GLOBALG.A.P. – what is it and who does it apply to? An introduction to the standard

If you run a farm, supply products to retail chains or operate anywhere in the food production chain – you have probably already come across the name GLOBALG.A.P. Perhaps it came up in a conversation with a customer, or perhaps it appeared in a request for quotation. In this article, we explain what this standard actually is and why it has become the language of the food industry worldwide.

Where does GLOBALG.A.P. come from and what does the name mean?

The standard was established in 1997 as an initiative by European retail chains seeking to standardise the requirements for their food suppliers. It was originally known as EUREPGAP – derived from the name of the organisation EUREP (Euro-Retailer Produce Working Group). Over time, the standard gained a global reach and changed its name to GLOBALG.A.P., which it retains to this day.

The acronym G.A.P. stands for Good Agricultural Practice. This is no coincidence – from the outset, the standard was conceived as a set of specific, practical guidelines for producers, rather than a list of abstract requirements. Its aim is to ensure that the food reaching consumers is produced in conditions that are safe for people, animals and the environment.

What does the standard cover, and which modules does it comprise?

GLOBALG.A.P. is not a single document, but a family of standards, each of which addresses a different area of production. The most important and widely used module is IFA – Integrated Farm Assurance. It covers crop production, livestock farming and aquaculture, and it is this module that is most frequently required by retail chains.

Alongside IFA, there is the GRASP (Risk Assessment on Social Practice) module, which assesses working conditions and worker protection on farms – an aspect of increasing importance in the context of responsible business and ESG requirements. For companies further down the supply chain – wholesalers, distributors and restaurants – there is the CoC (Chain of Custody) standard, which ensures product traceability from field to shop shelf.

Who is this standard for?

GLOBALG.A.P. is aimed at a very wide range of organisations – from individual vegetable growers, through large livestock farms, to companies involved in food distribution and retail. Importantly, certification is voluntary – no legal provision makes it mandatory. In practice, however, the market operates differently: for many producers of fresh fruit and vegetables, certification has become a de facto prerequisite for working with large buyers.

The standard is recognised globally, which means it opens doors not only on the domestic market but also for exports – particularly to Western European countries, where the requirements for food suppliers are very high.