FCA / GMP+

Food safety

To guarantee the safety of animal-derived foods such as meat, eggs and dairy, there is a great deal of legislation and there are many certification standards for animal feed. This prevents contamination and disease in the chain and on our plates.

Animal feed self-checking guide

Every operator in the animal feed sector must make sure that the products placed on the market comply with the legal requirements for food safety and traceability. Companies are therefore required to apply the self-checking principles. The self-checking guides are drawn up by the sector federations; for the animal feed sector, OVOCOM developed guide G-001. Companies with a validated self-checking system are entitled to a discount on their FASFC contributions.

FCA

The FCA (Feed Chain Alliance) standard is managed by OVOCOM. It is the reference standard for companies in the animal feed sector and has been developed specifically by and for professionals in the sector. The FCA standard is internationally recognised and is also interchangeable with other feed safety standards such as GMP+, FAMI-QS, FEMAS, GTAS and QS.

FCA audits are carried out by independent, accredited certification bodies.

GMP+

Alongside the FCA standard, the GMP+ standard is also often implemented. This standard is also internationally recognised and is the largest certification scheme for animal feed in the world. The scheme is made up of:

• Feed Safety Assurance (GMP+ FSA) for safe animal feed.
• Feed Responsibility Assurance (GMP+ FRA) for responsible, sustainable operations.

VLOG

VLOG stands for ‘Verband Lebensmittel Ohne Gentechnik’, the German association for food produced without genetic engineering. Producers who meet the requirements may display the VLOG logo on their packaging, showing that their products are GMO-free.

To obtain the certificate, producers must observe three important rules:

• The product contains no GMOs or parts of GMOs.
• The product contains no vitamins, flavourings, enzymes or other additives produced using GMOs.
• No GMO material is present in the animal feed (with very strict limits if the animals were previously raised on GMO-containing feed).

Frequently asked questions about FCA and GMP+

What is the difference between FCA and GMP+?

FCA (Feed Chain Alliance) is a certification scheme managed by OVOCOM, developed specifically for and by professionals in the Belgian feed sector. GMP+ is the largest international certification scheme for feed safety, consisting of GMP+ FSA (feed safety assurance) and GMP+ FRA (responsible assurance). The two schemes recognise each other, together with FAMI-QS, FEMAS and GTAS.

Which sector is FCA relevant for?

For companies in the Belgian feed chain: producers, processors, traders and transporters of compound feed and feed materials.

What does GMP+ certification involve?

A feed safety management system based on HACCP principles, supplemented by requirements on traceability, monitoring and (through GMP+ FRA) sustainability criteria, recognised throughout the international feed chain.

Is FCA mandatory for feed companies?

Not by law, but thanks to mutual recognition with GMP+ and other international schemes, FCA is in practice often the most efficient way for Belgian feed companies to gain international recognition as well, without having to be certified twice.

Read more in our knowledge centre

• Inactivated yeast
• Homogeneity tests on mixing installations
• Trade fair visit: 'Global Feed Safety Summit'