Production Process Certification: Consulting and training on production processes according to 2 types of certification standards: Vietgap, Global GAP

Introduce and better understand VietGAP and Global GAP standards

 

The importance of production process certification in agriculture

In the context of increasing global competition, production process certification plays a key role for businesses and farmers operating in the agricultural sector. This certification is not only a market requirement but also an important tool to help improve competitiveness and access potential markets more effectively. Therefore, having advice and training on production processes from experts is essential.

First of all, production process certification ensures transparency and traceability in agricultural production. With a reputable traceability system and ensuring public health safety, this not only creates trust for consumers but also helps manufacturers proactively control quality and ensure food safety. In addition, the application of international certification standards such as VietGAP and Global GAP also helps improve production processes and methods, thereby increasing productivity and product quality.

More importantly, certification of production processes opens up opportunities to access potential export markets. Many markets, especially developed countries, have strict requirements for food quality and safety certification. Therefore, achieving international certification standards such as VietGAP and Global GAP becomes an important “passport” for Vietnamese agricultural products to overcome technical barriers and access export markets.

The importance of production process certification in agriculture

1. VietGAP
VietGAP (Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practices), “implementing good agricultural production in Vietnam”, is a national standard on good agricultural practices, issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam since 2008. This standard has the following main characteristics:
  • Objective: VietGAP aims to ensure food safety, protect the environment and the health of workers in agricultural production
  • Scope of application: VietGAP is applied to farms and agricultural production areas in Vietnam. This standard includes principles and requirements on production process management, land management, irrigation water management, plant protection, harvesting and post-harvest handling.
  • Certification: VietGAP certification is carried out by independent certification organizations, after farms and production areas meet all the requirements of the standard.
  • Benefits: Applying this type of certification helps improve quality, food safety, environmental protection and worker health. At the same time, it expands opportunities to access export markets for Vietnamese agricultural products.

2. Global GAP

Global GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) is an international standard for good agricultural practices, developed and managed by a non-profit organization, founded in 1997 with the original name EUREPGAP. This is one of the most popular agricultural standards in the world. The main features of Global GAP are as follows:

  • Scope of application: Global GAP is applied to many types of agricultural products such as vegetables, meat, milk, seafood, coffee, tea, etc. globally.
  • Requirements: This standard sets out requirements for food safety management, traceability, animal health, safety and welfare, and environmental protection.
  • Certification: This certification is carried out by independent certification organizations, recognized by GLOBALG.A.P.
  • Benefits: Applying Global GAP helps to enhance reputation and access international markets, especially with strict markets on food safety such as EU, US, Japan.
In short, Global GAP is a global standard for good agricultural practices, widely recognized in the world.

 

Differences between VietGAP and Global GAP

Although both VietGAP and Global GAP are good agricultural practice (GAP) standards, they have notable differences.
VietGAP is a national standard of Vietnam, managed and certified by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, to ensure food safety, quality and environmental protection within Vietnam.
In contrast, Global GAP is an international standard managed by the Global GAP organization (formerly EUREPGAP), with more detailed requirements on food safety, worker health and welfare, as well as environmental issues. The purpose of Global GAP is to meet safety and sustainability requirements in the global supply chain, so if a business wants to export agriculture abroad, having Global GAP certification is essential.
Thus, although both aim at good agricultural practices, VietGAP and Global GAP still have differences in scope of application, management organization, as well as specific requirements and purposes.

Assessment and certification process of standards

1. VietGAP

To obtain VietGAP certification, agricultural, forestry and fishery farms/production facilities must meet the following conditions:

  • Comply with legal regulations on production, business and trade of goods.
  • Have a production management system to ensure product traceability.
  • Have facilities and equipment suitable for the production process.
  • Have human resources trained in good agricultural practices.

The main criteria of VietGAP, according to research, currently apply to agricultural production with a total of 83 criteria. Specifically, the VietGAP standard set includes the following groups of criteria:

  1. Management of input materials (17 criteria):
    • Requirements on the origin, quality and safe use of fertilizers, pesticides and other materials.
    • Manage books and records for the purchase and use of input materials.
    • Control the quarantine period, the time of appearance of chemical residues in the product.
  2. Production management (25 criteria):
    • Requirements on cultivation process, season, crop varieties, irrigation techniques, pest control.
    • Manage books to record daily, weekly, and seasonal production activities.Requirements on hygiene and food safety during harvesting, preservation, and transportation.
  3. Environmental management and protection (16 criteria):
    • Requirements for protecting water sources, land, and air from pollution.
    • Safe management of waste, wastewater treatment, and sanitation management of production areas.
    • Applying environmentally friendly farming methods.
  4. Occupational safety and health management (10 criteria):
    • Requirements for equipment and labor protection equipment for workers.
    • Training and equipping knowledge on occupational safety and environmental sanitation.
    • Ensuring working conditions, personal hygiene, and health for workers.
  5. Traceability and harvesting (15 criteria):
    • Requirements for management, storage of records, and documents recording the origin of input materials and the production process.
    • Attaching stamps, labels, and packaging of products for traceability.
    • Controlling quality and food safety at the harvesting and post-harvest stages

 

VietGAP standards
VietGAP standards

These criteria are based on the good agricultural practices (GAP) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and integrate Vietnam’s requirements for food safety, environmental protection and occupational safety. This is a comprehensive set of standards, ensuring safe, sustainable and traceable agricultural production. Production facilities must fully comply with these criteria to be granted VietGAP certification.

2. Global GAP

To obtain Global GAP certification, an international standard for food safety, environmental and occupational health and safety in agricultural production, businesses need to go through a challenging but necessary process. First, businesses need to understand the more than 200 different criteria of this standard, related to farm management, food hygiene and safety, occupational health and safety, as well as environmental management.

 

Global GAP Standard Certification
Global GAP Standard Certification

 

Specifically, the main groups of Global GAP standards include:
  1. Farm Base: About 50-60 criteria
  2. Food Safety: About 60-70 criteria
  3. Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare: About 20-30 criteria
  4. Environment and Landscape Conservation: About 40-50 criteria
In addition, there are a number of other criteria applied to areas such as livestock, cultivation, fruits, vegetables, etc. In total, the entire GlobalGAP standard includes over 200 different criteria.
It is necessary to build and apply a comprehensive quality management system, including appropriate processes, instructions and records. Equally important is the training and awareness raising for all workers about the requirements of the standard. Enterprises need to self-assess their compliance level and correct any shortcomings before proceeding with external assessment and certification. And they need to maintain and continuously improve their quality management system to maintain this certification.
Although this process requires significant commitment, effort and investment, having GlobalGAP certification will help increase the reputation and expand the product consumption market for the enterprise.

Role and consulting services for training in production processes according to VietGAP and Global GAP standards

The role of consulting and training on production processes according to VietGAP and Global GAP standards is very important for agricultural production enterprises.
For VietGAP standards, consultants can help enterprises understand and implement the requirements of 4 main groups of standards: (1) Input material management, (2) Production management, (3) Environmental management and protection, (4) Occupational safety and health management and (5) Traceability and harvesting. VietPRO will guide enterprises in building processes, records and implementing the requirements effectively.
With Global GAP standards, consultants will help enterprises understand 4 main groups of standards: (1) Farm management, (2) Food hygiene and safety, (3) Occupational health and safety, and (4) Environmental management and operations. VietPRO will guide businesses in developing and implementing processes, regulations and records to meet more than 200 different criteria of Global GAP.
Training and consulting from experts will help businesses understand the requirements, know how to implement effectively and ensure the production of products that meet strict standards on food safety, traceability and environmental protection. This will help businesses improve product quality, expand export markets and increase competitiveness.

Consulting on building production processes

    Consulting and guiding the building of production processes according to VietGAP and Global GAP standards is one of the important tasks of experts in this field. This process includes two main contents: assessing the current situation and proposing improvements, as well as guiding the building of documents and processes.

 

Consulting and training on production processes according to VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards
Consulting and training on production processes according to VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards

 

1. Assessing the current situation and recommending improvements
     First, experts will conduct a comprehensive assessment of the current production status of the enterprise, considering the level of compliance with the requirements of VietGAP or Global GAP standards. They will examine activities related to input material management, production management, environmental management, occupational health and safety, etc. Through the assessment, they can identify the strengths and weaknesses of the enterprise compared to specific criteria.
     Based on the assessment results, experts will propose appropriate improvement solutions. For example, they may recommend that the enterprise improve its record keeping and management, or upgrade its infrastructure to meet food hygiene and safety requirements. These recommendations will help the enterprise clearly identify the issues that need to be prioritized to meet the requirements of the standard.
2. Guidance on building documents and processes

    After assessing and recommending improvements, experts will guide businesses to develop necessary documents and processes. They will help businesses establish detailed regulations and processes on input material management, production management, environmental management, record keeping, etc. This ensures that businesses have all the necessary documents to implement and maintain production activities according to standards.

    Thanks to consulting and guidance on building this process, businesses will improve their ability to meet the requirements of VietGAP or Global GAP standards, thereby improving product quality, increasing competitiveness and expanding export opportunities.

Training and support

In addition to consulting and guiding the development of production processes, training and supporting producers is an indispensable step in the process of applying VietGAP or Global GAP standards.

1. Raising awareness of standards and benefits

Raising awareness of standards and the benefits of application is extremely necessary. Many producers still do not fully understand these standards, nor are they aware of the benefits of complying with these standards. Therefore, experts need to conduct training sessions and seminars to equip them with basic knowledge of VietGAP and Global GAP, clearly explaining the requirements and regulations of these standards.

At the same time, they also need to clarify the practical benefits that producers can receive such as: improving product quality, increasing export opportunities, improving working conditions, etc. This helps producers understand and support the application of standards, thereby proactively participating in the implementation process.

2. Guidance on implementing certification requirements

After raising awareness, experts will guide producers on how to implement the requirements of VietGAP or Global GAP standards. They will provide detailed information on the process, specific implementation steps, instructions on how to prepare records, take notes, etc. This helps producers understand the regulations and requirements and can implement them themselves at their units. In addition, experts also need to support producers during the implementation process, promptly answer questions and problems.

3. Training in skills and professional knowledge
Finally, to ensure that producers have the capacity to apply the standards, experts need to conduct training to improve their skills and professional knowledge. They will organize training courses on cultivation techniques, pest management, environmental management, product quality management, etc. to help producers improve their knowledge and professional skills. In particular, experts need to pay attention to training in record keeping and archiving, as this is one of the important requirements that producers often encounter difficulties with.
By providing comprehensive training and support to producers, experts will help them have the capacity, skills and awareness to successfully implement VietGAP or Global GAP standards. This not only improves product quality but also contributes to improving productivity and production efficiency, thereby bringing long-term benefits to both producers and businesses.

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