Specialty Crops Inspection Division

Audit Programs Update

Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee

May 9, 2017
Global Food Safety Initiative

Update 
Global Food Safety Initiative

Background

• AMS Specialty Crops Inspection Division (SCI) 

engaged with GFSI for past 5 years to gain 

of recognition of the USDA GAP&GHP Program

• Significant challenges for government-owned 

certification programs due incompatibility of 

requirements
Global Food Safety Initiative

Background

• June 2015 - GFSI formed task force to develop 

recommendation for recognizing government-based 

programs (e.g., China’s HACCP)

• Early 2016 - “Technical Equivalence for Government 

Certification Programs” was drafted

• GFSI Board of Directors incorporated technical 

equivalence into major revision of its Benchmarking 

Document version 7
Global Food Safety Initiative

Current Status

• March 2017 – GFSI 

released Technical 

Equivalence for 

Government Certification 

Programs at its annual 

conference in Houston, 

Texas
Global Food Safety Initiative

Technical Equivalence Process

• Requirements similar to those used by current 

certification program owners (CPO) such as 

GlobalGAP and SQF

• Major difference - technical equivalency only 

assesses a government program’s food safety 

standard

o Does not address operational management or 

governance of the certification program
Global Food Safety Initiative

Technical Equivalence Process

• Buyers may choose to recognize technical 

equivalence (or not) in their supplier requirements
Global Food Safety Initiative

Next Steps for AMS

• Gaps analysis to determine comparability of USDA 

Harmonized GAP Standard to the Key Elements in 

Part III of the GSFI Benchmarking Document

o Identify missing elements and develop plan to 

incorporate any into USDA Harmonized Standard

• Gain AMS approval to proceed with applying for 

technical equivalency
Global Food Safety Initiative

Applying for Technical Equivalency

• Submit formal application to GFSI

• GFSI posts application on its website for public comment

• AMS signs MOU with GFSI

• GFSI expert panel reviews application

o Opportunity for corrections based an analysis

• Panel recommends approval to GFSI Board of Directors
Financial Update 

USDA Good Agricultural Practices 

(GAP) Program 
Advisory Committee Recommendation

September 2015

“AMS should amend the fee structure for the USDA 

GAP&GHP/food safety audit programs to fully recover the 

costs associated with providing these services. AMS is 

incurring significant costs as it works to meet a 300 percent 

increase in requests for service in recent years, to align the 

USDA GAP&GHP Program with FSMA requirements, to 

meet GFSI requirements, and to prepare for accreditation to 

the ISO 17065 standard by the American National 

Standards Institute. AMS cannot sustain the USDA GAPs 

Program without a modification of the fee structure, which 

has not occurred since 2008.” 
Proposed Fee Structure

• Using the AMS Fee Formula (published in Federal 

Register in November 2014), the Agency is 

increasing the hourly rate for SCI audit services 

to $108 (a 17% increase) effective FY 2018

• To recover SCI expenses for post-audit activities, 

AMS plans to implement a 4-hour 

charge in addition to any pre-audit 

and onsite audit activities
Proposed Fee Structure

• The combination of the $108 hourly rate and the 

4- hour charge will allow SCI to fully recover the 

costs of delivering and overseeing the USDA GAP 

Program

• AMS, in conjunction with states, will distribute 

information about the change in the fee structure, 

highlighting the need and value of 

the USDA GAP Program, e.g., 

market access and alignment 

with FSMA requirements
Questions?

www.ams.usda.gov/gapghp

www.ams.usda.gov/groupgap

202-720-5021

SCI Audit Services Branch