Almost every new enquiry we receive includes a line asking which certificates we hold. It is a fair question, but the list on its own rarely tells a buyer what they need to know. A GLOBALG.A.P number and a BRCGS grade prove very different things, and neither of them guarantees that the fruit in a specific container meets your contract spec. This is a short guide to what each scheme covers on an Egyptian shipment, so you can ask for the right document instead of collecting logos.

GLOBALG.A.P covers the farm, not the packhouse

GLOBALG.A.P Integrated Farm Assurance is a production standard. It audits the growing site: soil and substrate management, water source and irrigation records, plant protection product use and spray intervals, worker health and safety, and traceability from the field block to the harvest lot. Every certified producer carries a thirteen digit GGN, and that number can be checked in the public GLOBALG.A.P database.

What it does not cover is what happens after the fruit leaves the farm. If a grower is certified but the fruit is packed in an uncertified shed, the chain of custody is broken. For that reason buyers who care about the claim should ask for GLOBALG.A.P Chain of Custody alongside the producer certificate, and should verify that the GGN printed on the carton matches the farm on the packing list.

BRCGS and IFS cover the packing and processing site

BRCGS Food Safety and IFS Food are packhouse and factory standards. They audit the building, pest control, equipment hygiene, allergen and foreign body controls, metal detection where relevant, staff training, and the recall and withdrawal procedure. Grades run from AA down, and the grade plus the audit date matter more than the certificate itself. An unannounced AA audit from three months ago carries more weight with a European retailer than an announced audit that expires next week.

For fresh whole fruit, BRCGS is usually requested by supermarket buyers and by importers who repack under their own label. For IQF and processed lines it is effectively mandatory in the EU and the UK.

ISO 22000 and HACCP sit underneath both

HACCP is the hazard analysis method that both GLOBALG.A.P and BRCGS require a site to operate. ISO 22000 is the management system standard built around it. Neither is retailer recognised in the way BRCGS is under the Global Food Safety Initiative benchmark, so a supplier offering only ISO 22000 to a UK or German retail buyer will usually be asked to upgrade. For wholesale and food service buyers in the Gulf, Central Asia and much of Africa, ISO 22000 with a clean HACCP plan is commonly accepted.

What certification does not do

No scheme certifies a specific container. Certification tells you a system was in place on the day of the audit. It does not tell you the residue result on your lot, the internal temperature at loading, or whether the count per carton matches the order. Those come from lot level evidence: a residue analysis against the destination MRL list, temperature records from the reefer download, and an inspection report. We cover the last of these in our note on what SGS and Intertek actually check before loading, and the paperwork that travels with the goods in our guide to export documentation for Egyptian produce.

What to ask for on your next order

Request the certificate scan with the certificate number, the scope statement and the expiry date, not a logo in a company profile. Check the scope covers the crop you are buying, because a site certified for citrus is not automatically certified for frozen vegetables. Confirm the certification body is accredited, and verify the number in the scheme database. Then, separately from certification, agree the lot level checks you want on your own shipment.

PEI Trade supplies 35 export grade crops from Egypt with GLOBALG.A.P certified growers and BRCGS certified packing partners. Third party inspection by SGS or Intertek is arranged on request and at the buyer’s nomination. To discuss certification scope for a specific crop and destination, message our export team on WhatsApp at +20 10 9911 1918.