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 an increasingly competitive global context, 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 more effectively access potential markets. Therefore, having consulting and training on production processes advice from experts is a necessity.

First of all, certification of production processes 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 improving productivity and product quality.

More importantly, certification of production processes opens up opportunities to access potential export markets. Many markets, especially developed countries, require strict quality and food 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.

Current popular certification standards

1. VietGAP

VietGAP (Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practices), “implementing good agricultural production in Vietnam“, is the national standard for 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, environmental protection and worker health in agricultural production
• Scope of application: VietGAP is applied to farms and agricultural production areas in Vietnam. This standard includes principles and requirements for 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 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 of good agricultural practices, developed and managed, a non-profit organization, established in 1997 with the original name EUREPGAP. This is one of the most popular agricultural standards in the world. The main characteristics 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 provides requirements for food safety management, traceability, health, safety and welfare of animals, and environmental protection.
• Certification: This certification is carried out by independent certification organizations, approved by GLOBALG.A.P. recognize.
• Benefits: Applying Global GAP helps improve reputation and access international markets, especially markets with strict food safety standards such as the EU, US, and Japan.

In short, Global GAP is a global standard for good agricultural practices, widely recognized around the world.

 

Difference between VietGAP and Global GAP

Although both VietGAP and Global GAP are good agricultural practice (GAP) standards, they have notable differences.

VietGAP is Vietnam’s national standard, 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, health and welfare of workers, as well as other issues related to food safety. related to the environment. The purpose of Global GAP is to meet safety and sustainability requirements in the global supply chain, so if businesses want to export agriculture abroad, having Global GAP certification is extremely necessary. set.

Thus, although they aim at the same goals of good agricultural practices, VietGAP and Global GAP still have differences in scope of application, management organization, as well as specific requirements and purposes.

Standard assessment and certification process

1. VietGAP

To have VietGAP certification, farms/agricultural, forestry and fishery 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 applied to agricultural production have a total of 83 criteria. Specifically, VietGAP standards include the following groups of criteria:

1. Management of input materials (17 criteria):
   • Requirements on origin, quality and safe use of fertilizers, pesticides and other materials.
   • Manage books and records for the purchase, sale and use of input materials.
   • Control the isolation time and appearance time of chemical residues in the product.
2. Production management (25 criteria):
   • Requirements on farming processes, seasons, plant varieties, irrigation techniques, and pest control.
   • Manage books to record daily, weekly and seasonal production activities.
   • Requirements for hygiene and food safety during harvesting, storage 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, hygiene management of production areas.
   • Apply environmentally friendly farming methods.
4. Occupational safety and health management (10 criteria):
   • Requirements for labor protection equipment and means for workers.
   • Training and equipping knowledge about labor safety and working environment hygiene.
   • Ensure working conditions, personal hygiene, and health for workers.
5. Traceability and harvest (15 criteria):
   • Requirements for management and storage of records and documents recording the origin of input materials and production process.
   • Attach stamps, labels, and product packaging for traceability.
   • Control quality and food safety at harvest and post-harvest stages

 

These criteria are built on the good agricultural practices (GAP) practices of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and integrate requirements for food safety, food preservation, and food safety. environmental protection and labor safety in Vietnam. This is a comprehensive set of standards, ensuring safe, sustainable and traceable agricultural production. Production facilities need to fully comply with these criteria to receive VietGAP certification.

2. Global GAP

To obtain Global GAP certification, an international standard for food safety, environment and health and labor safety in agricultural production, businesses need to carry out a challenging but also very difficult process. necessary. First of all, businesses need to clearly understand the more than 200 different criteria of this standard, related to farm management, food hygiene and safety, labor health and safety, as well as environmental management.

 

Specifically, the main groups of Global GAP standards include:

1. Farm Management (Farm Base): About 50-60 criteria
2. Food hygiene and safety (Food Safety): About 60-70 criteria
3. Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare: About 20-30 criteria
4. Environmental management and operations (Environment and Landscape Conservation): About 40-50 criteria

In addition, there are a number of other criteria applicable to areas such as livestock farming, farming, fruits, vegetables… In total, the entire GlobalGAP standard includes over 200 different criteria.

It is necessary to develop and apply a comprehensive quality management system, including appropriate processes, instructions and records. Equally important is training and raising awareness for all workers about the requirements of the standard. Enterprises need to self-assess their compliance levels and correct any failing points before conducting external assessment and certification. And need to maintain and continuously improve your quality management system to maintain this certification.

Although this process requires significant commitment, effort and investment, having GlobalGAP certification will help increase reputation and expand product consumption markets for businesses.

Role and consulting services in training 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 enterprises.

Regarding VietGAP standards, consultants can help businesses 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 businesses to build processes, documents and implement requirements effectively.

With Global GAP standards, consultants will help businesses understand 4 main groups of standards: (1) Farm management, (2) Food hygiene and safety, (3) Labor health and safety operations, and (4) Environmental and operations management. VietPRO will guide businesses to develop and deploy 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 them effectively and ensure the production of products that meet strict standards on food safety and traceability. origin and environmental protection. This will help businesses improve product quality, expand export markets and increase competitiveness.

Consulting on building production processes

Consulting and guidance on building 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: assessment of the current status and suggestions for improvement, as well as instructions for developing documents and processes.

 

 

1. Evaluate the current situation and recommend improvements

First, experts will conduct a comprehensive assessment of the enterprise’s current production status, considering the extent to which it meets the requirements of VietGAP or Global GAP standards. They will check activities related to input material management, production management, environmental management, labor health and safety… Through assessment, they can identify points strengths and weaknesses of the business compared to specific criteria.

Based on the assessment results, experts will propose appropriate improvement solutions. For example, they may recommend that businesses improve storage, record management, or upgrade infrastructure to meet food safety and hygiene requirements. These proposals will help businesses clearly identify issues that need to be prioritized to achieve the requirements of the standard.

2. Instructions for developing documents and processes

After evaluating and suggesting improvements, experts will guide businesses to develop necessary documents and processes. They will help businesses establish detailed regulations and processes on input materials management, production management, environmental management, record keeping… This ensures that businesses have all the necessary Necessary documents to deploy 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.

Support, consulting and training on production processes

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

1. Raise awareness of standards and benefits

Raising awareness about standards and the benefits of application is extremely necessary. Many manufacturers still do not clearly understand these standards, nor are they aware of the benefits that compliance with these standards brings. \Therefore, experts need to conduct training sessions and seminars to equip basic knowledge about VietGAP and Global GAP, and clearly explain 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 actively participating in the implementation process.

2. Instructions for 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 about the process, specific implementation steps, instructions on how to document, take notes, and more. This helps manufacturers clearly understand the regulations and requirements and can apply them themselves at their units. In addition, experts also need to support producers during the implementation process, answering questions and problems promptly.

3. Training in skills and professional knowledge

Finally, to ensure that producers have enough capacity to apply standards, experts need to conduct consulting and training on production processes, improving skills and professional knowledge. They will organize training courses on farming techniques, pest management, environmental management, product quality management… to help producers improve their knowledge and professional skills. . In particular, experts need to pay attention to training in recording and storing records, because this is one of the important requirements that producers often encounter difficulties with.

By providing such comprehensive training and support to producers, experts will help them have enough 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.