all GRASP self-assessments/internal farm audits, remarks
and comments shall be given in all non-compliant Major Must and Minor Must P&C. The
summary reports shall provide objective evidence (e.g., interviews where applicable) andinformation on how the producer complies with the GRASP requirements, and shall list
any non-compliances and/or non-conformances identified. Comments and evidence, suchas which document(s) were sampled, which workers were interviewed, etc., shall be siteand product-specific and included in the checklist to ensure that all the P&Cs have been
properly audited for all applicable production sites and products.

6.2

Third-party assessmentsa)

GRASP requires a third-party assessment conducted by an independent, finally approved
CB. This third-party assessment shall be carried out by auditors who meet therequirements as defined in the GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations and in this document.

b)

The GRASP assessment shall be conducted together with the GLOBALG.A.P. primary
production audit and the CB QMS audit.

c)

The GRASP assessment shall be carried out by the same CB conducting the
GLOBALG.A.P. primary production audit and the CB QMS audit.

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220929_GRASP_general_rules_v2_0_Sep22_end)

The GRASP assessment may be carried out, but a letter of conformance shall be provided
after verification of the producer’s full compliance with the P&Cs relating to workers’ health,safety, and welfare.

e)

The auditor shall use the GRASP checklist for Option 1, Option 2, and family farms,
accordingly. All are available in the GLOBALG.A.P. IT systems.

f)

Before conducting the assessment, the auditor shall check the country risk level anddetermine the required methods of evidence. In addition, the auditor shall check andregister (by employment, migratory status, and gender) the number of workers present at
the farm visited on the day of assessment. The auditor shall apply the correct sample sizesfor document review and where applicable the sample size for interviews. The rules canbe found in the normative documents on the GLOBALG.A.P. website.

g)

Due to the social nature of GRASP, remarks and comments shall be given in all cases(Yes/No) for every P&C assessed in all external assessments. Remarks and comments(e.g., which document was/which documents were sampled) shall be site-specific andincluded in the checklist, showing that all the P&Cs have been properly assessed.
Responsibility for a lack of included remarks rests with the CB.

h)A full written summary of the assessment activity undertaken shall be given by the CB.
This shall provide objective evidence and information on how the producer complies with
the GRASP requirements, and, where applicable, shall list any non-compliances and/or
non-conformances identified. Comments and evidence, such as which document(s) were
sampled, which workers were interviewed, etc., shall be site- and product-specific andincluded in the checklist to ensure that all the P&Cs have been properly audited for all
applicable production sites, PHUs and products.

i)

In the Audit Online Hub, “Company description” shall contain qualitative information about
the company (i.e., the organizational structure; location of the production sites, PHU(s),and (head/human resource) office; and, if applicable, the different seasons of activities orintervals of hiring labor/fluctuation, etc.).

j)During the external GRASP QMS audit, the IFA QMS checklist shall be used. Comments
on GRASP compliance (Yes/No) shall always be included for each applicable P&C. If a
P&C is considered not applicable to GRASP, complete reasoning for the inapplicability
shall be included. Responsibility for a lack of reasoning rests with the CB.

k)Names and personal data of responsible persons or other workers shall not be entered inany remark or comment of the GRASP checklist. Instead, initials/other abbreviations shallbe used. Alternatively, the position of the worker or internal codes/numbers assigned by
the producer/company may be used.

l)

Other personal data of workers (e.g., contract, time records, paychecks) must beaccessible to the auditor and must be provided by the employer. To ensure proper
provision of data and transparency, a document for the protection of personal data has
been drawn up that can be used by the employers. If needed and demanded by theworkers, the employer shall forward this to them.

m) In countries where a GRASP NIG exist, the CB shall use it applying the rule that provides
more protection to the workers. If GRASP provides more protection, then it overrides the
local law, and in case the local law provides more protection, it will override the GRASP
P&Cs. A regulation in the NIG cannot provide compliance without verification. Omissionof a topic in the NIG shall be always corrected applying the GRASP P&Cs. However,inclusion of a topic in the NIG, does not allow for a modification or change of the GRASP
P&Cs.

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6.2.1a)

The CB assesses the subcontracted labor compliance with GRASP P&Cs as part of the
producer’s responsibility and duty of care during the GRASP assessment of the producer.

b)

The producer is responsible for providing the CB with evidence of labor subcontractors
GRASP compliance. If the CB is not able to verify compliance due to a lack of necessary
evidence of the subcontractor (e.g., lack of documents or no access to evidence), a nonconformance shall be raised for the respective P&C.

c)

The CB can choose to visit an office/production site at the labor subcontractor’s premises.
Labor subcontractors shall agree (in their commercial agreement with the producer) that
GLOBALG.A.P. finally approved CBs are allowed to verify GRASP assessments througha physical CB audit where there is doubt. Inclusion of this clause is the responsibility ofthe producer.

d)

Any non-compliance raised during the assessment of the subcontracted labor activities
shall be recorded as non-compliance of the producer. These non-compliances are subject
to corrective actions following the GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations. The producer shallprovide evidence to the auditor that the non-compliance was corrected. If corrections were
not implemented by the subcontractor, the producer shall have evidence that a warning
has been issued and/or termination of the commercial relationship after lack of responseby the subcontractor has occurred.

e)

The CB shall raise an additional non-compliance in the criteria related to the selfassessment/internal QMS audit if the internal QMS audit or self-assessment recorded thesubcontractor’s non-compliance and no correction was sought. Seeking correction isdefined as a written request for correction. The producer is also considered non-compliant
if the requested corrections were not followed up on until receiving proof of correction.

f)

If the labor subcontractor holds a valid, official, and current proof of social
auditing/compliance for the same scope under GLOBALG.A.P. certification (including
GRASP P&Cs and IFA P&Cs on workers’ health, safety, and welfare), the assessor may
consider the labor subcontractor’s compliance to be verified. The proof shall be the same
service they provide to the producer. The subcontractor’s proof of auditing/compliance canbe provided at group level with verification, at each producer group member included in
the external assessment, or as part of the commercial contract signed by the producergroup.

g)

In all cases of subcontracted labor assessments, the assessor shall include the remarks
in each P&C (yes/no) of the checklist.

6.2.2
220929_GRASP_general_rules_v2_0_Sep22_en

Assessment procedure for labor subcontractors

Duty of communication to subcontractors or other visitors in the farm.

a)

Visitors and subcontractors other than labor subcontractors are not under the scope of
GRASP and they shall not be assessed.

b)

The producer is responsible for communicating to visitors and visiting subcontractors thatenter the premises of the producer registered for GRASP that there is no tolerance of noncompliances related to the producer’s human rights policy.

c)

The producer shall present evidence to the CB of both of the following points:i.

The producer has communicated to any visitor and subcontractors visiting about the
producer’s zero-tolerance policy regarding violations of human rights and local laws.

ii.

If violations were detected at the farm, the producer has requested an immediate
end of the activity on the premises of the producer.

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d)

6.2.3

Lack of evidence of communication or of the request to immediately stop the activity shallbe raised in the GRASP checklist as non-compliance with the duty to communicate thehuman rights policy to subcontractors.
Assessment under Option 1 individual producer without QMS

a)

The results/corrections of the self-assessments are verified during the external
assessment. Internally, each production site shall be assessed.

b)

The CB shall follow the GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations for audit processes for initialand subsequent assessments. In order to facilitate worker interviews, the timing of theassessment shall take into account the availability of workers on the day of theassessment and the presence/accessibility of the worker representation on the day of theassessment. Only if workers are not present at all, shall the assessment be rescheduled.
Initial and subsequent years
Producer
self-assessment

1. Entire scope (all registered products, production sites, andPHUs as registered for IFA or equivalent standard) annually
1. Initial: entire scope (all registered products, production sites, andPHUs as registered for IFA or equivalent standard) – announced

220929_GRASP_general_rules_v2_0_Sep22_en

CB Audit

2. Subsequent: entire scope (all registered products, production
sites, and PHUs as registered for IFA or equivalent standard)
annually – announced, but 10% chance of being unannouncedc)Externally, the CB shall assess the GRASP checklist from a sample (square root of thetotal number) of the production sites and the central PHU following the sample rules of the
GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations. The final GRASP report combines the results and theassessment notes for all visited production sites and the PHU, indicating any differing
condition between the sites.

d)Producer group members/production sites without workers included in the sample will be
externally assessed to verify the lack of hired labor during the year/production cycle before
the assessment and full compliance with P&Cs on workers’ health, safety, and welfare.
The CB shall conduct among other, interviews with the management, cross-checkinformation on training for workers’ health and safety, personal protective equipment, andother well-being aspects of the primary production certification checklist, consider theconditions of the farm, check official self-declarations of the producer, review production,and cross-check with harvest yield data of the IFA audit.

6.2.4

Assessment under Option 1 multisite with QMS and Option 2 group certification(producer group members, PHUs, and producer group’s own production site)a)

The results of the internal QMS audit shall be kept and summarized in the GRASP internal
checklist for producer groups and Option 1 multisites with QMS.

b)

The annual external assessment carried out by a GRASP approved CB uses the IFA QMS
checklist to determine how the QMS functions with respect to the GRASP P&Cs. It
evaluates and checks the applicability of the QMS procedures and systems to the scopeof GRASP (e.g., all producer group members/production sites have been internallyassessed).

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220929_GRASP_general_rules_v2_0_Sep22_enc)When the auditor assesses the level of the implementation of the GRASP QMS using the
IFA QMS checklist, they shall copy the overall result into the QMS P&C in the GRASP
P&Cs based on the internal audit results and the CB QMS audit. They shall also include
the comments in the GRASP P&Cs. In addition, the assessor shall review whether theinternal QMS audit was conducted and what its results were.

d)

All producer group members, production sites, and units with IFA certification shall be
registered for GRASP and considered for the sampling in the GRASP assessment. Whensampling producer group members, production sites, and PHUs, the CB assessment will
follow the GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations. The sample shall always be the same as
the one selected for the IFA audit.

e)

The CB does not assess all producers of a producer group for GRASP but samples thesquare root of the number of producers and follows the sample rules of the GLOBALG.A.P.
general regulations, complemented by the rules of this document. It is not the responsibilityof the CB to determine each producer’s compliance (this responsibility rests with theapplicant). The CB shall assess whether the applicant’s internal controls are appropriate,
and this is done during the CB QMS audit.

f)

In initial, surveillance, and subsequent assessments, the CB shall follow the
GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations regarding audit processes (see table 2 for asummary). In order to facilitate worker interviews, the timing of the assessment (and the
distribution between surveillance and recertification visits) shall take into account theavailability of the workers and the presence/accessibility of worker representation at the
producer group members’ production site on the day of the assessment. If the resulting
sample contains producer group members at whose production site neither labor nor
worker representation is present, the following applies:•

The auditor shall verify the reasons for the absence of the workers and the worker
representation.

•

In the report indicating that those producer group members were not assessed
according to GRASP, the auditor shall include the notes on their verification of thereasons for the workers’ absence. Considering the best interest of the assessment
continuation and integrity, the CB may use the visit to conduct document review (iflow-risk country sampling rules apply).

•

The auditor shall verify whether P&Cs on workers’ health, safety, and welfare were
fully complied with, whether workers were present during the audit, and how thesituation (of labor present) is different for the GRASP assessment. Notes andexplanations on this verification shall be included in the report.

•

In the next closest assessment or surveillance/subsequent assessment, the CB shall
include the producer group members with labor not present, requiring them to haveworkers present.

Table 2

Overview of audits in IFA v6 Smart
Initial audit

Subsequent audit

Internally by the producer group/multisite producer with QMS
Internal QMS
audit

Complete QMS

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Complete QMS

Internal farmaudit

Initial audit

Subsequent audit

Entire scope (all registeredproducer groupmembers/production sites and
PHUs as registered for IFA or
equivalent standard)

Entire scope (all registeredproducer groupmembers/production sites and
PHUs as registered for IFA or
equivalent standard)

Externally by the CB
CB QMS audit Certification audit
Complete QMS + square root of
the total number of registeredcentral PHUs while in operation;
before CB farm audits. (Foraquaculture all the PHUs)

Recertification audit
Complete QMS + square root of
the total number of registeredcentral PHUs while in operation;
annually, before CB farm audits.
(For aquaculture all the PHUs)

Unannounced CB QMS audit

Recertification audit

CB farm
auditsCertification audit

Recertification audit(Minimum) square root of the total
number of registered producergroup members/production sitesa) If non-conformances detected

Minimum of 10% of all producergroups/multisite producers withQMS

orduring previous CB
surveillance audit: (minimum)
square root of actual number ofregistered producer groupmembers/production sites

220929_GRASP_general_rules_v2_0_Sep22_enb) If no non-conformances

detected during previous CB
surveillance audit: (minimum)
square root of actual number ofregistered producer groupmembers/production sites
minus the number of producergroup members/production
sites audited during theprevious CB surveillance audit

CB surveillance audit duringcertificate validity

CB surveillance audit duringcertificate validity(Minimum) 50% of the square rootof the actual number of certified
producer groupmembers/production sites(Minimum) 50% of the square rootof the actual number of certified
producer groupmembers/production sites

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g)

It is not possible to assess only the producer group’s own production site. The producergroup’s own production site shall be counted as an additional producer group member inthe sample of the Option 2 producer group member assessment.
Example: The number of producer group members with GRASP is 100, but the product that is supplied by
the producer group members is cultivated by the group itself on its own field(s) as well. Thus, the numberof producers that the CB assesses is the square root of 101, which is 11 and shall include the own field
production.

h)

If they form part of a producer group, producers/production sites without workers andfamily farms without hired workers must also be included in the internal GRASP QMS auditof the group to ensure that GRASP QMS procedures are implemented.

i)If, during the certification cycle, workers are hired by producers/production sites (including
family-run businesses) that form part of a producer/producer group and normally do nothire workers, GRASP shall likewise be implemented and a new internal GRASP QMS
audit and farm audit (including all the GRASP P&Cs) shall be performed. This GRASPQMS audit shall include verification of full compliance with P&Cs on workers’ health,safety, and welfare. This shall be done during the time that workers are present.

j)If, during a certification cycle, workers are hired by producers/production sites (including
family farms) that form part of a producer/producer group and normally do not hire workers,
the QMS manager shall point those producer group members/production sites out to the
CB. Those producer group members/production sites shall then be included in the next
closest external GRASP assessment.

k)•

If this is not feasible or workers will not be present, then the GRASP assessment
shall be conducted on that production site after the notification provided by the QMS
manager of the producer group.

•

If the specific GRASP assessment results in non-compliances that are not corrected,
the CB shall immediately communicate this matter to the GLOBALG.A.P. Secretariat
to modify the proof of assessment of the group.

Producer group members/Production sites without workers shall form part of the external
sample during GRASP assessments with QMS. The composition of the sample shallreflect the percentage of family farms and producer group members without workers in the
producer group. A physical external assessment by the CB is required.
Example: A producer group has 100 members that register for GRASP. Of these members, 20 have noworkers. The CB takes the square root sample of 10 producers; two producers must be without workers.

220929_GRASP_general_rules_v2_0_Sep22_enl)Workerless producer group members/production sites included in the sample will be
externally assessed to verify both the lack of hired labor during the year/production cycle
before the assessment and their full compliance with P&Cs on workers’ health and safety.
Among other steps, the CB shall conduct interviews with the management; cross-checkinformation on workers’ health and safety training, personal protective equipment, andother well-being aspects of the primary production certification checklist; consider theconditions of the farm; check official self-employment declarations of the producer; andreview production and cross-check documentation with harvest yield data of IFA audits.

m) Family farms included in the sample shall be assessed on the above circumstances (lackof hired labor) and selected P&Cs from the GRASP checklist. The respective P&C shallbe given a compliance level and comments (any yes/no) and cannot be marked “notapplicable”.
n)

If a producer/producer group requests to add new producer group members/production
sites (without workers), during the 12 months of the assessment validity, the
GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations on registration of additional producer groupmembers/production sites to the certificate shall apply, along with the following rules:

Code ref.: GRASP v2.0_Sep22; English version
GRASP – General rules
Page 12 of 20

o)•Before being added, the new producer group members/production sites shalldemonstrate full compliance with P&Cs on workers’ health, safety, and welfare.

•

The producer group shall conduct an internal GRASP audit of every new producergroup member.

•

The CB shall ask for these new producer group members’ internal assessments
before adding the producer group members to the GRASP letter of conformance.

If a producer/producer group requests to add new producer group members/production
sites (family-run businesses or producer group members/production sites with workers)
during the 12 months of the assessment validity, the GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations
on registration of additional producer group members/production sites to the certificate
shall apply, along with the following rules:
If the new producer group members/production sites added increase the total number ofapproved producer group members/production sites by up to 10% of the producer groupmembers/production sites who are already GRASP assessed, the following applies:p)•

The producer group shall internally verify evidence of full compliance with IFA P&Cs
on workers’ health, safety, and welfare.

•

The producer group shall conduct an internal GRASP audit of these new producergroup members before approving them.

•

The CB shall request the internal GRASP assessment of these members and theinternal QMS P&Cs, including evidence of full compliance with IFA P&Cs on
workers’ health, safety, and welfare.

If the new producer group members/production sites added increase the total number ofapproved producer group members/production sites by more than 10%, or if the
production area increases by more than 10% due to the new members/site, the following
applies.

220929_GRASP_general_rules_v2_0_Sep22_en

The CB shall require evidence of the new members’ full compliance with the IFA P&Cs on
workers’ health, safety, and welfare and follow the GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations forthis situation.
q)

If the external assessment of the sample of producer group members/production sites or
PHUs reveals major differences between the results of the internal and external
assessments, this difference must be mentioned in the “Remarks/Comments” field of the
GRASP checklist for each relevant P&C. The same applies to the internal QMS
assessment and any corrective action taken before the external assessment. Major
differences could indicate that there is a serious fault in the internal assessment results,
and the assessor shall proceed as indicated in the GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations.

r)

Any non-compliances, no matter where they are found (field, PHU, or subcontractor), shallbe recorded in the “Remarks” field of the GRASP checklist with reference to the production
site, PHU, or labor subcontractor and to the corrective actions, if applied.

s)

The final GRASP assessment report shall include all findings and the final results for theentire producer/producer group/multisite producer and shall be presented during theclosing meeting. The GRASP assessment report shall include the same information as
described in the GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations. Where available, the CB shall use
the assessment report template issued by the GLOBALG.A.P. IT systems.

Code ref.: GRASP v2.0_Sep22; English version
GRASP – General rules
Page 13 of 20

6.3

Assessment procedure for subcontracted PHUs or other outsource service

In addition to the latest GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations and the GLOBALG.A.P. general addon rules, the following GRASP-specific rules shall apply:
If one GLOBALG.A.P. approved CB has, in a production cycle, already performed a GRASP
assessment on a subcontracted PHU/other outsource service under the scope of GRASP,
another CB may accept the assessment result without reassessing the PHU/other outsourced
service.
The second CB may accept a non-GLOBALG.A.P. audit/certificate of social compliance for a
subcontracted PHU/other outsourced service if all of the following apply:1.

The subcontracted PHU/other outsourced service holds a valid proof of social
auditing/certificate of social compliance.

2.

The scope of the subcontracted PHU audit/certificate is the same scope as the
GLOBALG.A.P. certification and GRASP.

3.

The audit/certification includes the service of the subcontracted PHU/outsource activity
provided to the producer who applied for GRASP.

7

GRASP ASSESSORS’ QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

In addition to the latest GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations and the GLOBALG.A.P. general addon rules, the following GRASP-specific rules shall apply:
7.1

Formal qualifications

For any GRASP external assessments, the GLOBALG.A.P. IFA auditor qualification is requiredalong with all the requirements below.
Qualification requirements for auditors performing self-assessments and internal audits follow the
GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations on auditor qualifications and those included in this document.

220929_GRASP_general_rules_v2_0_Sep22_en

7.2

Technical skills, training, and qualificationsa)

All assessors who are set to assess GRASP shall pass the GRASP test (when available)in the GLOBALG.A.P. IT systems.

b)

The IHT shall provide the required CB IHT training to all GRASP assessors.

c)

The IHT training shall include as social training topics: The GRASP P&Cs, the ILO
conventions ratified in the country/countries in which the assessor will perform
assessments (including development, issues, and legislative changes relevant to GRASP
compliance in the country/countries in which the assessment shall be carried out), humanrights concepts, and issues of forced labor and child labor in the countries in which the CB
will perform GRASP assessments. Where a GRASP NIG is available, the relevant criteria
and supporting regulations can follow what is outlined in the NIGs of the countries in which
the CB performs GRASP assessments. (All shall be documented with agenda, list ofparticipants, and certificates.) It is responsibility of the IHT to include in the training any
information that may be missing in the NIG.

d)

The IHT training shall include interview and document review techniques applicable to thelabor and social scope. These techniques shall reflect the customs and culture of thecountries in which the CB will perform GRASP assessments.

Code ref.: GRASP v2.0_Sep22; English version
GRASP – General rules
Page 14 of 20

e)

The training shall amount to (at least) a total of 12 effective hours (not less than 8 hours
for social topics and 4 hours for interviews and document review). These hours can bereached by totaling several different trainings on the topics. Duration and content shall be
indicated in the evidence provided for this requirement (course certificate(s), evidence of
training(s) included in formal qualifications, etc.). This evidence shall be renewed every 3
years indicating any new courses and topics covered.

f)

If the assessor’s personal qualification includes a formal qualification (academic degree)or the successful completion of a formal course (certified training by a third party, as per
GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations), the IHT shall cover the missing topics and/or focus
on the relevant changes and developments since the time when the assessor took thecourse or obtained the academic degree.

g)

All assessors shall have previous experience in assessments/audits in the country of
application of GRASP, including similar criteria to the scope of GRASP and similar P&C
on workers’ health and safety and welfare as in IFA. This shall include at least: A minimumof two audits conducted, as auditor, in the country of application of GRASP (scheme or
norm audited shall include similar criteria to the scope of GRASP and similar P&Cs on
workers’ well-being as in IFA).

h)

The assessor shall have “working language” skills in the corresponding native/working
language that is used for trainings and work instructions to the workers in the country
where the assessment will be conducted. This shall include locally used specialist
terminology in the respective working language. The use of an interpreter may beapproved to support the assessor’s interviews with workers, but the interpreter shall be
used for the interviews only, and the GLOBALG.A.P. Secretariat shall be notified of theiruse. The interpreter’s qualification and requirements will follow the GLOBALG.A.P.
general regulations.

i)

Assessment skills of the GRASP assessor shall also be verified through the following:a.

Witnessing one Option 1 individual producer or Option 2 producer group member
and Option 2 GRASP QMS audit conducted by an authorized GRASP assessor(evidence shall be documented by the authorized GRASP assessor.)b.

Conducting the following assessment/audit witnessed by the IHT:

220929_GRASP_general_rules_v2_0_Sep22_en

The GRASP assessor shall assess at least one Option 1 individual producer or
Option 2 producer group member and one Option 2 GRASP QMS audit and shall be
witnessed during this assessment by the IHT. The witness assessment can also be
conducted by an already approved GRASP assessor of the same CB appointed by
the IHT. The IHT will be responsible and accountable for this decision.
Both verifications (witnessing a GRASP assessment and conducting a witnessed
assessment) can occur in a country different from the country where the assessment
will be applied.
j)k)

A CB approved for GRASP may use a GLOBALG.A.P. auditor with some but not all of theskills required for GRASP if that auditor accompanies assessors who are not qualified for
GLOBALG.A.P. primary production but are certified social auditors. The CB shall provide
evidence on the social qualifications of the auditor(s) and of the points c), d), e), f), g), andh) above (accordingly even when not provided by the CB IHT). The CB is responsible forsupporting the social auditor regarding the GRASP general rules on assessment
procedure and the applicable GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations.
These qualifications shall be verified by the CB prior to submitting any assessor approval
to GLOBALG.A.P. CBs shall provide GLOBALG.A.P. with a written statement confirming
this signed by the IHT.

Code ref.: GRASP v2.0_Sep22; English version
GRASP – General rules
Page 15 of 20

7.3

Maintenance of competency

The CB shall have a procedure in place to maintain the knowledge and competency of the GRASP
assessor.
a)Training by the IHT shall be provided whenever there are changes in legislation.
Equivalent external training may also be provided instead.

b)

GRASP assessors shall complete all new GRASP IHT trainings (whenever new trainings
become available).

c)

The CB shall carry out a GRASP witness assessment or reassessment for each of its
GRASP assessors at least once every 4 years to verify competence.

d)

The CB shall ensure that every GRASP assessor conducts at least two assessments
annually, at a number of different producers to maintain competence.

e)

Systems shall be in place within the CB structure to have the GRASP assessors informed
and aware of developments (e.g., NIGs), issues, and legislative changes relevant to
GRASP in the country where they apply GRASP. Lack of knowledge of labor laws andregulations, or missing, contradictory, or unexplained/unaddressed labor information in
the NIG, will not excuse non-compliance within the Certification Integrity Program(CIPRO).

7.4

IHT qualifications

Before assessing GRASP, CBs must have a GRASP IHT responsible for training, qualification,and maintenance of competency of all GRASP assessors. This IHT shall comply with all therequirements indicated in the GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations and all of the following:
The selected GRASP IHT shall
1.

Fulfill the GRASP assessor requirements indicated in this document and the
GLOBALG.A.P. auditor requirements

2.

Take the GRASP IHT training and pass the GRASP IHT test

3.

Take any GRASP IHT updates training when available

220929_GRASP_general_rules_v2_0_Sep22_en

7.4.1

Main activities of the IHT

a)Setting up a system to demonstrate that key staff is informed and aware of developments,
issues, and legislative changes relevant to compliance with the GRASP general rules (thisdocument)b)

Ensuring qualification updates of the GRASP assessors as soon as online training
updates, legislative changes, and/or updates to the normative documents or GRASP NIGs
are availablec)

Witnessing at least one GRASP Option 1 individual producer or Option 2 producer groupmember and one Option 2 GRASP QMS audit by a GRASP assessor before that assessor
can be signed-off

d)Checking and assuming responsibility for any information submitted by the auditors to the
GLOBALG.A.P. Secretariate)Informing GLOBALG.A.P. within 24 hours of changes that affect the competency of any
approved GRASP assessor

Code ref.: GRASP v2.0_Sep22; English version
GRASP – General rules
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7.5

Formal qualifications for internal QMS and farm auditors in GRASP

Both must provide evidence of compliance with the qualification requirements in the
GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations, along with the following:a)Knowledge of the GRASP general rules on evidence, country risk, and interviewsb)Knowledge about and/or access to legal labor regulations, human rights issues, and ILO
labor conventionsc)Knowledge of the GRASP NIG (as soon as available) of the respective countryd)Working language skills in the corresponding native/working language where theassessments will take place

8

GRASP COMPLIANCE SYSTEM

In addition to the latest GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations, the following GRASP-specific rules
shall apply:
8.1

GRASP assessment results

The GRASP compliance level conformance is based on a scoring system result. The GRASP
checklist consists of two levels of P&Cs: Major Musts and Minor Musts.
8.1.1

Compliance level requirements•

Major Musts: 100% compliance with all applicable Major Must criteria is compulsory inall the assessments.

•

Minor Musts: 70% compliance with all Minor Must criteria is compulsory in the initialassessment of this GRASP version.

•

Minor Musts: 75% compliance with all Minor Must criteria is compulsory in all thesurveillance and/or subsequent assessments of this GRASP version.

Compliance rules only for family farms without workers:••

220929_GRASP_general_rules_v2_0_Sep22_en•

Major Musts: 100% compliance with all applicable Major Must criteria is compulsory inall the assessments.
Minor Musts: any non-compliance of Minor Must criteria is accepted in the initialassessment of this GRASP version.
Minor Musts: 100% compliance with all Minor Must criteria is compulsory in all following
subsequent and/or surveillance assessments of this GRASP version.

The producer shall comply with the GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations in their current version inreference to compliance level requirements.
8.1.2

Minor Must calculations

For initial assessment
The minimum required Minor Must compliance in the initial assessment is calculated using thefollowing formula:{(Total number
of
Minor Must
criteria:) 25}

Code ref.: GRASP v2.0_Sep22; English version
GRASP – General rules
Page 17 of 20

× 70%(Minimum total
Minor Must criteria= compliance required)That is, 25 Minor Must criteria × 0.7 = 25 × 0.7 =17.5, which is rounded up to 18 Minor Must
criteria to comply with, at minimum.
The maximum number of Minor Must criteria non-compliances allowed is 7 (25 total – 18).
Therefore, a producer must have at least 18 Minor Must criteria that are compliant and may haveno more than 7 that are non-compliant.
If a producer has 17 compliant Minor Must criteria, this gives a compliance level of 68%, which
would not conform to the minimum compliance level of GRASP.
Note: A score of 69.8%, for example, cannot be rounded up to 70% (the passing percentage).
For surveillance and subsequent assessment
The minimum required Minor Must compliance in subsequent assessments is calculated using
the following formula:{(Total number
of
Minor Must
criteria:) 25

}

×

75%

=

(Total Minor Must
criteria compliancerequired)That is, 25 Minor Must criteria × 0.75 = 25 × 0.75 =18.75, which is rounded up to 19 Minor Must
criteria to comply with, at minimum.
8.2

Letter of conformance decision

The decision to provide the letter of conformance shall be made by an already qualified GRASP
assessor different from the person who conducted the GRASP assessment and following the
GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations and the rules in this document.
Confidentiality, data use, and data release
The detailed results of the GRASP assessment are visible solely to users of the GLOBALG.A.P.
IT systems according to the terms and conditions in the data access rules.

220929_GRASP_general_rules_v2_0_Sep22_en

The letter of conformance and results of the GRASP assessment are displayed in the
GLOBALG.A.P. IT systems if and only if:a)

The required levels of compliances are documented in the scoring system.

b)

A valid GLOBALG.A.P. primary production or equivalent benchmarked scheme/AMC
certificate is at hand and there is evidence that P&Cs on workers’ well-being were verified
and fully compliant.

If the required levels are not reached due to non-compliances, and the non-compliances are notcorrected as per the GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations, the GRASP checklist with all noncompliances, outstanding corrective actions, and respective remarks shall be uploaded to the
GLOBALG.A.P. IT systems. This is then the final assessment report, and the CB decisioncommittee will issue a suspension and/or other sanctions following the GLOBALG.A.P. generalregulations for producer non-conformances. This information will be available solely to users of
the GLOBALG.A.P. IT systems according to the terms and conditions in the data access rules.
The overall result will reflect an open non-conformance or suspension.
For Option 1 without QMS that requires a declaration that GRASP is not applicable, there will bea final assessment report indicating the verification of the assessor of the workerless situation
during the year prior to the assessment.

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GRASP – General rules
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8.3

Unannounced primary production recertification audit combined with GRASP
assessment

The GRASP add-on program does not require that producers receive unannounced surveillance
audits. However, GRASP shall be assessed during a producer/producer group unannounced
primary production audit when required to follow the GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations for audit
processes for initial, surveillance, and subsequent assessments. In this case, theproducer/producer group may be notified of the GRASP assessment as soon as the CB auditor
is able to begin the primary production unannounced audit.
8.4

Non-compliance and non-conformance in GRASPThe CB shall apply the latest GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations related to producers, producergroups, or multisite producers with QMS and shall also apply any specific indication included inthis document, with respect to:a)

The handling of non-conformances detected during the CB auditb)

The application of sanctions (warning, suspension, or cancelation)

A suspension or cancelation will result in the total prohibition (all products, all sites) of the use of
the GRASP letter of conformance and any device or document that may be linked to the GRASP
add-on.
A producer who has received a cancelation shall not be accepted for a new GRASP assessment
for the period indicated in the GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations.
Non-compliances and non-conformances of producers without letter of conformance will berecorded in the GLOBALG.A.P. IT systems and accessible based on the data access rules of
GLOBALG.A.P.
8.5

Letter of conformance and assessment cycle

220929_GRASP_general_rules_v2_0_Sep22_en

In addition to the latest GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations about certification process and the
GLOBALG.A.P. general add-on rules, the following GRASP-specific rules shall apply:a)

The GRASP letter of conformance shall be issued if and only if a valid GLOBALG.A.P.
primary production or equivalent benchmarked scheme/AMC certificate is at hand andthere is evidence that P&Cs on workers’ well-being were verified and fully compliant.

b)

The GRASP letter of conformance shall be issued if and only if the required Major Must
and Minor Must levels have been achieved and are documented in the GLOBALG.A.P. IT
systems.

c)

The GRASP letter of conformance shall be issued to the same legal entity (i.e., producergroup/multisite producer) holding the valid GLOBALG.A.P. primary production orequivalent benchmarked scheme/AMC certificate.

d)

The assessment approval cycle is 12 months, subject to any sanctions and extensions inaccordance with the scope described.

8.6

Letter of conformance information

The letter of conformance will be issued by the GLOBALG.A.P. IT system, following the latest
GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations and the GLOBALG.A.P. general add-on rules.
8.7

Integrity program

For the GRASP integrity program, the same rules apply as set for the integrity program in thecurrently valid GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations.

Code ref.: GRASP v2.0_Sep22; English version
GRASP – General rules
Page 19 of 20

9DECISION-MAKING/GOVERNANCE

Any decision on GRASP is under the final responsibility of the GLOBALG.A.P. Advisory Board.
An elected GRASP Technical Committee is responsible for all technical issues concerning the
GRASP P&Cs, the NIGs, and all other GRASP normative and supporting documents.

10 ABBREVIATIONS AND DEFINITIONS OF TERMS
10.1 Abbreviations
The following acronyms apply to this and all other GRASP-related documents:
AMC

Approved modified checklist

CB

Certification body

FAQs

Frequently asked questions

GRASP

GLOBLG.A.P. Risk Assessment on Social Practice

IHT

In-house trainer

ILO

International Labour Organization

NIG

National interpretation guideline

P&C(s)

Principle(s) and criteria

PHU

Product handling unit

QMS

Quality management system

TC

Technical committee

10.2 Definitions/Glossary
Please refer to the GRASP glossary for a list of all definitions related to the GRASP add-on.

220929_GRASP_general_rules_v2_0_Sep22_en

You can find the GRASP normative and supporting documents on the GLOBALG.A.P. website.

Copyright© Copyright: GLOBALG.A.P. c/o FoodPLUS GmbH, Spichernstr. 55, 50672 Cologne, Germany.
Copying and distribution permitted only in unaltered form.
Code ref.: GRASP v2.0_Sep22; English version
GRASP – General rules
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