Get Advantage Certified

There are three steps or levels to the Advantage Series of Food Safety Programs™ for food processors:

1. Advantage GMP
2. Advantage HACCP
3. Advantage HACCP Plus

You can apply at each level for certification from a 3rd party Certification Body.

Steps to Becoming an Advantage Certified Facility:

1. Develop, document, implement and maintain one of the Advantage Series of Food Safety Programs™
2. Have the Advantage program fully operational for at least three months. It is also recommended that you conduct an internal audit to confirm the Advantage program is complete and operating effectively.
3. Contact one or both certification bodies designated to provide Advantage program audit and certification services to request an audit quote (make sure you are aware of all costs, and any cost increases).
4. Enter into a contract with your preferred Certification Body.
5. Follow the instructions provided by the Certification Body for submitting all required documents.
6. The Certification Body conducts a certification audit. This includes a review of your entire Advantage program including:
    * an audit of documented GMP programs and/or HACCP plan(s) and/or HACCP Plus programs. The audit is to ensure:
      - you have addressed all the required components
      - each component meets or exceeds Advantage requirements.
    * an in-plant audit (including observations, inspections and interviews) to verify:
      - you are implementing the Advantage program as written
      - the program is meeting the requirements of the chosen Advantage program.
   

7. Following the audit, there will be a closing meeting during which the auditor will summarize any non-conformances.
8. The Certification Body will issue an audit report, with any non-conformances listed.
9. You must submit a Corrective Action Plan (CAP) to the Certification Body for each non-conformance within 30 days of the audit.
10. Once the Certification Body receives and accepts your CAP, they will provide you with a copy of the audit report and your certificate.
11. Once you are certified, OMAFRA will include your company name on the OMAFRA website.

What happens after I'm certified?

Advantage certification is not a one-time event. It is an ongoing process, with a three year audit cycle. The Certification Body will contact you each year to schedule the necessary audit. In the first year, your facility will receive a full Advantage program audit. In the second and third years, you will receive partial surveillance audits to ensure your facility continues to meet Advantage program requirements. Then on the fourth year the cycle begins again and you will receive a full program audit.

You must maintain your Advantage program by:

• continuing to meet the requirements of each component
• keeping accurate records
• taking appropriate corrective actions if you identify any problems
• updating your program as needed

Years 2 and 3: Surveillance Audits

Includes an in-plant audit of:

• corrective actions taken as a result of non-conformances issued during the prior audit
• any Advantage program changes since the prior audit
• checks on selected GMP and HACCP Plan Critical Control Points

Certification Bodies

Both Certification Bodies are accredited by a national accreditation board (Standards Council of Canada or American National Standards Institute) and were selected for their extensive experience and outstanding reputation in the delivery of audit and certification services.

Learn more

Which Ontario food safety leaders are Advantage certified?