Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Good Handling Practices (GHP) are voluntary audits that verify fruits and vegetables are produced, packed, handled, and stored as safely as possible to keep the risks of microbial food safety hazards at the minimal level. Good Agricultural Practices usually deal with preharvest practices (i.e., in the field), while GHPs cover postharvest practices, including packing and shipping. This 3-page fact sheet in the Food Safety on the Farm series covers GAPs and GHPs relating to traceback, or the ability to track food items, such as fresh produce, back to their source. This major revision was written by Jaysankar De, Christopher R. Pabst, Alexandra S. Chang, Renée M. Goodrich-Schneider, and Keith R. Schneider and published by the UF/IFAS Food Science and Human Nutrition Department.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fs152