(January 3, 2022) Santa Cruz, CA – CCOF supports the growth of organic by providing service-oriented organic certification, diverse educational offerings, and dedicated policy work. Founded in California more than 40 years ago, CCOF has roots that span the breadth of North America, and the CCOF presence is internationally recognized. CCOF offers an expanding suite of certification services and is now accepting applications for PrimusGFS certification for farms, harvest crews, coolers/distributors, packinghouses, and processors of produce.
To complement their organic certification offerings, CCOF began offering GFSI benchmarked food safety certifications to the GLOBALG.A.P. standards in 2015 and is now expanding that offering to include PrimusGFS.
“There’s a lot of overlap between organic and food safety requirements,” says Jacob Guth, food safety program manager for CCOF. With a long history in organic, CCOF brings an important perspective to the food safety arena. “We have the highest KPI scoring out of any GLOBALG.A.P. certification body in the U.S., and we are well-positioned to expand our GFSI offerings to include PrimusGFS,” says Guth.
“Producers trust us and know we approach certification with a high level of diligence and organic integrity,” says Guth. CCOF cultivates their food safety auditors to ensure quality work, with many of the inspectors able to conduct a single, combined organic and food safety inspection. By choosing CCOF for food safety certification, producers can rest assured that their inspectors are trained and well-versed in organic compliance. PrimusGFS offers a variety of certifications that can benefit organic producers and handlers.
CCOF also offers a variety of food safety trainings and webinars to familiarize growers and produce handlers with GFSI and federal food safety requirements. The comprehensive trainings demonstrate the key elements for building a food safety plan, including how to create the necessary documents, how to train personnel in food safety, and how to successfully host a food safety audit.
CCOF has over 40 years of experience working directly with farmers and producers, guiding them through the steps of organic certification and ensuring that they meet all required standards for organic. The organization applies the same principles to its food safety program, helping organic producers access new markets. The result brings more organic food to everyone’s tables, increasing access to healthy, organic food nationwide.
To learn more about CCOF’s food safety services and new PrimusGFS offerings, visit the CCOF food safety webpage or contact foodsafety@ccof.org.
About CCOF
CCOF advances organic agriculture for a healthy world. We advocate on behalf of our members for organic policies, support the growth of organic through education and grants, and provide organic certification that is personal and accessible.
CCOF is a nonprofit organization governed by the people who grow and make our food. Founded in California more than 40 years ago, CCOF has roots that span the breadth of North America, and our presence is internationally recognized. We are supported by an organic family of farmers, ranchers, processors, retailers, consumers, and policymakers. Together, we work to realize a future where organic is the norm.
For more information about CCOF, visit www.ccof.org.