Got questions about the GGN label or the system behind it?
Take a look at our list of frequently asked questions! Click on a question to expand the answer.
Take a look at our list of frequently asked questions! Click on a question to expand the answer.
The GGN label is a universal mark of certified, responsible farming and transparency. It is designed to help guide you in your day-to-day grocery shopping.
Transparency is at the heart of our label – Our label connects you to the roots of your food and plants. Our 'About GGN' webpage details how we promote responsible farming that benefits farmers, retailers, and consumers around the globe. Through our work, we support worldwide sustainable development for the good of future generations and our planet.
GGN is short for GLOBALG.A.P. Number. GLOBALG.A.P. is the company behind the GGN label. The GGN is a 13-digit producer or producer group identification number given to every producer registered for certification. Once the production process on the farm is successfully certified, the producer can print this number on their product packaging. The number identifies where the product was produced, and retailers can use it to verify their suppliers.
In combination with the GGN label and its logo, the GGN enables us to give you the transparency you need and lets you trace your product back to its roots. And you can do that right on your mobile device while you're shopping!
The portal is at the heart of our promise of transparency. It collects the profiles of all the producers we have verified for you and whose products carry the GGN label logo. The portal also provides information on responsible farming practices and how certification works. Learn more about how the GGN label gives you transparency here.
Provided the product has a GGN label logo, all you have to do is type the GLOBALG.A.P. Number (GGN) into the GGN search and you will learn all about the farm, its location, and the certified products* it produces.
*Please note: The term ‘certified product(s)’ refers to products originating from a farm with GLOBALG.A.P. certified production processes.
The GGN label covers only farmed products and not wild farming. So, you won’t find the label logo on swordfish, because swordfish can’t be farmed in a controlled environment. It can only be fished in the ocean. Salmon, on the other hand, can be farmed in aquaculture farms using GLOBALG.A.P. certified processes that can be regulated, controlled, and monitored, as well as checked by trained auditors and inspectors working for independent and accredited certification bodies.
The GGN label is built on an internationally recognized and accredited set of good farming practices that cover food safety, sustainability, environmental protection, animal welfare, social responsibility, and supply chain traceability. These good farming practices are defined as a set of rules and requirements in a standard: theGLOBALG.A.P. Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA). Producers must comply with these IFA requirements in order to get certified and prove that they use responsible farming practices on their farm. The IFA covers all forms of farming – agriculture, floriculture, aquaculture, and livestock farming. However, the GGN label is currently available only for floriculture and aquaculture. |
GLOBALG.A.P. is a company that develops accredited standards used to check and certify the production processes in agriculture, floriculture, aquaculture, and livestock farming. The requirements specified in the GLOBALG.A.P. Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) standard, called control points and compliance criteria, are developed in coordination with everyone involved in the industry, including producers, retailers, government agencies, and NGOs. That’s why they reflect the current demands of the market as a whole. The GLOBALG.A.P. IFA certification proves that the production process on the farm operates according to science-based and industry-approved responsible farming requirements. This is a B2B certification, meaning that the certificates are checked by traders and retailers when sourcing products for consumers. The GLOBALG.A.P. IFA standard is one of the leading certification systems in the world, with over 200,000 farmers under GLOBALG.A.P. certification in more than 135 countries worldwide. Learn more about the GLOBALG.A.P. IFA standard at IFA v6 (globalgap.org). |
Producers receive a GLOBALG.A.P. IFA certificate when they fulfill all the control points and compliance criteria defined in the GLOBALG.A.P. Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) standard. The IFA covers production processes in agriculture, floriculture , aquaculture, and livestock farming. |
Producers implementing the IFA standard on their farms receive a GGN and are added to the GLOBALG.A.P. database, which collects and stores the assessment and certification data of more than 200,000 farms in over 135 countries. It is one of the largest online sources of verified farm data on food safety and sustainability. The database provides instant and complete access to the registration and status data of every producer and product within the GLOBALG.A.P. system. Traders and retailers worldwide use the platform’s online certificate validation tool daily to verify their suppliers. You can learn more about how the certification process works here. |
No, the product itself is not certified. The GGN means that the production process on the farm that produced the product is certified. This is an important distinction. GLOBALG.A.P. certification covers the on-farm production process only and NOT the end product. |
The GGN label logo is part of the GGN label. It shows consumers that that product was produced through a production process that is certified according to responsible farming requirements. It also means that you can trace the product back to its roots, the farm where it was produced, and get information on the producer. The GGN label logo also confirms that the integrity of the product was secured from the farm to the market shelf. This means that the product from GLOBALG.A.P. certified production processes was not mixed with products from non-certified production processes along the entire supply chain. Consumers can search the GGN found on products with the GGN label at www.ggn.org. If the product has a GGN but no GGN label logo on the package, you can use the public search function on the GLOBALG.A.P. database to find out where the product came from. To do so, simply enter the GGN in the field “Search #1 - Identify producer via unique codes”. The results will display the name of the producer. Please note: Not all producers with certification want to have their information publicly visible. For more information, please contact our customer support at customer_support@globalgap.org |
The GGN label relies on so-called Chain of Custody (CoC) certification, which enables supply chain transparency by monitoring every step of the way from the farm to the market shelf. A product passes through many hands before it reaches you. Chain of Custody certification uses a transparent system of documentation to make sure the labeled product you buy in the market consists only of products from certified production processes. Often, traders will buy products from several sources and package them as one product under a single brand label, such as a bouquet of flowers. To make sure that the products from certified production processes are not mixed with products from non-certified production processes as they make their way from the farm to your home, traders wanting to use the GGN label must also fulfill the requirements of the GLOBALG.A.P. Chain of Custody standard. |
Traders are buyers or packers that source products from various producers and either sell them to other traders or packers in bulk or package them under a specific brand name. These products are often mixed to create another product, such as a bouquet of flowers. That’s why Chain of Custody certification is so important: It ensures that products from certified production processes are not mixed with products from non-certified production processes. |
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No, they’re not. The GGN is an identification number for a producer with a certified production process. It is a traceability code for the farm up to the farm gate. The CoC Number is an identification number for a trader/packer or retailer selling products from certified production processes. It is a transparency code covering the supply chain from the farm gate to the market shelf. |
While our customer support is well trained to respond to all your queries, we cannot directly help you fix any problems relating to the actual product. That’s because the GGN label and logo only cover certified production processes. This means that independent third-party certification bodies are responsible for certifying production processes on the farm and NOT the actual products. Our label is not responsible for problems relating directly to the products.
To deal with a problem with the actual product, we highly recommend you do the following:
Contact the retailer where you bought the product and/or the product’s brand owner and inform them directly of your issue. You can usually find their hotline and contact information online and via their social media channels. Retailers and brand owners are generally keen on keeping their customers happy and will gladly assist you with your problem.
If you have no luck with option 1, try contacting the producer directly. You can find the contact information on their farm profile by searching their GGN.
If the product has a GGN but no GGN label logo, please contact our customer support at customer_support@globalgap.org
There can be several reasons for this, such as technical problems or a typo/printing mistake on the package. It can also mean that the farm has not been registered on ggn.org yet.
We can help you find out. Please use the contact form on our website to send us the following:
Clear pictures of both the front and back of the packaging taken with your mobile device. You can upload them as attachments to the contact form.
Exact information about the error message you received. Please select the message that was displayed form the list below:
The farm or farms with this GGN are currently being reviewed.
If the product you have bought is not specified in the farm profile, please contact info@ggn.org for more information.
For more information, please contactinfo@ggn.org.
User Agreement
GGN Label Platform
1. General Provisions
2. Setup of a Certified Company Profile
3. Content Provided by Certified Company
4. Use of GGN Label Platform
5. Data Privacy Protection
6. Limitation of Liability
7. Final Provisions