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The PrimusGFS
modules.

Which parts of the standard apply to your operation, and what each one is looking for.

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Overview

Why the standard is modular

A field-only grower, a harvest contractor and a packinghouse face genuinely different hazards. Rather than write three standards, PrimusGFS splits the requirements into modules and audits each operation against the ones that match what it does.

Your scope is agreed with the certification body before the audit. Getting it wrong in either direction is costly: too narrow and your certificate does not cover the activity your buyer cares about, too wide and you are audited on requirements that do not apply to you.

Module 1

Food Safety Management System

This is the module that separates PrimusGFS from a straightforward GAP audit, and it applies to everyone. The auditor is assessing whether food safety is managed as a system with someone accountable for it, rather than as a collection of habits.

Documented programs the auditor will ask for

  • A signed food safety policy and an organisation chart showing who is responsible for what
  • A documented HACCP plan covering the products and processes in scope
  • Document and record control — current versions, dated revisions, retention periods
  • An internal audit program, carried out and with findings closed
  • Supplier and service-provider approval files, including inbound material specifications
  • Traceability and recall procedures, with a mock recall completed and timed
  • Customer complaint handling and the actions taken
  • Corrective and preventive actions with root cause and verified closure
  • Training records tied to the procedures each person actually performs

Most first-time findings in this module are not about missing programs. They are about programs that exist on paper but have no records showing they ran.

Module 2

Good Agricultural Practices

The field module. If you have been through a Harmonized GAP audit, this is the familiar territory — but the evidence expectations are tighter and tied back to your management system.

Field and harvest

  • Land history and a risk assessment of adjacent land use
  • Agricultural water source, testing schedule, results and the action taken when a result fails
  • Soil amendment sourcing, treatment status and application records
  • Worker health, hygiene and illness reporting, with training records behind them
  • Field sanitation facilities: toilets, handwashing, servicing records
  • Harvest practices, container and tool sanitation, and damaged-product handling
  • Equipment cleaning and maintenance
  • Traceability from the field to the lot leaving your control
Module 3

Good Manufacturing Practices

The facility module. It applies if you pack, cool, store or process — and it is where growers who have only ever been audited in the field tend to be surprised.

Facility and operations

  • Building, grounds and drainage condition, and how the site is maintained
  • Master sanitation schedule with completion records and verification
  • Pest control program, service reports, device map and trend review
  • Equipment design, condition and maintenance records
  • Personnel practices: hygiene, clothing, jewellery, visitor control
  • Chemical control — approved chemicals, storage, labelling, safety data sheets
  • Water used in the facility, including ice and any post-harvest water treatment with monitoring
  • Temperature control and cold chain records where product is cooled or stored
  • Packaging material control and storage
Scope

Working out your scope

Indicative only. Your certification body determines the audited scope based on your actual activities and the current version of the standard.
Your operationModules typically in scope
Grows and sells field-run product to another packerManagement system + field module
Grows, harvests and packs on siteManagement system + field module + facility module
Harvest crew or labour contractor operating in others' fieldsManagement system + field module, scoped to the harvest activity
Packinghouse or cooler handling product it did not growManagement system + facility module
Processing or fresh-cut operationManagement system + facility module, with the processing activities in scope
Keep reading

Go deeper on PrimusGFS

The PrimusGFS Modules

Module 1, 2 and 3 explained, and how to tell which ones apply to your operation.

Read the guide →

PrimusGFS Audit Checklist

A module-by-module readiness checklist you can work through before booking the audit.

Read the guide →

PrimusGFS HACCP Requirements

The Module 1 HACCP plan — the section most farms underestimate.

Read the guide →

Cost & Timeline

What drives the price and how long preparation realistically takes.

Read the guide →

PrimusGFS vs Harmonized GAP

Side by side: recognition, HACCP, scoring and who asks for which.

Read the guide →

What GFSI Recognition Means

Why buyers say 'GFSI' when they mean one of seven specific schemes.

Read the guide →
FAQ

Common questions

Do I have to be audited on every module?
No. The food safety management system module applies to every scope; the field and facility modules apply according to what your operation physically does. Your certification body confirms the scope before the audit.
I only grow — do I still need the facility module?
Generally not, if you never pack, cool or store product. If you have a packing shed, a cooler or a wash line, expect the facility requirements to apply to it.
Is each module scored separately?
Yes. Modules carry their own scores, which is why a strong field operation can still be held up by a weak facility or an incomplete management system.
What if my scope changes mid-year?
Tell your certification body. Adding an activity such as packing or storage usually changes which modules apply, and a certificate that does not cover what you now do is a problem when a buyer checks it.

Know your scope, then close the gaps

Turn on the programs that apply to you and see exactly which records are missing.

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GAP APP provides audit-preparation tools and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or accredited by GFSI, Azzule Systems, SQFI, CanAgPlus, GLOBALG.A.P. or USDA. Certification decisions are made solely by accredited certification bodies and their auditors.