As agriculture and global food supply chains become increasingly complex, accreditation remains a critical foundation for credible assurance systems. World Accreditation Day on 9 June highlights the role of accreditation in supporting trust, consistency, and internationally recognized verification processes across industries and markets worldwide.
Within the GLOBALG.A.P. system, accreditation helps ensure that certification bodies operate according to internationally recognized requirements. It also supports consistency across countries and sectors, helping maintain confidence in certification outcomes throughout global supply chains.
As the standard owner, Agraya does not carry out accreditation itself. Instead, all certification bodies within the GLOBALG.A.P. system are required to be independently accredited. This ensures consistent implementation and credible certification processes worldwide.
Why accreditation matters
Accreditation is the formal evaluation of conformity assessment bodies, such as certification bodies, against recognized international standards. In the GLOBALG.A.P. system, certification bodies must achieve accreditation to ISO/IEC 17065, the international standard for organizations certifying products, processes, and services.
This process helps confirm that certification bodies have the technical competence, procedures, and oversight mechanisms required to carry out certification activities appropriately. For producers, retailers, and other stakeholders, accreditation provides additional assurance that certification processes follow the same requirements regardless of location.
Accreditation also supports transparency and accountability within certification systems while helping facilitate recognition across international markets.
GLOBALG.A.P. standards that require CB accreditation:
- Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) for aquaculture and for plants (including product categories fruit and vegetables, flowers and ornamentals, hops, plant propagation material, and combinable crops).
- Produce Handling Assurance (PHA)
- GLOBALG.A.P. Chain of Custody (CoC)
- Compound Feed Manufacturing (CFM)
- Harmonized Produce Safety Standard (HPSS)
A shared responsibility across the sector
Maintaining trust in assurance systems depends on the continued work of accreditation bodies, certification bodies, auditors, producers, retailers, and standard owners.
Elmé Coetzer-Boersma, CEO of Agraya GmbH, commented: “As agriculture continues to evolve in response to changing environmental, regulatory, and market expectations, accreditation remains an important part of maintaining confidence in certification systems and international trade. With active certification in more than 130 countries, the GLOBALG.A.P. system relies on robust audits and assessments to support transparency across global supply chains. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with partners across the sector to support credible assurance systems and strengthen trust in global agriculture.”
