The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) hosted a webinar on the updates to the USDA Harmonized Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and GAP Plus+ audit standards on April 5, 2024.
These updates become effective May 1, 2024, and will allow AMS’ GAP audit services to remain applicable and relevant for its specialty crops industry customers.
The USDA Harmonized GAP and GAP Plus+ audit standards have been updated to align with the Produce GAPs Harmonized Combined Standard. Updates include:
- Adding more consistent language and reducing redundancy.
- New requirements relating to water treatment, recall program, soil amendments, and maintenance.
You will find the Questions and Answer USDA Harmonized GAP and GAP Plus+ Standards document which answers questions submitted by attendees during the webinar linked at:
For more information on the updates to the standards or the webinar, contact Jill Dunlop, AMS Audit Services Branch, at Jill.Dunlop@usda.gov.