What are GAPs?
Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) in the United States were developed in the early 1990s originally by Cornell University Extension as a voluntary set of guidelines designed to improve food safety. GAPs is a system of developing plans, training, and documentation of best practices on the farm to minimize the risk of health problems from products leaving the farm. In the mid 1990s USDA in cooperation with State Departments of Agriculture began training and certifying producers and packers under GAPs and Good Handling Practices (GHPs). In 1998 FDA established a single set of federally recognized GAPs and GHPs by issuing a guidance document: “Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables”.
