Good Agricultural Practices

With increased consumption of fresh produce, the number of food borne illnesses associated with fresh produce has also increased. Young children, the elderly, and people with immuno-compromising conditions such as HIV, AIDS, and cancer run even greater risk of serious illness or death related to contaminated foods. Therefore, it is now more important than ever that everyone involved in handling food uses recommended sanitation practices. Regardless if one works in the field, a packinghouse, a warehouse, on the loading dock, at a grocery store, or in a restaurant, good practices that assure food safety start at home and continue into the workplace. Always remember that the food products you handle MUST be safe to consume.

The Good Practices involves the following:-

A. Good Agricultural Practices
B. Good Hygienic Practices
C. Good Manufacturing Practices
D. Good Animal Health Practices

A. GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES

World agriculture in the twenty-first century is faced with three main challenges: 1) to improve food security, rural livelihoods and income; 2) to satisfy the increasing and diversified demands for safe food and other products; and, 3) to conserve and protect natural resources. The international community through the World Food Summit Plan of Action and the Millennium Development Goals with specific targets to be met by 2015 has articulated these challenges. These challenges can be tackled in part through a Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) Approach - a means to concretely contribute to environmental, economic and social Sustainability of on-farm production resulting in safe and healthy food and non-food agricultural products
The term Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) can refer to any collection of specific methods, which when applied to agriculture, produce results that are in harmony with the values of the proponents of those practices. Good Agricultural Practices are a collection of principles to apply for on-farm production and post-production processes, resulting in safe and healthy food and non-food agricultural products, while taking into account economical, social and environmental sustainability.GAPs may be applied to a wide range of farming systems and at different scales. They are applied through sustainable agricultural methods, such as integrated pest management, integrated fertilizer management and conservation agriculture. They rely on four principles:-

• Economically and efficiently produce sufficient (food security), safe (food safety) and nutritious food (food quality);
• Sustain and enhance natural resources;
• Maintain viable farming enterprises and contribute to sustainable livelihoods;
• Meet cultural and social demands of society.
What are GAP codes, standards and regulations?
Good agricultural practices (GAP) codes, standards and regulations are guidelines which have been developed in recent years by the food industry, producers' organizations, governments and NGOs, aiming to codify agricultural practices at farm level for a range of commodities.