Quality Certification Services (QCS) has been approved and accredited certification body to the GLOBALG.A.P. scheme. GLOBALG.A.P. was recently the first product certification scheme in the world to be officially endorsed by the International Accreditation Forum (IAF). GLOBALG.A.P. is also a Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) recognized scheme at the farm level.
QCS obtained its accreditation with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), a signatory member of the IAF-MLA (Multilateral Recognition Arrangement) for the scopes of crops: Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) - Fruit and Vegetables and Green Coffee / Produce Safety Standard / IFA - Aquaculture / Compound Feed Manufacturing for Aquaculture and Livestock / Chain of Custody for Aquaculture and Crops. These standards have a holistic approach covering issues in food safety, environment/biodiversity, traceability, and workers and animal welfare. QCS is the first USA-headquartered certification body to offer all mentioned scopes for both “Individual Producers” and “Producer Groups” and also the first that formerly only offered organic versus conventional certification.
To be certified by a certification body accredited by an IAF-MLA signatory accreditation body is of great significance because the products from a GLOBALG.A.P. certified producer should be accepted by buyers everywhere worldwide.
Based in Gainesville, Florida, USA, Quality Certification Services (QCS) offers the following certification options including Certified Organic, Certified Transitional, Certified Hormone/Antibiotic Free, Organic Aquaculture, GLOBALG.A.P. (several scopes), specific trade practices and Food Justice Certification, which will allow for consumers to choose to support a more just agricultural system.
QCS meets the needs of operations regardless of type, location, or size on the ever-expanding worldwide market. They are committed to meeting the unique needs of any business in a timely manner. QCS is the certification program of Florida Certified Organic Growers and Consumers Inc. (FOG), a nonprofit organization that began certifying organic growers in 1989 and received its USDA accreditation in 2001.
