GLOBALG.A.P. IFA v6, SQF and PrimusGFS for African Fresh Produce

Which standards apply to fresh produce exports?

For a farm, a producer group or a packhouse exporting fresh produce, four standards come up in buyer discussions: GLOBALG.A.P. IFA v6, its social add-on GRASP, SQF and PrimusGFS. They do different jobs. IFA v6 certifies the farm. GRASP assesses its social practice without issuing a certificate. SQF and PrimusGFS cover the farm and, beyond it, the packhouse, the plant or the cold store.

Our page GFSI standards compared sets out all twelve GFSI-recognised programmes and how to choose between them. This page goes into the standards that matter first to fresh produce growers, exporters and the buyers who source from them.

Two other primary production programmes appear on the GFSI list: CanadaGAP, from Canada, for fresh fruit and vegetables, and Freshcare, from Australia. We mention them for completeness: they only matter to an African exporter if a buyer names them.

GLOBALG.A.P. IFA v6: Smart or GFS?

Whichever your buyer requires. GLOBALG.A.P. describes the two editions as equally valid: Smart suits the majority of producers, GFS is built for those who need GFSI-recognised certification. Buyer requirements usually decide the edition.

According to the GLOBALG.A.P. IFA fruit and vegetables page, IFA v6 was published in April 2022 in two editions. Smart replaced version 5.2 on 1 January 2024; GFS replaced version 5.4-1-GFS on 1 January 2025. The two editions differ mainly in their General Regulations, for example the rules on unannounced certification body audits.

If a buyer simply writes “GLOBALG.A.P.”, ask in writing: Smart or GFS, which add-ons, from which season. A grower who supplies several customers picks the edition that satisfies all of them: if one of them requires GFSI recognition, that means GFS.

What an IFA v6 audit looks at

GLOBALG.A.P. describes IFA v6 as a primary production standard, from pre-harvest activities to post-harvest handling. It applies from open field to hydroponics, and from uncovered crops to controlled-environment agriculture: tomato and berry greenhouses fall within it as much as citrus orchards.

The topics include traceability, food safety, worker welfare, biodiversity, energy, waste, inputs, water, integrated pest management and plant protection products. The certificate is issued at the “IFA for plants” scope level and lists product categories individually. Growers should check that every product sold as certified is on it; buyers should check the same thing.

Individual, multi-site or producer group?

GLOBALG.A.P. offers certification to individual producers, single-site or multi-site, and to producer groups, smallholders included. The option you choose changes how the project is organised more than its technical content.

• A cherry tomato grower in Chtouka-Aït Baha running several farms can bring them under one multi-site certification.
• A citrus cooperative near Taroudant whose members farm small plots can aim for group certification, with the cooperative running the system collectively.
• A mango or pineapple outgrower scheme in West Africa faces the same choice, with the added work of reaching many small farms.

The GLOBALG.A.P. General Regulations set out what each option requires. Read them with your certification body before writing a single procedure.

GGN label, Chain of Custody and SPRING

Three further elements sometimes appear in supplier manuals:

• The GGN label is a consumer-facing label that requires IFA certification at farm level. Each producer has a unique 13-digit GGN number.
• Chain of Custody (CoC) is a supply chain standard for the segregation and traceability of certified products. If you sell produce bought from certified growers under the GLOBALG.A.P. claim, ask your certification body whether it applies to you.
• SPRING is an add-on for responsible irrigation and groundwater use.

What does GRASP assess, and do you need it?

GRASP (Risk Assessment on Social Practice) assesses workers’ health, safety and welfare at farm level. It is generally voluntary, but a buyer may require it, and it is mandatory in two cases: IFA v6 aquaculture audits and producers in the GGN label.

According to the GLOBALG.A.P. GRASP page, version 2 was published in September 2022 and can be combined with IFA v6, Smart or GFS. GRASP is an add-on: it cannot be used on its own, only with a GLOBALG.A.P. standard or an approved equivalent. It is assessed every year, together with the IFA audit, by the same certification body. A successful assessment results in a letter of conformance valid for one year, not a certificate. Reports are not published; conformance status is visible on the GLOBALG.A.P. IT platform.

Requirements are graded “Major Must” and “Minor Must”: all of the former must be met, plus a minimum share of the latter, which rises from the second year. Non-conformities need corrective actions, verified by the certification body before the letter is issued.

Minimum wage, minimum working age and working hours depend on national law, and GLOBALG.A.P. publishes national interpretation guidelines where they exist. According to GLOBALG.A.P. Technical News 03/2024 (section 4.1.2), certification bodies must apply the GRASP v2 national interpretation guideline in Morocco. Either way, the reference is local law: in Morocco, the Labour Code and the texts on agricultural minimum wage and working time in force.

On a southern Moroccan farm, the delicate point is often the seasonal workforce: large crews hired for the harvest, sometimes through a labour provider. In that case, agree with the certification body how those crews enter the assessment, and bring the provider into your controls.

SQF Edition 9 or Edition 10?

Edition 9, for now. According to the SQFI Edition 10 FAQ, it remains the only GFSI-recognised SQF programme until Edition 10 is recognised. Edition 10 was published in March 2026; audits are expected from January 2027, subject to GFSI benchmarking.

SQF is owned by SQFI, based in Arlington, Virginia. Its Food Safety Program is organised into sector codes, ten of them in Edition 10. The SQFI library includes Primary Plant Production, Primary Animal Production, Aquaculture, Food Manufacturing and Storage and Distribution codes, and SQFI offers a code selector to find the right one. A vegetable farm and the freezing plant that processes its produce do not fall under the same code.

What Edition 10 changes, according to SQFI:

• a new requirement in every Edition 10 food safety code: a food safety culture assessment plan;
• new requirement numbering; SQFI does not require your policies to follow it, but policies built on the old numbering may need revising;
• no change to the unannounced audit requirement, and no disruption to the three-year cycle.

The “Fundamentals” codes, for primary production and manufacturing, are entry steps. The GFSI page does not list them among recognised programmes: only offer them to a buyer who accepts them in writing.

When do you need PrimusGFS?

When a buyer names it. PrimusGFS is a GFSI-recognised programme built for fresh produce, from farm to processing. GFSI lists it for scopes BI (crops), BII (grains and pulses), BIII (pre-processing handling of plant products), CII to CIV (processing) and G (storage and distribution). Like SQF, it covers the plot, the packhouse, the plant and the cold store under one name.

As of 5 November 2026, the GFSI page of recognised programmes lists PrimusGFS v3.2, and PrimusGFS v4.0 appears among the programmes undergoing benchmarking against version 2024 of the GFSI requirements. The version your site will be audited against, and the application date of v4.0, should be confirmed in writing with the certification body and on the scheme owner’s website before the gap analysis starts.

Before starting a PrimusGFS project, ask the buyer whether an existing IFA v6 GFS certificate is enough for the farm, and whether it expects PrimusGFS for the farm only or for the packhouse and storage too.

Which standard for which link in the chain?

Each link has its own standards, and one exporter may need several. The table starts from what the site physically does; the programmes are those GFSI lists for the matching scope.

Take the integrated exporter: certified farms, plus a packhouse for which industrial customers want a factory-level standard. Traceability, hygiene, pest control and complaints form a common foundation; audit protocols and specific requirements stay separate. For the packhouse or plant, see BRCGS certification, IFS certification and FSSC 22000.

Sourcing from African growers: what should a buyer check?

Ask for the evidence behind the logo. A European importer, a Gulf distributor or a food manufacturer qualifying growers in Morocco, Senegal or Kenya should check the same points before the season starts.

• The edition. Smart or GFS, against what your own customers require.
• The product list. The certificate lists product categories; the products you buy must be on it.
• The certification option. Individual, multi-site or group: for a group, ask how members are controlled.
• GRASP. If you require it, check conformance status on the GLOBALG.A.P. IT platform; the letter is valid for one year.
• The packhouse. Which standard covers it, and, in Morocco, whether ONSSA authorisation or approval covers the activity.
• The version calendar. SQF Edition 9 or 10, and which PrimusGFS version is audited.

Where a certificate is not enough, a second-party audit of the grower or packhouse fills the gap; see our audits and inspections.

How do you prepare a first GLOBALG.A.P. audit?

Start from the season calendar. The system must run on real growing, harvesting and handling activities, and produce its records, before the auditor arrives. Agree a date with the certification body when the high-risk activities can be observed: harvest, handling, treatments.

Six areas need particular attention: plot-to-pallet traceability, plant protection products (authorised in the producing country, compatible with destination maximum residue limits, pre-harvest intervals respected, every application recorded), water, seasonal crews, subcontractors and post-harvest handling.

Checklist before booking the audit

• The buyer has confirmed in writing the IFA v6 edition (Smart or GFS), the expected add-ons and the deadline.
  
• The certification option is chosen: individual, multi-site or group.
  
• Every product to be certified is identified, with its plots or greenhouses.
  
• Traceability links every shipped lot to its plot, harvest date and treatments, and has been tested.
  
• The treatment register is up to date, pre-harvest intervals included.
  
• Maximum residue limits in destination markets are known, and the testing plan reflects them.
  
• Seasonal workers are trained in hygiene and safety, and the training is recorded.
  
• If GRASP is required: worker representative, grievance procedure, employment documents and time records are in place.
  
• A full internal inspection against the chosen edition’s checklist has been carried out.
  
• The certification body is chosen and the audit date falls in a period of activity.
  
• For a Moroccan packhouse: ONSSA authorisation or approval covers the activity.
  

If more than three boxes are empty, start with a gap analysis rather than booking the audit.

Which mistakes cost a season?

An export season cannot be replayed: a certificate obtained too late means a season sold without it.

1. Choosing the edition without the buyer. An IFA v6 Smart certificate does not meet a customer who requires a GFSI-recognised programme.
2. Certifying some products and selling the rest under the same claim. What is not listed on the certificate is not certified.
3. Treating GRASP as paperwork. Grievance and representation procedures must be known to the crews, seasonal workers included.
4. Building on SQF Edition 9 without looking at Edition 10. The culture assessment plan is prepared now.
5. Forgetting subcontractors. An uncontrolled spray contractor or labour provider is enough to create a finding.
6. Confusing certification with authorisation. Private certification replaces neither official approval nor destination country rules.