The produce industry is experiencing a transformative shift, driven by increasing consumer and retailer demands for comprehensive accountability beyond food safety. In response to these evolving expectations, PrimusGFS has promptly adapted. Recognizing that our auditees face the challenging task of juggling customer expectations, regulatory requirements, and operational demands, we’ve expanded our scope to include additional verifications and tools that align with these new market shifts.
PrimusGFS Module 9 – IPM Practices is an optional add-on that focuses on Integrated Pest Management (IPM). This module can be added as part of the existing PrimusGFS audit, enhancing the scope without impacting core food safety topics. This not only adds value for our auditees by providing a fuller picture of an operation’s sustainability practices, but also offers auditing companies, consultants, and retailers tools to effectively monitor and support the implementation of IPM practices within the supply chain. Azzule has developed and made Module 9 available for PrimusGFS Certification Bodies (CB) at no cost.
At Azzule and PrimusGFS, we’re here to support your hard work in sustainable farming. We understand the importance of preserving the land for future generations, and we’re committed to helping you showcase the sustainable practices you’re already implementing. Our aim is to make it easier for you to document, manage, and highlight your efforts in Integrated Pest Management and sustainability. With advanced AI tools and a dedicated team of agronomists, food scientists and programmers, we provide real-life solutions to enhance your program management and audit processes, for today and the future.
Our suite of resources, including templates, logs, and management tools, empower auditees to navigate IPM program requirements, streamline document management, and seize new market opportunities by meeting the demands for environmental stewardship.
Gaining a Competitive Edge through Retailer Collaboration Amid growing consumer demands for environmental sustainability, many grocers and retailers are prioritizing IPM programs for their supply chains. These initiatives are setting benchmarks and fostering a competitive environment that encourages adoption of sustainable practices by retailers and suppliers alike. By aligning with retailers’ expectations and adopting IPM early, producers can gain a competitive edge, ensuring compliance and capturing market share among environmentally conscious consumers.
Friends of the Earth, a prominent environmental advocacy group with a fifty-year history of driving substantial environmental reforms, developed the Bee-Friendly Retailer Scorecard2 to assess and promote the reduction of pesticide use and the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices among the largest U.S. grocery stores. This scorecard serves as a critical benchmark, reflecting the proactive steps these retailers are taking to address concerns about the environmental and health impacts of pesticides. Highlighting the efforts of these major players emphasizes the importance of adopting sustainable practices that align with broader market trends and consumer expectations.
Module 9: A Framework for IPM Practices
Developed in direct response to retailer demands, PrimusGFS Module 9 helps producers validate their commitment to Integrated Pest Management alongside their existing Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) 3 audit, allowing them to affirm their ongoing environmentally friendly practices without impacting their food safety certification.
This module focuses on the development and implementation of a robust IPM plan at the grower level. This plan should include descriptions of practices used to identify and manage key pests, prevent disease buildup, prioritizes the use of lower risk products, and includes justifications for these decisions. The guidelines encourage operations to establish best practices that include managing apiaries, maintaining forage areas, and applying pesticides in a manner that protects pollinators.
Growing acceptance of Module 9 by top retailers makes PrimusGFS a cost and time-efficient choice for IPM verification.
Streamline Compliance Today with Complimentary Azzule Tools
Increasing costs are an industry-wide pain point. To alleviate this concern, Azzule4 is offering the addition of Module 9 to PrimusGFS audits at no cost. As the certification program owner, we do not handle the auditing process nor have any influence over the costs imposed by CBs. However, we have created several complimentary tools to build your IPM program, more easily prepare for your audit, and reduce documentation review time by auditors.
Our team developed templates that are intended to be educational, allowing clients to tailor their IPM program to fit their unique operations. These templates along with many others are accessible at no cost via the Toolkit.5
Azzule has also developed a mobile app that is free to download from The App Store and Google Play and has logs that serve to document field practices to support both IPM and food safety with the addition of new and customizable logs in the future. All records from the Azzule app6 are automatically synced with your Azzule platform providing you a centralized location to manage your operations’ documentation.
The Azzule platform7, which is free to register, has color-coded compliance management tools to help producers review and organize their IPM practice evidence as well as any other compliance program.
Azzule also offers a 1st party audit tool within the PrimusGFS site, available at no charge to help anyone preparing for their PrimusGFS audit, providing yet another way to ensure audit preparedness and efficiency.
On the Horizon: Transforming Auditing with AI-Powered Tools We understand that all this documentation takes up time and resources from both you and your auditors which is why we are actively working towards developing new AI-powered tools to help manage your IPM program while also improving the efficiency of your audit process. Soon you will be able to conduct your own AI-powered desk review for PrimusGFS Module 9 to build out your IPM program with natural language processing and machine learning to intelligently classify documents and benchmark them against PrimusGFS audit expectations to present a cohesive story of your Integrated Pest Management program to your auditor. Our objective is to provide solutions that improve your audit experience and give you the opportunity to negotiate pricing with your CBs that correlate with the increased efficiencies for both you and your auditing company through Azzule.
This commitment to enhancing your program management extends beyond IPM and PrimusGFS. We are dedicated to providing you tools to boost your efficiency, even beyond our own certification programs. The future of the fresh produce industry is evolving, and with AI, audit preparation and processes are changing. We are here to support you in leveraging all that this new technology has to offer.
Ensuring Authenticity Through Operational Level Evaluation
Operational level evaluation of IPM programs, as modeled by PrimusGFS, plays a critical role in the modern agricultural sector by providing on-site checks and documentation of actual practices. This process involves not just the establishment of a documented IPM plan but also the evidence that these practices are being implemented, thus ensuring that every aspect of the plan is executed and not just theorized. To combat greenwashing — where claims of sustainability are not backed by actual practices — PrimusGFS Module 9 highlights the importance of operational level evaluation. The module confirms the efficacy of IPM practices through the validation of records related to pest monitoring, regular crop inspections, and the effectiveness of pest control methods, demonstrating a thorough and proactive approach to managing pest-related challenges.
In contrast, company-level monitoring often involves broader oversight, where IPM practices are tracked across an entire organization, covering multiple sites or even global operations. While company-level monitoring does provide a clear vision for overarching strategy and compliance it can miss the nuances of local implementation.
Looking Ahead: The Future of Agriculture with IPM
We have been able to witness firsthand how deeply our clients care about their farms and are committed to preserving them for future generations. That’s why our partners in agriculture have already been implementing environmentally friendly and sustainable practices for years now, some without even realizing it! Now is the time to document and showcase those efforts. An increasing number of retailers are recognizing what you have known all along and are requiring documented pollinator protection programs, IPM plans, and sustainable practices. The acceptance of PrimusGFS Module 9 by industry leading retailers and grocers also continues to grow, providing our loyal food safety auditees with a simple solution for demonstrating their dedication to pollinator health.
PrimusGFS remains committed to being an adaptable certification program, focusing on the evolving needs of our auditees. We are dedicated to supporting these needs with tools and resources to effectively adapt in the dynamic landscape of food safety and sustainability.
Industry trends indicate a growing emphasis on monitoring sustainable practices, and IPM is just the beginning. To remain agile in the ever-changing food industry, it’s crucial to be proactive to these demands. The Sustainability Standard8, developed by the Sustainable Food Group9 and Azzule, covers a wide range of sustainability topics such as environmental protection, soil health, air quality, recycling, water conservation, and more in addition to Integrated Pest Management. Azzule is here to support on your path to more sustainable practices wherever you are on your journey.
As the agricultural landscape continues to advance, the role of comprehensive, scientifically-based, and well-documented IPM practices will become increasingly crucial in shaping a responsible and environmentally conscious agricultural future. Our goal is to facilitate ongoing improvements and support our clients as they work to continually enhance the safety, quality and sustainability of food products worldwide.
References & Resources
2 https://foe.org/retailer-report-card/
3 https://mygfsi.com/how-to-implement/recognition/certification-programme-owners
5 https://intranet.primuslabs.com/Toolkit/User/Default.aspx
6 https://pages.azzule.com/azzule-app-download.html
7 https://pages.azzule.com/Azzule-Platform-Benefits.html
