Harmonized Produce Safety Harmonized Produce Safety

NORMA ARMONIZADA DE INOCUIDAD ALIMENTARIA DE GLOBALG.A.P. (HPSS)

The GLOBALG.A.P. Harmonized Produce Safety Standard (HPSS) is a robust food safety standard that includes verbatim the Produce GAP Harmonization Initiative’s Harmonized Standards.

What is HPSS?

  • A Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) version of the Combined Harmonized Standards from United Fresh, with the GLOBALG.A.P. backed integrity.
  • The HPSS is a streamlined, food safety-only, good agricultural practices standard.
  • Designed by and for producers in the United States or selling into the United States market.
  • The standard provides food safety certification for fruit and vegetables and combinable crops.

Why choose HPSS?

  • HPSS is benchmarked by GFSI and accepted by retailers both in the US and beyond who seek GFSI certified sources.
  • HPSS rules allow for group certification (Option 2) in the GLOBALG.A.P. system.
  • Facilitated by the United Fresh Produce Association, the Initiative’s Technical Working Group has aligned its Harmonized Standards to the FSMA Produce Safety Rule. The HPSS control points aid producers in identifying FSMA requirements that must be addressed at the farm level.
  • HPSS certificates can be provided to importers, retailers, and other value-chain participants as evidence of third-party verified producer’s efforts toward FSMA implementation.
  • Tomato operations may use the HPSS (or other similar GAP programs, including IFA) as the base food safety protocol combined with the Tomato Metrics as an addendum. The Food Safety Programs & Auditing Protocol for the Fresh Tomato Supply Chain (Tomato Metrics), published by United Fresh, contains best practices that are either unique to the tomato industry or not currently in the Harmonized Standards.

The HPSS certificate is not an assurance or guarantee of FSMA compliance, as legal compliance can only be determined by a regulatory authority, such as the United States Food and Drug Administration.