The first three certification bodies to be accredited against the Eurep standard were announced at the third Eurep-Gap conference last week. Checkmate International and EFSIS from the UK and Food Cert from the Netherlands are now qualified to fully audit and certify participants in the international pre-farm gate scheme for sustainable and safe agriculture.

Nigel Garbutt, chairman of Eurep-Gap, said: 'Independent verification carried out to internationally agreed standards of integrity – ISO65 – means that consumers can have real confidence that the fresh produce industry is committed to achieving the highest possible standards for good agricultural practice, covering issues such as food safety and environmental protection. This is an ongoing process aimed at continuous improvement for the industry.' Eurep is a partnership of over 120 member organisations that has established its own principles of supply chain co-operation and harmonisation of standard setting for the global market. A steering committee of 7 suppliers and 5 retailers has been created and will hold regular meetings to guide the industry-owned, non-profit making organisation.

The third Eurep-Gap conference was held in Bologna from October 10-12, entitled Scoring for the Consumer. For full coverage, see Fresh Produce Journal, October 19.