GGN Label
The GGN label is a cross-category consumer label that stands for certified, responsible farming and transparency. Owned by FoodPLUS GmbH, it offers relevant assurance and orientation throughout the store as well as valuable transparency via unique tracking codes on product labels.
Making responsible farming visible to consumers
What is the GGN label?
Found in stores on fruit and vegetables, farmed seafood, flowers, and plants, the GGN label offers consumers a quick, consistent way to recognize products that align with their values on the topics of social and environmental responsibility and animal welfare. Built on a foundation of robust international GLOBALG.A.P. standards for responsible farming practices, the label also grants valuable transparency via the 13-digit tracking codes found on product packaging, enabling shoppers to trace products via the GGN label portal.
How the GGN label tracking system works
What does the GGN label stand for?
All products with the GGN label originate from a farm whose production process has been independently certified according to international GLOBALG.A.P. standards for responsible farming practices.
The standards behind the GGN label cover all major aspects of responsible farming such as food safety, environmental protection, animal welfare, workers’ well-being, and supply chain transparency.
The GGN label works with unique identifiers – GLOBALG.A.P. Numbers (GGNs) and Chain of Custody Numbers (CoC) – and the GGN label portal (www.ggn.org) to create a transparent system that builds trust and promotes the connection between producers and consumers.
How does the GGN label work?
The portal helps consumers discover the roots of their products whilst showcasing the businesses who practice and support responsible farming.
Unique 13-digit GGNs are linked to producers with GLOBALG.A.P. certification.
GGNs are printed onto the tags or packaging of products with the GGN label.
GGNs can be entered into the search system on the GGN label portal to find a farm profile for the producer.
When products are sourced from a pool of certified farms, the 13-digit Chain of Custody (CoC) Number is used. This code is linked to another supply chain member – the trader, processor, or packer – and a profile for the business can also be found on the portal for transparency on the farms they source from.
Which products can be labeled?
After fulfilling the requirements and obtaining a license, the GGN label can be used on the following products:
Agriculture
Fresh fruit and vegetables (loose and packed)
Potted fruit and vegetable plants
Potted herbs
Cut/mixed/frozen fruit and vegetables
Aquaculture
All species of farmed fish, crustaceans, molluscs, and seaweed/algae (fresh, frozen, and packed)
Floriculture
Cut flowers
Flower bouquets
Flower bulbs
Potted plants (non-edible)
Christmas trees
All you need to know
Explore some of the most frequently asked questions about the GGN label. If you are interested in joining the initiative, learn more about the GGN label benefits and how to get started.
FAQ
The GGN label is yellow. The farmer is at the center of the initiative, and therefore also at the center of the GGN label logo.
The magnifying glass symbolizes transparency, and the trust that the GGN label can build through this transparency. The prominent check mark provides assurance of the farmer’s compliance with responsible farming practices and the quality goods they produce according to internationally recognized standards.
As a cross-category label, the same GGN label appears across all product types – agriculture, aquaculture, and floriculture – boosting consumer recognition throughout the store.
The GGN label confirms that the products were produced in line with robust, third-party certified standards for responsible farming in the areas of food safety, environmental sustainability, workers’ well-being, animal welfare, and supply chain transparency.
All supply chain participants, including packers, processors, and traders that handle products from certified production processes must also hold certification to ensure the segregation, traceability, and integrity of products throughout their lifecycle.
For products to be eligible for the GGN label, each member in the supply chain must hold the relevant certification and/or level of compliance. The GGN label is the only consumer label that is officially linked to the GLOBALG.A.P. portfolio of smart farm assurance solutions.
At farm level:
A valid certificate for the GLOBALG.A.P. Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) standard (or a GLOBALG.A.P. equivalent benchmarked scheme) for the relevant product category.
Letter of conformance for the GLOBALG.A.P. Risk Assessment on Social Practice (GRASP). This add-on is assessed during the IFA audit and assures social responsibility practices on the farm.
In addition, fruit and vegetable producers must participate in the GLOBALG.A.P. RMS Platform for residue monitoring, and aquaculture producers must source feed exclusively from manufacturers with GLOBALG.A.P. Compound Feed Manufacturing certification (or certification from an equivalent benchmarked scheme or accredited feed scheme).
At post-farm level:
A valid certificate for the GLOBALG.A.P. Chain of Custody standard, ensuring the segregation, traceability, and therefore integrity of products from GLOBALG.A.P. certified production processes throughout their journey from farm to shelf.
For packed products and flower bouquets, all products contained in the pack must originate from certified production processes. Read more about the GGN label requirements.
Food and flower production today is no longer a simple matter of one farmer selling products directly to a few retailers. Whether from seed to fully-grown plant, or from roe to marinated salmon steak, a product passes through many stages and hands before it reaches the end consumer. This makes it difficult to find out who was involved in producing it.
Consumer interest in the origins of their products is constantly growing. Many shoppers want transparency on how and where their products were produced, but the huge variety of consumer labels for different product types can be overwhelming – even for the most conscious shopper.
That’s why the GGN label was created as a cross-category consumer label – to offer consistent, relevant assurance and orientation on a variety of products throughout the store.
The GGN label portal (www.ggn.org) has two core functions. It offers unique transparency and integrity to consumers, with accurate, trustworthy data sourced from the GLOBALG.A.P. database and validated daily.
For consumers, it is home to the profiles of all the farms and businesses in GGN label supply chains. The consumer-friendly website offers an easy way to track products back to their roots by searching a GGN or CoC number, ensuring that consumers will always find relevant and up-to-date information. If certification is no longer valid or revoked due to a rule violation, the profile remains online (with a disclaimer) for a specified period to ensure information accessibility while the products are still in circulation.
The GGN label portal also features:
Information on responsible farming practices and the GLOBALG.A.P. standards behind the GGN label
FAQs on the label, what it stands for, and how it works
News and magazine articles
For supply chain stakeholders, the GGN label portal also offers a partner area (via login), providing an efficient management system for a range of tasks such as:
Design approval
Supply chain mapping
Invoice management
Marketing content – free and customizable to promote your affiliation with the GGN label brand
GGN label license holders receive automated warnings from the system before recertification is due or if certification is no longer valid or revoked due to a rule violation.
Build trust in your brand
What the GGN label offers you
Whether you are a producer, trader, retailer, or food service business, the GGN label can help you to gain a competitive edge and boost your brand image through a visible commitment to responsible farming.
Benefits of the GGN label
More and more consumers are asking where their products come from and how they are made. We help you answer these questions by connecting the consumer and the farm (or businesses in the supply chain) via the GGN label portal (www.ggn.org). Transparency on this topic builds trust among your customers.
A universal cross-category label helps identify products from certified production across three categories. Compared to other labels, the GGN label is a cost-effective solution that delivers consistent integrity for your brand and builds consumer recognition throughout the store.
The GGN label initiative helps you to promote your commitment to responsible farming through increased visibility. The communication toolkit provides inspiration for farmer-centric promotions, equips producers with ready-made marketing materials, and showcases your profile on the GGN label portal.
Thanks to the worldwide reach of GLOBALG.A.P. smart farm assurance solutions – implemented in over 130 countries worldwide – you can add integrity to your sourcing policy without limiting your options.
Make your product stand out with a recognizable logo and participate in a transparent system which promotes responsible farming.
GGN label in store
For producers
Distinguish your product from others in a crowded market
Raise awareness of your responsible farming practices through your profile on the GGN label portal
Get support with self-promotion through free materials which can be share with your customers
Learn more about the GGN label requirements for producers.
For traders, processors, and packers
Strengthen the integrity of your products and build trust in your business with a cost-effective solution
Source from a huge range of companies worldwide thanks to the reach of GLOBALG.A.P. solutions
Boost awareness of your commitment to responsible farming practices through your profile on the GGN label portal
Learn more about the GGN label requirements for supply chain stakeholders.
For retailers, food service, and brand owners
Foster trust in your brand by offering transparency on the origin and production processes of your products
Guide customers to certified, responsibly farmed products across three categories with one universal consumer label
Communicate your commitment to responsible farming through impactful farmer-centric campaigns
Learn more about the GGN label requirements for supply chain stakeholders.
For consumers
Identify products that align with your values on social and environmental responsibility and animal welfare
Discover the roots of your products through farm and business profiles on the GGN label portal
Support producers who farm responsibly across three different categories of products
Visit the GGN label portal.
What people are saying about the GGN label
Improve your competitive edge
Getting started with the GGN label
Explore the requirements for applying the GGN label as a producer or supply chain stakeholder, determine your next steps, and access support for getting started.
Five steps to adopting the GGN label
For products to be eligible for the GGN label, each member in the supply chain must hold the relevant certification. See the GGN label requirements for agriculture, aquaculture, and floriculture products for more information.
There is only one license holder in the supply chain for a product with the GGN label. Learn more about the GGN label license to find out which entity requires it for your intended product.
If you legally own (or have bindingly ordered) the products at the moment the GGN label visual elements are applied to the packaging, you can apply for a GGN label license.
Producers and supply chain stakeholders must register and create profiles on the GGN label portal. This is a requirement for all certificate holders in the chain.
Once the license agreement is signed and the profiles created, you can upload your packaging designs to the GGN label portal for approval.
Requirements for agriculture products
Fruit and vegetables
Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) certificate for fruit and vegetables (or a GLOBALG.A.P. equivalent benchmarked scheme) at farm level
Letter of conformance for the GLOBALG.A.P. Risk Assessment on Social Practice(GRASP) at farm level
Maximum residue levels monitored via the GLOBALG.A.P. RMS Platform
GLOBALG.A.P. Chain of Custody (CoC) certification for all supply chain members
GGN label license for the business responsible for labeling the product
For cut/mixed/frozen fruit and vegetable products, an additional GFSI-recognized food safety certification for food processing is required to be held by the company handling this processing step. No additional processing steps that change the nature of the product (e.g., cooking or drying) are permitted.
Requirements for aquaculture products
Fish, crustaceans, molluscs, seaweed/algae
Fish feed sourced exclusively from manufacturers with GLOBALG.A.P. Compound Feed Manufacturing certification (or a GLOBALG.A.P. equivalent benchmarked scheme, or an ISO/IEC 17065 or ISO/IEC 17021 accredited feed scheme)
Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) certificate for aquaculture (or a GLOBALG.A.P. equivalent benchmarked scheme) at each production stage
Letter of conformance for the GLOBALG.A.P. Risk Assessment on Social Practice (GRASP) at farm level (a mandatory requirement of the IFA v6 for aquaculture standard)
GLOBALG.A.P. Chain of Custody (CoC) certification for all supply chain members
GGN label license for the business responsible for labeling the product
Requirements for floriculture products
Flowers and plants
Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) certificate for flowers and ornamentals (or a GLOBALG.A.P. equivalent benchmarked scheme) at farm level
Letter of conformance for the GLOBALG.A.P. Risk Assessment on Social Practice (GRASP) at farm level
GLOBALG.A.P. Chain of Custody (CoC) certification for all supply chain members
GGN label license for the business responsible for labeling the product
GGN label licenses
What is a GGN label license?
A GGN label license authorizes the license holder to apply the GGN label visual elements (the logo, identification number, claim, and/or QR code) to product packaging.
Who is the GGN label license holder?
The entity which legally owns (or has bindingly ordered) the product at the time the GGN label visual elements are applied to the product packaging is the license holder. This entity could be a producer, a trader, a processor or packer, a retailer, or a food service company such as a restaurant chain. The license holder always has their own GLOBALG.A.P. Number (GGN) or Chain of Custody (CoC) Number and there is only one license holder in the supply chain per product with the GGN label.
What are the responsibilities of license holders?
The license holder is responsible for paying the GGN label fees and getting the packaging materials approved.
If you are a potential license holder, create an account on the GGN label portal (www.ggn.org) today to begin your application!
FAQ
GGN stands for GLOBALG.A.P. Number. All supply chain stakeholders are assigned a unique 13-digit identifier when they first register in the GLOBALG.A.P. certification system – the foundation of the GGN label requirements.
GGNs are linked to producers, while a Chain of Custody Number (CoC) is linked to a company with activities related to the supply chain. These numbers are linked to a legal entity as long as that entity exists, allowing real-time verification of certification status in the GLOBALG.A.P. IT systems.
All producers/supply chain members registered in the GLOBALG.A.P. certification system (with an approved certification body) are assigned a GLOBALG.A.P. identification number – such as a GLOBALG.A.P. Number (GGN) or Chain of Custody (CoC) Number – for integrity and transparency purposes. These 13-digit ID numbers can be used to check a GLOBALG.A.P. certification status in the GLOBALG.A.P. database.
The GGN label is a consumer label applied to products that originate from GLOBALG.A.P. certified production processes – and therefore shares its namesake. To join the GGN label initiative and apply the visual elements to products, however, producers* must meet all of the requirements for their scope and apply for a GGN label license. Simply having a GGN does not automatically qualify for participation in the initiative. GLOBALG.A.P. and the GGN label are independent brands, both owned by FoodPLUS GmbH.
*Please note that supply chain companies wishing to join the GGN label initiative will have Chain of Custody (CoC) Number, instead of a GGN.
Agriculture
Fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs (loose and packed)
Potted herbs
Cut/mixed/frozen fruit and vegetables
Aquaculture
All species of farmed fish, crustaceans, molluscs, and seaweed/algae (fresh, frozen, and packed)
Floriculture
Cut flowers
Flower bouquets
Flower bulbs
Potted plants (excluding herbs)
Christmas trees
For packed products and flower bouquets, all products contained in the pack must originate from certified production processes. Read more about the GGN label requirements.
Built on rigorous international standards backed by a dedicated integrity program
Transparency that fosters trust in your brand by connecting consumers and producers
Simple and cost-effective consumer labeling across multiple product categories
Consistent and recognizable communication on your commitment to responsible farming
Huge range of global companies with certified production processes to source from
Learn more about the value that the GGN label can add to your business.
The GGN label portal (www.ggn.org) contains the profiles of all the farms and businesses in GGN label supply chains. The consumer-friendly website offers an easy way to track products back to their roots – by searching a GGN or CoC Number – placing it at the heart of the transparency which the GGN label promises.
The portal also offers a partner area (via login) for supply chain stakeholders, providing an efficient management system for a range of tasks such as packaging design approval, supply chain mapping, invoice management, marketing content, and more.
The GGN label works with unique GLOBALG.A.P. Numbers (GGNs) and the GGN label portal (www.ggn.org) to create a transparent sys tem that establishes a link between producers and consumers.
13-digit GGNs (for producers) and CoC Numbers (for supply chain members) are linked to companies with GLOBALG.A.P. certification. These identification numbers are printed onto the tags or packaging of products with the GGN label and can be entered into the search system on the GGN label portal to find a profile for the producer or supply chain company.
At farm level:
A valid certificate for the GLOBALG.A.P. Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) standard (or a GLOBALG.A.P. equivalent benchmarked scheme) for the relevant product category.
A letter of conformance for the GLOBALG.A.P. Risk Assessment on Social Practice (GRASP). This add-on is assessed during the IFA audit and assures social responsibility practices on the farm.
In addition, fruit and vegetable producers must participate in a GLOBALG.A.P. approved residue monitoring system (RMS), and aquaculture producers must source feed exclusively from manufacturers with GLOBALG.A.P. Compound Feed Manufacturing certification (or certification from an equivalent benchmarked scheme or accredited feed scheme).
At post-farm level:
A valid certificate for the GLOBALG.A.P. Chain of Custody standard, ensuring the segregation, traceability, and therefore integrity of products from GLOBALG.A.P. certified production processes throughout their journey from farm to shelf.
The entity which legally owns (or has bindingly ordered) the product at the time the GGN label visual elements – the label logo, identification number, and the claim – are applied to the product packaging requires a GGN label license. This entity is then known as the GGN label license holder.
This entity could be a producer, a trader, a processor or packer, a retailer, or a food service company such as a restaurant chain.
The license holder is responsible for paying the GGN label fees and getting the packaging materials approved. The license holder always has their own GLOBALG.A.P. Number (GGN) or Chain of Custody (CoC) Number.
There is only one license holder in the supply chain for a product with the GGN label.
The GLOBALG.A.P. Chain of Custody (CoC) standard ensures that any product sold with a GLOBALG.A.P. claim or bearing the GGN label visual elements is truly sourced from a GLOBALG.A.P. certified production process. The standard specifies strict requirements for the segregation, traceability, and therefore integrity of a product’s GLOBALG.A.P. certification status throughout its lifecycle.
GLOBALG.A.P. CoC certification is required by all entities handling the products after it leaves the farm, including:
All businesses who handle/trade products from certified production processes prior to packing/labeling (packaged and loose products)
All consumer-facing (B2C) businesses that handle/trade the products from certified production processes after packing/labeling (packaged and loose products)
B2C businesses that sell loose labelled products (e.g., a retailer’s fresh fish counter, a restaurant selling certified fish labelled as such on the menu)
Producers certified to a GLOBALG.A.P. equivalent benchmarked scheme may opt into the GGN label initiative directly, without the need to contact their scheme owner.
How to join the initiative as a producer with certification to a benchmarked scheme:
Ensure your benchmarked equivalent certificate is valid and that you have a letter of conformance for GRASP.
Sign a GGN label system participant agreement with GLOBALG.A.P. by creating an account on www.ggn.org and completing the “Application Module”. The GGN label system participant agreement confirms your level of certification and your agreement to the GGN label system participation fee. The contract remains valid for as long as your farm assurance certification is valid and for as long as your certification scheme maintains the status of benchmarked equivalent.
Pay the GGN label system participation fee.
Set up your profile on the GGN label portal.
Inform your buyers that they can apply for a GGN label license. Alternatively, if you wish to apply the GGN label to your products yourself, you must also obtain a GGN label license. You can also complete this application process in your account on the GGN label portal.
The GGN label communication toolkit is a collection of marketing materials provided to stakeholders to help them communicate about the GGN label and their commitment to responsible farming.
It includes resources and inspiration in the form of design assets, ready-to-use copytext, as well as sample campaign materials.
To receive a copy of the communication toolkit, please contact your account representative from the GGN label team or email info@ggn.org.
Contact us
For questions about the GGN label, please contact us at info@ggn.org.