Built for the greater Washington DC market. Free FSMA 204 traceability, GAP audit preparation, and organic and other programs from one set of records.
Washington DC is a market, not a farming jurisdiction. Almost every grower selling into it is regulated by Virginia or Maryland, and gets certified through VDACS or the Maryland Department of Agriculture.
What DC adds is demand: schools with a local sourcing mandate, hospital systems buying regional produce, and food hubs aggregating Mid-Atlantic farms. This page covers what those buyers look for and where your certification actually comes from.
We found no DC agency running a farm produce safety or GAP audit program — consistent with DC having essentially no commercial farmland. Growers serving DC are regulated where they farm: VDACS in Virginia, the Maryland Department of Agriculture in Maryland.
Sources: VDACS food and produce safety · MDA Good Agricultural Practices
The Healthy Schools Act directs DC public and public charter schools to serve locally grown, unprocessed food whenever possible, with preference for products grown in DC, Maryland and Virginia. It is a sourcing preference rather than a GAP mandate — but it is why DC districts are actively looking for regional growers.
Sources: DC Code §38-823.01
USDA's farm-to-school food safety guidance describes GAP certification as the gold standard school food authorities should ask about, while acknowledging that not every farm has completed an audit. In practice a certified farm answers the question before it is asked.
Sources: USDA Farm to School food safety FAQ
These organizations buy or distribute regional produce in the DC metro. We could not verify a published GAP requirement for any of them, so treat certification as leverage rather than a checkbox, and confirm the standard directly.
Nonprofit wholesale food hub for small and mid-size Mid-Atlantic farms supplying DC institutions and food access programs.
Visit FRESHFARM Food Hub →Buys from local farmers and supplies DC Public Schools meals.
Visit DC Central Kitchen →Hospital system sourcing local produce and running produce-prescription programs with FRESHFARM.
Visit MedStar Health →Runs a mobile market sourcing from local farms and supplying DC sites including Sibley Hospital.
Visit Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture →Lot tracking, key data elements and 24-hour recall records for the FDA Food Traceability Rule. Included free, forever.
Explore FSMA 204 Traceability →USDA Harmonized GAP, PrimusGFS and GLOBALG.A.P. — SOPs, daily logs, mock audits and a one-click auditor binder.
Explore GAP Certification →USDA Organic system plans, HACCP, export compliance and lab records managed from the same set of farm data.
Explore Organic & Other Programs →Start with free FSMA 204 traceability. Add GAP when your buyer asks.
GAP APP is not affiliated with USDA, FDA, or any state department of agriculture. Program details change; always confirm current requirements, fees and funding with the agency directly.